Panthers Face Maple Leafs in Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Showdown

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beginning May 5 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. This marks a rematch of their postseason encounter two years ago, where the Panthers triumphed in five games.

Florida aims to repeat its previous success after reaching back-to-back finals in 2023 and 2024. The Panthers have kept their core intact, featuring stars like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Gustav Forsling. However, their playoff experience may provide an edge against a revamped Maple Leafs lineup.

Toronto, led by their Core Four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares, has made several key additions, including goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forward Steven Lorentz. New head coach Craig Berube will also bring fresh strategies as the Leafs seek playoff redemption.

Barkov acknowledged the significance of experience in playoffs, stating, “Every year is different. They have a lot of new guys, new systems, a new coach. They’ve been playing really well this year. All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and our game plan.”

To succeed against Toronto’s ninth-ranked power play, which was effective during the first round of the playoffs, the Panthers will need to replicate their previous success against the Maple Leafs power play. Last time, Florida held them to two goals on 18 opportunities.

In 2023, the Panthers effectively contained Matthews and Marner, limiting them to a combined five points in that series. Florida coach Paul Maurice noted the challenge of containing top players, saying, “You’re not shutting anybody down. They will get their chances.”

Meanwhile, Tkachuk’s health is a concern for Toronto. After a limited role in the first round due to a lower-body injury, Tkachuk is expected to play a bigger part as he returns to full health. Maurice said, “Having everyone healthy is highly unusual and not to be expected, so we roll with it.”

The Panthers enter this series as the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 seed, looking to extend their title defense and aiming for their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory.