The Florida Panthers’ second-round playoff matchup is set. Here’s what you need to know
The Florida Panthers already took care of business in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, beating their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Next up in their quest to repeat as Cup champions? The Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs, who won the Atlantic Division, will have home-ice advantage in the second round regardless of the opponent, hosting Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary). The Panthers would host Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary). Game dates, times and TV information have not yet been announced.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
How did the Panthers and Maple Leafs advance from the first round of the playoffs?
Both the Panthers and Maple Leafs beat an in-state/province rival in the opening round of the playoffs.
For Florida, it was a second consecutive year knocking out Tampa Bay in the first round. The Panthers won the first two games of the best-of-7 series, dropped Game 3 and then rounded out the series with wins in Games 4 and 5.
Toronto, meanwhile, knocked out the Ottawa Senators in six games. The Maple Leafs went up 3-0 in the series and then lost Games 4 and 5 before wrapping up the series with a 4-2 win in Game 6 on Thursday.
How did the regular-season series between the Panthers and Maple Leafs unfold?
Florida went 3-1-0 in four games against the Maple Leafs during the regular season. The Panthers won 5-1 on Nov. 27, 3-2 on March 13 and 3-1 on April 8 while losing 3-2 on April 2.
What is the playoff history between the Panthers and Maple Leafs
Florida and Toronto have only met once in the Stanley Cup playoffs and that came during the second round of the 2023 playoffs. Florida won that series in five games on its way to reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Who are the players to watch from the Florida Panthers?
▪ The Panthers’ third line: We’re cheating a little bit here and lumping the trio of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand together. They were critical to Florida’s first round success, combining for 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) and all playing on the Panthers’ penalty kill that went 16 for 18 against the Lightning.
▪ Seth Jones: The defenseman, acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick, led the team in average ice time (25:41), scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 against Tampa Bay and was a plus-5 in the Lightning series. He runs the Panthers’ top power-play unit, gets steady minutes on the penalty kill and has split time between the top two defense pairs depending on if Aaron Ekblad is in the lineup.
▪ Sergei Bobrovsky: Bobrovsky had a .901 save percentage against the Lightning, stopping 100 of 111 shots he faced. He held Tampa Bay to two goals or fewer in three of the four wins, including a 19-save shutout in Game 2.
Who are the players to watch from the Toronto Maple Leafs?
▪ Auston Matthews: The Maple Leafs’ captain finished the regular season with 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 regular-season games and had seven points (two goals, five assists) in Toronto’s first-round series against Ottawa.
▪ William Nylander: The Swedish winger had 84 points in the regular season — his fourth consecutive season logging at least 80 points — and had a team-high nine points in the series with the Senators. He scored twice in the series-clinching Game 6, including an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left to seal the win.
▪ Anthony Stolarz: Florida’s backup goaltender last season, Stolarz has thrived in his first season in Toronto. Stolarz, who split time in net with Joseph Woll, went 21-8-3 in 34 games (33 starts) for the Maple Leafs and his .926 save percentage was the highest in the NHL among goalies with at least 30 starts. He started every game for Toronto in its first-round series against Ottawa.
Who would the winner of the Panthers-Maple Leafs matchup face in the Eastern Conference final?
The winner of the Panthers-Maple Leafs series would face the winner of Washington Capitals-Carolina Hurricanes second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference final.
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