![The Florida Panthers took a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and afterwards, the Cats faithful mocked the Maple Leafs fanbase. [Twitter/Screenshot/Public — @BR_OpenIce]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-08-8.52.30-AM-1-e1683550624180.png "The Florida Panthers took a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and afterwards, the Cats faithful mocked the Maple Leafs fanbase. [Twitter/Screenshot/Public — @BR_OpenIce]")
Ahh … I love my Cats.
After defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sunday’s overtime Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 3-2, the Florida Panthers are now just one win away from advancing to the finals.
Once again forcing a comeback, Florida sent the game into overtime where Panthers forward Sam Reinhart eventually scored the game-winning goal, pushing the Maple Leafs on the edge of being eliminated from the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. And in the process, South Florida’s hockey team pulled off some postseason franchise history.
The goal from Reinhart was the sixth straight playoff victory for Florida, which is the longest winning streak in the postseason for the Panthers in their entire team history, according to TBS’ broadcast of Maple Leafs-Panthers.
FLORIDA’S GOT A 3-0 SERIES LEAD WITH THIS OT WINNER 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iY7vKRaDAu
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 8, 2023
Adding some comedy into this situation, Panthers fans let the Maple Leafs have it after the victory, slamming the team with “We Want Florida” chants — which is a reference to Toronto fans chanting “We Want Florida” after their Eastern Conference 1st Round series win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Panthers fans with the “We want Florida” chant 😳 pic.twitter.com/rGuQWFqTqS
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 8, 2023
Oh, man. What a time it is to be a Florida Panthers fan.
Scratch that. What a time it is to be a South Florida sports fan period.
I swear I’m dreaming. On one side, you of course have my Panthers being just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, up a dominant 3-0 in the semifinals with a chance to sweep the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the other, there’s my Miami Heat who are only two victories from the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, holding on to a 2-1 series lead against our rival New York Knicks. (And not to mention the Miami Grand Prix was Sunday which featured a huge spotlight on my Miami Dolphins) (RELATED: Nikola Jokic Appears To Shove Phoenix Suns Owner Mat Ishbia During Game 4 Of Western Conference Semifinals)
Man … it really is a beautiful time to be a SoFlo sports fan.