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The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued Thursday with the Florida Panthers erasing a two-goal deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars dominating the Seattle Kraken to even their series. 

Florida came back from a two-goal deficit to beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Game 2. Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling spearheaded the Panthers' come-from-behind effort by scoring a goal apiece within the first two minutes of the second period, giving Florida the lead it would hold for the rest of the game. The Panthers have now won five straight and head back to FLA Live Arena with a commanding 2-0 series lead. 

After a disappointing overtime loss at home in Game 1, Dallas righted the ship with a dominant 4-2 win in Game 2. Dallas' Joe Pavelski scored his fifth goal in his last two games in the win, proving he's more than healthy to carry his team despite missing time with an injury in the first round. The Stars and Kraken will play their next two games in Seattle. 

Here's a look at the scores from those games and more from across the NHL

Panthers ride second-period scoring binge to win over Leafs

The Panthers showed some serious playoff mettle in Game 2, overcoming a two-goal deficit to beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Scotiabank Arena. Florida will now head home with a 2-0 series lead and a five-game winning streak, giving the team significant momentum as it hunts for its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1996. 

Toronto's Alexander Kerfoot and Ryan O'Reilly opened the game's scoring with goals in the first 5:10, and it looked as if the Maple Leafs were well on their way to evening the series at 1-1. Florida answered with an Anton Lundell goal at 11:13 of the first, but the comeback effort truly ignited after the intermission. 

Aleksander Barkov got the puck past Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov with a gorgeous wrist shot only :19 into the second period, then less than a minute later Gustav Forsling added a goal of his own to give Florida the 3-2 advantage it would ride until the final horn. 

Florida's comeback win likely would've been impossible without the monumental contributions of Sergei Bobrovsky, who recorded 34 saves and erased Toronto's hopes for overtime time after time. Toronto will get another shot at Bobrovsky in Game 3, which is set to take place Sunday at FLA Live Arena. 

Joe Pavelski stays hot, helps Stars even series with Kraken

Stars fans witnessed a virtuosic performance from Joe Pavelski in Game 1, as the 38-year-old scored four goals in his return from an injury he suffered during the first round. But Pavelski's efforts somehow weren't enough, as the Stars fell 5-4 in overtime to make him just the third player in NHL history to score four-plus goals in a playoff loss. 

Pavelski carried his brilliant play into Game 2, and this time his team came through with a win to boot. The Stars dominated the Kraken 4-2 to even their series at 1-1, a crucial result considering the next two games will be in Seattle, a city getting its very first taste of playoff hockey.  

After a scoreless first period, Dallas raced to a 2-0 lead in the second thanks to goals from Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov within the first 10 minutes. Seattle's Tye Kartye fired a wrist shot past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger at 11:05 of the second to cut Dallas' lead to one, but that margin didn't last long. Pavelski scored his lone goal of the game with just over three minutes left in the second, with Johnston and Tyler Seguin assisting on the play. 

Seguin would later seal the game with a tip-in goal to make it 4-1 at 10:59 of the third period. Seattle's Jordan Eberle made it 4-2 with a goal at 16:32 of the final period. 

With the series now even, Dallas and Seattle are slated to play the next two games at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena. Games 3 and 4 will take place Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.