Three keys to the Panthers’ second-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs
The Florida Panthers will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs for a spot in the Eastern Conference final.
Game 1 of the best-of-7 series is set for 8 p.m. Monday at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Florida advanced to the second round by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, while Toronto ousted the Ottawa Senators in six games in the opening round.
A series win for the Panthers will move them to the Eastern Conference final for a third consecutive season.
Here are three keys for the Panthers if they want to advance.
1.) Continue to excel on the road. For the second consecutive playoff series, the Panthers will begin on the road. That comes with the territory of finishing third in their division during the regular season.
But Florida showed in the first round against Tampa Bay — and, really, over the past few years — that it can take home-ice advantage away from its opponent in the playoffs.
The Panthers went a perfect 3-0 on the road against the Lightning, winning Game 1 6-2, Game 2 2-0 and the series-clinching Game 5 6-3. And that’s against a Tampa Bay team that won 29 games at home during the regular season, tied for the fourth-most home wins this season.
But Florida’s road success in the playoffs extends beyond that series. Since the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, their first under coach Paul Maurice and the first of two consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers have gone 18-8 in 26 road postseason games, with 13 of those wins coming in regulation.
2.) Win on special teams. Florida’s penalty kill was stellar against Tampa Bay, holding the Lightning to just two power-play goals on 18 attempts while allowing just 17 total shots on goal over nearly 40 total minutes playing shorthanded. The Panthers’ power play wasn’t as effective, but they did score four times on 16 attempts.
The Maple Leafs scored six power-play goals on 17 power-play opportunities against the Senators but also gave up a pair of shorthanded goals. Meanwhile, Toronto’s penalty kill played at an 80-percent efficiency, killing off 12 of 15 opportunities.
3.) Take advantage of their depth. Each team clearly has its set of stars who can take over a series.
Florida has Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand to name a few. Toronto has its core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.
But perhaps the Panthers’ strength in the series will come from the players beyond the stars. Consider that six Florida players had at least five points in its series against Tampa Bay, 10 scored at least one goal and 15 had at least one point.
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