The Panthers are finally playing to their identity and are back in series with Toronto
Sam Bennett probably summed up the Florida Panthers’ performance on Sunday the most succinctly.
“That,” Bennett said, “was more like the Panthers playoff hockey that we’re used to.”
Through the first three games of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers had struggled to get to their identity that has made them so successful over the past three seasons.
The aggressive forecheck. The physical, grind-you-down defense that turns into offense. The tight gaps that stop the opponents from stretching out their offense. The stellar saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. They fell behind in the series as a result.
It was all on display — finally — on Sunday in the Panthers’ 2-0 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4 of this second-round Stanley Cup playoff series at Amerant Bank Arena. Florida and Toronto are now tied 2-2 in the best-of-7 series, with Game 5 at 7 p.m. Wednesday from Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
“We played really good defense,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “We had good sticks. I liked our game. It was a tight game all the way through. They’re a good team. They had some chances, but obviously we’ll take the win and go to Toronto.”
Florida’s performance on home ice has helped reset this series. After dropping the first two games in Toronto, the Panthers rallied from a two-goal deficit on Friday to win Game 3 5-4 in overtime before fully showcasing their game on Sunday.
Bobrovsky stopped all 23 shots he faced for his second shutout of the postseason and his fifth playoff shutout all-time. Verhaeghe and Bennett each scored goals — Verhaeghe on a first-period power play, Bennett with just under eight minutes left in regulation after showcasing some nifty moves and patience in front of the net. The defense clamped down, holding the Maple Leafs to just 12 shots on goal through the first two periods before Toronto got desperate in the third and started getting more pucks on net in the final 20 minutes.
Overall, the Panthers held the Maple Leafs to just 16 shots on goal with the game played at full strength. They went a perfect 3 for 3 on the penalty kill, holding Toronto to just four shots on goal while on the man advantage while producing three shorthanded chances of their own.
“A tighter game, less opportunities,” Bennett said. “We didn’t give up many odd-mans at all. We did a pretty good job of limiting their chances, and Bobby stood on his head.”
It was a return to form, for sure, but Panthers coach Paul Maurice isn’t going so far as to say things are in his team’s favor just yet.
“Be mindful it’s one game. I don’t believe in momentum,’’ Maurice said. “I don’t believe in trends. The puck will drop in the next game, and we’ll have to fight hard to get back to what I thought was a pretty well played game by our team.”
That said, that well played game has the Panthers in a spot to do something that hasn’t been done before in franchise history.
Florida has never won a playoff series after dropping the first two games, going 0-5 in those scenarios including three sweeps (Tampa Bay in the second round in 2022, New Jersey in the first round in 2000 and Colorado in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final). This year marks the first time Florida has ever rallied to even up the series after falling down 0-2 to essentially turn the best-of-7 series into a three-game affair.
Should Florida manage to come all the way back and advance, the Panthers would become the seventh reigning Stanley Cup champion in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to overcome a 2-0 series deficit to advance to the next round and fourth to do so after the opening round.
“Hockey’s a funny game,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “You never know what you’re gonna get. ... We came home and did what we wanted to do with these two games, and we’ll have a nice, long look at it the next few days and be ready for Toronto in their in their building.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
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