TORONTO – It’s Round 2 and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers—two Atlantic Division titans—lock horns once again in a playoff battle that promises sparks, speed, and serious star power. Puck drops Monday night in Toronto, and the spotlight is white-hot.
Head-to-Head Clash: Leafs vs. Panthers Round 2 Rewind
It’s a rematch fans haven’t forgotten—Toronto and Florida face off in the second round for the second time in three years. Florida owned the regular season series 3-1 and ousted Tampa Bay in five games to reach this round. Toronto battled past a gritty Ottawa squad in six.
Combined, these two clubs spent 174 of 178 days this season atop the Atlantic Division. So this matchup? It was written in the stars.
Big Guns Locked and Loaded
Toronto’s Firepower: The Leafs are led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and a red-hot William Nylander—who led the way with nine points in the first round. Toronto’s top six are lethal, but they’ll face a brick wall in the Panthers’ defense.
Florida’s Edge: The defending Stanley Cup champs may have finished third in the Atlantic, but don’t let that fool you. With Matthew Tkachuk back in stride and Sergei Bobrovsky in Vezina-like form, the Cats are ready to claw their way back to the Final.
Key Storylines to Watch
Power Play Punch
Toronto’s special teams could be the series’ x-factor. The Leafs went 6-for-17 on the man advantage vs. Ottawa. But Florida’s penalty kill suffocated Tampa, allowing just two goals on 18 power plays.
Goaltending Duel
Anthony Stolarz has been the playoff starter for Toronto, bringing calm and consistency. But he’s up against Bobrovsky—the Panthers’ playoff rock, who held Tampa to just 12 goals in five games. Goaltending could tilt this series.
Experience vs. Hunger
The Panthers have been to back-to-back Cup Finals and know how to grind out wins. The Leafs? Still chasing that elusive deep run, with added Cup-winning experience in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz, and yes—Stolarz, who hoisted the Cup in Florida last year.
The X-Factors
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Toronto: William Nylander. If he stays hot, he could blow this series wide open.
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Florida: Matthew Tkachuk. When healthy, he’s the most impactful player on the ice—offensively and physically.
Suspensions & Scratches
Florida will be without key blueliner Aaron Ekblad (suspended two games). Toronto misses Jani Hakanpää (lower body). Both teams have depth to cover—but Ekblad’s absence could open lanes for the Leafs’ top lines.
Projected Lineups
(Key Thunder Bay connection: Keep an eye on defenseman Brandon Carlo, anchoring the Leafs’ top pair—his hard-nosed play could define this series.)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Pacioretty – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Holmberg – Domi
Jarnkrok – Laughton – Lorentz
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
Goalie: Stolarz
Florida Panthers
Verhaeghe – Barkov – Reinhart
Samoskevich – Bennett – Tkachuk
Luostarinen – Lundell – Marchand
Rodrigues – Sturm – Boqvist
Forsling – S. Jones
Mikkola – Kulikov
Balinskis – Schmidt
Goalie: Bobrovsky
Puck Drop Details
🗓 Game 1: Monday
📍Location: Toronto
🕗 Time: 8 p.m. ET
📺 Broadcast: CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN
Final Word
Strap in, Thunder Bay hockey fans—this series could be a classic. It’s offense vs. defense, swagger vs. structure, and two teams with everything to prove. Will Toronto’s stars finally shine deep into spring? Or will the battle-hardened Panthers pounce once again?
Stay locked to NetNewsLedger Sports for your full Stanley Cup Playoff coverage—from Bay Street to Bayview to Grandview, and Kakabeka Falls and beyond.
