The Toronto Maple Leafs kick off their second-round series tonight against the Florida Panthers. This has been a rivalry brewing for the last few years, and it all came to a boiling point when they met in Round 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There were plenty of moments in that series that took the rivalry to another level — whether it was Radko Gudas crushing David Kampf into the boards as the play was ending, or when Gudas and Nick Cousins combined for the Game 5 overtime winner and Gudas screamed in Joseph Woll’s face.
Regardless, this is a series many in Leafs Nation wanted. The Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champs, which means if the Maple Leafs can get past them in Round 2, they might finally be on a path to the Stanley Cup Final.
Due to the NHL Draft Lottery airing at 7:00 p.m., puck drop for Game 1 will be at 8:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playoff Record: 4-2
Series Record: 0-0
Top 5 Scorers:
- William Nylander: 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
- Mitch Marner: 1 G, 7 A, 8 P
- Auston Matthews: 2 G, 5 A, 7 P
- John Tavares: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P
- Matthew Knies: 3 G, 0 A, 3 P
Goalie Stats:
- Anthony Stolarz: 4-2, 2.21 GAA, .901 SV%
Florida Panthers
Playoff Record: 4-1
Series Record: 0-0
Top 5 Scorers:
- Sam Reinhart: 2 G, 4 A, 6 P
- Sam Bennett: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P
- Matthew Tkachuk: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P
- Anton Lundell: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
- Aleksander Barkov: 1 G, 4 A, 5 P
Goalie Stats:
- Sergei Bobrovsky: 4-1, 2.21 GAA, .901 SV%
Projected Lineups
There are just projections, these lineups are subject to change before the drop of the puck.
Toronto Maple Leafs:
Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — Max Domi
Calle Jarnkrok — Scott Laughton — Steven Lorentz
Morgan Rielly — Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Jani Hakanpaa, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, David Kampf, Artur Akhtyamov, Nicholas Robertson
Florida Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer — Nico Sturm — Jesper Boqvist
Gustav Forsling — Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola — Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis — Nate Schmidt
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Suspended: Aaron Ekblad
Scratched: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Jaycob Megna, Mackie Samoskevich
Game 1 Prediction
In Round 1, I didn’t do overly well. I got the first three games right with the Maple Leafs winning, but the scores were never correct. This next game will be a physical one and could get out of hand. The refs will have their hands full with post-whistle scrums and players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand all pushing the line to see how far they can go without being called.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
For Game 1, I’m sticking with my choice of the Maple Leafs and picking them to win by a score of 4-2. Once again, this game will likely be high energy and very physical. I’m also going with new-dad Mitch Marner to lead the way for the Leafs and have his best night of the playoffs so far.
