TORONTO _ The Florida Panthers expected to get offensively healthy against the sieve-like defense of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had allowed a league-high 26 goals in their first six games.
While Panthers forward Jonathan Marchessault exploited new Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who entered the game with a league-worst 4.29 goals-against-average, with the first two-goal outing of his suddenly blossoming career, it wasn't enough in a disheartening 3-2 loss Thursday in the Air Canada Centre.
The Panthers knew that the Leafs were loaded with young, speedy forwards such as teen phenom Auston Matthews and linemate William Nylander, but perhaps they overlooked 19-year-old rookie forward Mitchell Marner, who notched three assists, two on goals by Tyler Bozak.
The Panthers dropped to 3-3-1 and 0-2 on this four-game road swing that winds up in Buffalo, sans an injured Jack Eichel, and Detroit in a back-to-back weekend afternoon set.
The Leafs had dropped four straight (0-2-2) and four in a row to the Panthers in the ACC, but this isn't the same team as last year's 30th-ranked version.
Panthers coach Gerard Gallant opted to start James Reimer against Pittsburgh in Tuesday's 3-2 loss and Roberto Luongo versus the Leafs, who has owned over his career with a 20-8-0 mark. Not Thursday night.
Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Andersen stoned Vincent Trocheck with 7:41 left and then Colton Sceviour's four-minute minor for high-sticking Andersen and opening up a cut on his forehead at 12:40, basically doomed Florida's comeback hopes.
Tied at 1-1 after one, the Panthers took advantage of the first power play of the game when Luongo's pass ignited a fast break in which Keith Yandle dropped it for Marchessault, who at 3:35 uncorked a rising wrister. That gave the Lightning castoff a team-leading five goals and 10 points in seven games, not far from matching his career output of eight goals and 19 points in 49 games.
A bench penalty on the Leafs gave the Panthers another power play and they owned offensive-zone possession for nearly three minutes with Andersen making a sliding stop on Sceviour's point-blanker.
However, that save led to an even-strength odd-man rush for the Leafs that resulted in James van Riemsdyk taking a nifty feed from Marner for a backhander through Luongo for a 2-2 tie at 10:26.
The Leafs took a 3-2 lead into the third period when Marner's no-look pass found Bozak's stick for an easy drive-by deposit with 3:57 left. Marner, who entered with a goal and two assists in his first six NHL games, doubled his production.
Jaromir Jagr, playing in his 1,636th game to move past Scott Stevens into seventh place all-time, owned the puck in the first period before sending a pinpoint pass to a charging Marchessault for a wide-open layup past Andersen at 6:55 of the first period. Jagr, who has four points, notched his 45th helper and 78th point in 60 games against Toronto.
