Matthews pots pair as Maple Leafs cruise past Panthers

The jerseys were part of Florida's Pride night game in support of the area's LGBTQ community, and the brothers cited their religion as the reason for their decision.

"We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey," the Staal brothers said in a statement. "Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs."

While the Staal brothers declined to participate, Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the Panthers who went ahead with the Pride-themed jerseys.

Auston Matthews had two goals for Toronto, and Matt Murray made 33 saves. Mitchell Marner and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist, and John Tavares finished with three assists.

The Maple Leafs won for the third time in four games, bouncing back nicely after a 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins scored for the Panthers. Bobrovsky made 21 saves in the team's second straight loss.

WATCH | Matthews leads way as Leafs thump Panthers:

Toronto jumped in front when Matthews scored his 33rd goal 5:05 into the first period. Tkachuk tied it at 1 at 14:25 when a replay review determined Murray pulled Tkachuk's odd-angled shot on a power play from over the goal line.

The Maple Leafs went ahead to stay with three goals in the second. Nylander made it 2-1 at 1:20, and Matthews scored again at 2:57.

WILL NY!