The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers are set to clash in Round 2 of the postseason, and we look at what makes this matchup so fascinating.
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally achieved the first-round playoff series win that has eluded the historical franchise for 19 years. Despite qualifying for the postseason seven times since 2003-04, including the last six seasons, the team failed to get back to the second round of the NHL playoffs after defeating the Ottawa Senators almost two decades ago.
Now that franchise stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander got through the first round together, the team who could never get the job done cleared one of the biggest hurdles holding them back. Although this year’s team could be legit Stanley Cup contenders, any further advancements would be considered a success due to a long history of playoff failures.
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Of course, the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup or the season would be written off as disappointing. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs have already knocked off the three-time defending conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning and slayed the demons of playoffs past, which is a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, the hockey world was hoping to see an Original Six matchup between the Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins, yet the upstart, never say die Florida Panthers completed the grandest upset in Stanley Cup playoff history by knocking off the Bruins in a thrilling seven-game series.
Even though the hockey world hoped for two iconic franchises to meet in round two, they will be treated to an entertaining David vs. Goliath-type matchup instead.
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers series notes
When anyone looks up the Stanley Cup playoff history and wonders what happened to the 2019 Lightning, who won a league record 62 games, and the 2023 Bruins, who set a new record with 65 wins, there will be a picture of Sergei Bobrovsky.
After slaying the Lightning as a member of the Blue Jackets, he took his talents to South Florida and led the Panthers to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022. Sadly, the team lost in the second round that year, followed by Bobrovsky’s inability to follow up his 39-win campaign with an awful year in 2022-23, losing his starting job to Alex Lyon.
However, after falling behind in the series 3-1 to the Bruins, head coach Paul Maurice called on Bobrovsky to bail out the team, and he carried the Panthers to three straight wins and arguably the biggest upset in hockey history. Now, he’s playing at the top of his game and will take on a Maple Leafs lineup with scoring depth up front and on the backend.
Although Toronto is under the most pressure since they represent an entire country looking for their first Stanley Cup title since 1993, the Panthers come into the series riding all the momentum and have the dangerous underdog mentality. Moreover, whether they win or lose, they have already secured their place in the history books.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs still need to win a championship outside of the Original Six era, which ended in 1967, and was the last time there was a parade in Toronto. Realistically, with the roster adjustments the franchise orchestrated at the trade deadline, it is safe to say that this year’s team is one of the deepest the Maple Leafs have had in years, which could get them back to the final four, a place they haven’t been since 2002.
Key matchups in Maple Leafs vs. Panthers in NHL Playoffs
Statistically, the Florida Panthers have one of the game’s most lethal players in Matthew Tkachuk, a superstar they acquired in the offseason for former franchise icon Jonathan Huberdeau. After scoring 104 points last season, he got even better, potting 109 this year while bringing energy to the lineup.
Even though he is not the captain of the Panthers, that honor belongs to Aleksander Barkov; the offense runs through Tkachuk, who currently leads the team in playoff scoring with 11 points in seven games. Whether scoring timely goals or getting in the face of his opponents, he is a handful every time he steps over the boards and will be a significant concern for anyone in a blue sweater.
Interestingly, the Panthers and Maple Leafs survived first-round matchups by getting points from 16 players. Furthermore, Marner leads all Toronto players with 11 points in six games, edging out Matthews and defenseman Morgan Reilly, who set up the overtime winner in game 6 in Tampa Bay.
Surprisingly, the Panthers scored ten more goals than the Toronto Maple Leafs during the regular season. However, they did not employ two 40-goal scorers (Nylander and Matthews) nor two 30-goal scorers (Tavares and Marner). Whether getting set up by an offensive-minded defensive corps or creating magic on their own, the Maple Leafs bring one of the league’s best arsenals to the second round.
Even if Bobrovsky stands on his head and steals a game or two, it will be tough for the Florida Panthers to shut down all the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, if history is any indication, there is no counting these pesky Panthers out because if they slayed the greatest regular season team of all time, all bets are off as they look to progress deeper into this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
History of Maple Leafs vs. Panthers
According to statistics from NHL.com, the Maple Leafs, and Panthers have played 98 regular season contests together, with Toronto holding the lead with a 48-35-7-8 record. Surprisingly, the Panthers lead on the scoreboard by a margin of 297-292, good enough for 3.03 goals per game and 2.98 goals against per game.
Historically, this year will mark the first time these two franchises have crossed paths in the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, during the regular season, the Maple Leafs were 3-0-1 against the Panthers, securing seven out of a positive eight points, winning and edging their southern rivals 15-10 in goals.
Interestingly, Toronto has succeeded against Florida on home ice, Scotiabank Arena, with a 27-16-2-2 record in 47 contests. At the same time, the Panthers need better numbers at FLA Live Arena, with a 19-21-5-6 record in 51 against the Maple Leafs. Moreover, as the higher seed, the Maple Leafs earned home-ice advantage for the series, hosting Games 1 and 2, with the possibility of Game 5 and Game 7, if need be.
Maple Leafs v. Panthers prediction: Maple Leafs in 6