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McCabe caps rally as Panthers top Maple Leafs

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:19 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- The Florida Panthers finally proved they're not out of the game after two periods.

Defenseman Bryan McCabe scored the game-winner with 90 seconds left in overtime as the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Stephen Weiss recorded a goal and two assists and Gregory Campbell added a tally and an assist for the Panthers, who trailed by a 3-1 margin entering the third period.

"Biggest two points of the year for sure," Weiss said. "It wasn't looking too good there for a while, but we found a way to grit it out and get a big win."

Florida, which entered the contest with an 0-16-4 record when trailing after 40 minutes, rallied as Weiss made it a 3-2 game early in the third and Cory Stillman's power-play goal with 53 seconds to play in regulation tied the score.

Leading a 2-on-1 break in the first good chance of the extra period, McCabe unleashed a slap shot from the left circle that found a hole under goaltender Vesa Toskala's arm, trickling into the net to give Florida the win.

"I was shooting all the way. I wasn't going to try to make a pass in overtime on that ice," McCabe said. "I knew (Nathan) Horton was going to the net. I was thinking hit the net don't miss. I got lucky, you know I'll take it."

"I'm real happy for our team digging ourselves out of a 3-1 hole, but I'm real happy for Bryan McCabe - he deserves that," Panthers coach Peter DeBoer said.

Florida never led during regulation as Niklas Hagman gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at the 10:52 mark of the first period.

Campbell knotted the score at 1-1 with 67 seconds left in the first, but the Maple Leafs took the momentum right back as Alexei Ponikarovsky put Toronto on top with 20 seconds left in the first period. Jason Blake's wraparound try was denied by goaltender Craig Anderson but Ponikarovsky was there to slide home the rebound from the slot.

Toronto doubled its advantage at the 2:11 mark of the second, taking a 3-1 lead. Nik Antropov beat Anderson with a shot from below the left circle after the rebound from defenseman Anton Stralman's shot along the right boards caromed right to him.

"Those are games that you have to have and you can't let those points squeak away," said Toronto defenseman Jeff Finger, who dished out two assists, including one on Antropov's goal.

"It's a tough way to lose. You have to have those points, especially with a two-goal lead.

That would be the score until early in the third period when Stillman fed a perfect pass into the slot where Weiss skated onto the puck and deflected it past Toskala to make it a 3-2 game at the 2:20 mark of the period.

The Maple Leafs appeared to have regained a two-goal edge midway through the third but Ponikarovsky's goal was overturned when replays showed that the puck never fully crossed the line. The Toronto center threw the puck in front where it deflected off defenseman Jassen Cullimore's skate, but Anderson was able to smother the puck while it was still on the goal line.

Florida pulled its goalie for the extra attack late in the game and Ponikarovsky was whistled for a boarding penalty, which gave the Panthers essentially a two-man advantage with 95 seconds remaining. Stillman knocked in a rebound from the right post, lifting the puck over Toskala.

Anderson made 31 saves for the Panthers.

"I thought Craig Anderson made a couple huge saves for us in the third," DeBoer said. "When you're pressing to tie, you are going to give up some chances. I thought he made a couple big saves to let us hang around and we found a way.

"Every game is big for us. Hopefully that will help vault us down the stretch - give us some confidence."

Toskala turned aside 27 shots for the Maple Leafs, who were denied matching a season-high third straight win.