Matthews scores winner as Maple Leafs force Game 7 with Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking the defending Stanley Cup champions the distance.

Auston Matthews scored the game-winner 6:20 into the third period as the Maple Leafs blanked the Florida Panthers 2-0 Friday night in Game 6.

Joseph Woll stopped all 21 shots he faced for the shutout.

"Just a gutsy win all around," Matthews said postgame. "I thought we battled hard all three periods. It took until midway through the third to break through, but I thought all throughout our lineup everybody played hard, everybody competed."

Head coach Craig Berube's controversial decision to keep Matthews and linemate Mitch Marner together proved fruitful. Marner broke up a Panthers breakout, spun, and swung a pass to Matthews, who flew down the left wing before beating Sergei Bobrovsky five-hole with his patented wrister. It was Matthews' first career goal in Round 2 of the playoffs.

"You know it's not going to be an easy game," Marner said. "You know you're not going to get many looks. We just stuck with our guns and made sure we made hard plays and got the result."

Max Pacioretty potted a key insurance marker with 5:43 left in the game, pitchforking in a cross-ice saucer pass from Bobby McMann on a two-on-one.

Woll became the first Maple Leafs goaltender to post a shutout when facing elimination since Curtis Joseph in the 2002 Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Woll, who relieved an injured Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of the series, is now 4-1 in his playoff career in elimination games with a sparkling .957 save percentage.

"The biggest thing I'm feeling right now is a lot of confidence in our group," Woll said. "Backs against the wall, we came out and played our best game of the series. Played structured and really prioritized defense."

The Maple Leafs are seeking their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Final since 2002.

"The job's not done yet," Matthews added.

The Hurricanes await the winner of Sunday's Game 7 after defeating the Washington Capitals in five games.