What you need to know about Panthers’ second-round playoff series against Maple Leafs
The Florida Panthers did the improbable. They rallied from a 3-1 first-round series deficit by winning three consecutive games against the top-seeded Boston Bruins, capped by a thrilling 4-3 overtime win in Game 7, to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Next up is an Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in their opening-round matchup.
Here’s what you need to know as the Panthers continue their unlikely push toward a Stanley Cup.
What is the second-round schedule?
As of Monday morning, the NHL has only released the dates for the first two games of each best-of-7 second-round series.
For the Panthers-Maple Leafs matchup, Game 1 is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and will be televised on ESPN. Game 2 will be on Thursday, also in Toronto, but time and TV broadcast information has not yet been released.
Games 3 and 4 will be at the Panthers’ FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. Should the series extend beyond a sweep by either side, Game 5 is back in Toronto, Game 6 would be in Sunrise and a potential Game 7 would be back in Toronto.
How did the Panthers and Maple Leafs match up in the regular season?
The Panthers went 1-1-2 in four regular-season games against the Maple Leafs, with three of the four games going to overtime. The quick synopsis of each game:
▪ Jan. 17 — 5-4 overtime loss: Florida led 4-2 less than two minutes into the second period, but gave up a goal to Auston Matthews with three seconds left in the second period before William Nylander tied it early in the third and scored the game winner 1:53 into overtime in Toronto.
▪ March 23 — 6-2 regulation loss: The Panthers fell behind 3-1 within the first three minutes of the second period and never recovered.
▪ March 29 — 3-2 overtime win: Sam Reinhart scored a game-tying power-play goal with one minute left in regulation and Brandon Montour sealed the win 1:41 into overtime. Alex Lyon stopped 38 of 40 shots that came his way in the win, the first of six consecutive Florida victories that helped secure their spot in the playoffs.
▪ April 10 - 2-1 overtime loss: That six-game win streak started with against Toronto and ended against Toronto. Florida managed to pick up a point after Montour tied the game midway through the third period but the Maple Leafs’ John Tavares scored the game winner with 22 seconds left in overtime.
Are tickets for Panthers home games on sale?
Single-game tickets for Panthers second-round home games — Games 2, 4 and, if necessary, 6 — will go on sale at 11 a.m. Monday at Ticketmaster.com. According to the Panthers, there will be an eight-ticket limit per household for all single game ticket purchases.
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