NHL
Advertisement
live
Updated 57s ago
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to host the Florida Panthers, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs are in the second round for only the second time since 2004 after a 4-2 series win over the Ottawa Senators, while the Panthers are back in the fold following a convincing five-game series win over their intra-state rival Tampa Bay.
Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
The NHL Draft Lottery is beginning now on ESPN, and you can follow the drama live with our coverage here!
The Sharks, Blackhawks and Predators hold the three highest odds of selecting first overall in this summer's draft.
Advertisement
These two teams have met in the playoffs once before, in the second round in 2023. On that occasion, the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs in five games.
Florida took a 3-0 series lead thanks to Sam Reinhart's overtime goal in Game 3, before Toronto bounced back with its sole win in Game 4.
Game 5 also went to overtime before Nick Cousins' goal sent the Panthers into the next round.
Florida went on to lose the Stanley Cup Final to the Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner and Brad Marchand both have an opportunity to make a bit of Game 1 history tonight.
Marner has tallied 12 career points across 10 appearances in Game 1s, tied with Mats Sundin, Borje Salming and George Armstrong for third most in Maple Leafs history. Syl Apps (15) and Ian Turnbull (14) are the only players with more.
Marchand, meanwhile, has recorded 28 career points across 27 appearances in Game 1s. Another two points would make him the fifth active skater to hit 30, joining Evgeni Malkin (36), Sidney Crosby (34), Nikita Kucherov (31) and Nathan MacKinnon (31).
These two teams met four times during the regular season, with Florida winning three of the four.
Nov. 27: Panthers won 5-1 in Florida
March 13: Panthers won 3-2 in Toronto
April 2: Maple Leafs won 3-2 in Toronto
April 8: Panthers won 3-1 in Florida
After advancing to the second round for only the second time since 2004, the Maple Leafs are now hoping to go one better.
Toronto is seeking its first berth in the conference finals since 2002. Back then, reaching the penultimate round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs wasn't such a rarity for the Leafs. They also reached the conference finals in 1999, 1994 and 1993.
Home teams own a record of 32-15 this postseason, which is tied for the second-most wins at this stage of a postseason (47 games played) in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, along with 2014, 2000 and 1990.
The only year that saw more than 32 wins for the home teams across the first 47 games of the playoffs was 1976 (35-12).
Advertisement
With the Oilers and the Jets joining the Maple Leafs in the second round, this marks the fifth time in the past 30 years that three or more Canadian-based teams have earned a series win in the same postseason.
The other four times this happened:
I buried the Panthers too early after watching how banged up and flat-out tired they looked down the stretch of the regular season. Turns out they were just bored. They flipped their playoff switch quickly and look like the team to beat. No one makes life harder on the opposing goalies with bodies in front of the net.
I think Round 1 was eye-opening on just how good this Panthers team is, too. We all know they have a ton of playoff pedigree, strength in their systems and a deep lineup. But there’s a difference between knowing that on paper and actually seeing it all together in action for the first time in Round 1, truly at full strength.
The Panthers are simply built for the playoffs. All the people rending garments over their middling play down the stretch must have never seen the mid-2010s Blackhawks or the late-2010s Penguins yawn their way through another meaningless March. I will say this, though: Anthony Stolarz gives me pause here. For the first time, I actually be-Leaf in a Toronto goalie. This won’t be a cakewalk for Florida by any means.
Not a lot of be-Leaf in the staff, I see. There’s no denying the Panthers have really had Toronto’s number in recent years, and their second-round meeting two years ago, which Florida won in five games, looms large. But these Leafs should be better equipped to play a series like this than that group. Ultimately, however, this core has earned whatever skepticism it gets.
Advertisement
The NHL Draft Lottery will take place shortly before today’s game between the Maple Leafs and Panthers. And, for the first time in the history of the event, the lottery balls will be drawn live.
You can follow live coverage of the lottery by clicking here.
Between the end of a first-round series with the Ottawa Senators and the start of Monday’s second-round matchup against the Florida Panthers, Mitch Marner’s life changed forever.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward became a father at 8:49 a.m. on Sunday when his wife, Stephanie, gave birth to a healthy baby boy: Miles Daniel Marner.
“I’m a lucky guy, for sure,” Marner said.
GO FURTHER
Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner on becoming a dad mid-playoffs: ‘I’m a lucky guy’
Given the general Canadian drought, it’s no surprise that the three Canadian teams also have the longest Cup droughts of the eight teams still alive.
The Oilers last lifted the Cup in 1990, Toronto’s last triumph was all the way back in 1967 and Winnipeg has never won the Cup. The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy (best regular season record) this season for the first time, but are still only ahead of Washington in the futures odds.
The first round of the NHL playoffs went out with a bang with two third-period comebacks in Game 7s, including a last-second tying goal for Winnipeg on Sunday night. While Winnipeg and Dallas are probably still buzzing from those dramatic wins, the second round starts tonight. Ahead of the conference semifinals, the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes lead the odds to win the Stanley Cup.
The defending champion Panthers dispatched in-state foe Tampa Bay in five games and are +425 to lift the Cup on BetMGM. Carolina, which took out New Jersey in five games, is right behind at +475. Those odds for favorites paint the picture of a wide-open playoff field. That was the case before the playoffs started, and it’s still true now.
The Washington Capitals have the longest odds of the eight teams remaining, and even the Capitals are only +1000. Compare that to the NBA, where only three teams have odds shorter than +1000. The NHL playoffs are always full of surprises, which is reflected in the odds, but this year in particular has no clear-cut favorite or top team.
This second-round series features the two best teams in the Atlantic Division. Toronto and/or Florida occupied first place for 174 of 178 days this season, including every day since Oct. 12.
Advertisement
We’ve brought up the Leafs goalie a lot over the last week or so, but with good reason. After Game 2, Stolarz pitched an .876 save percentage through the Leafs’ final four games of the first round against the Senators. That’s a stark difference from the goalie who put up a .926 save percentage through the regular season — tops in the NHL. Stolarz looked to falter, only slightly, as he dealt with a workload he’d never experienced before.
Now he’s going to be matched up both against his former team and Sergei Bobrovsky, a goalie who has a recent history of stopping pucks amid a heavy workload. Was the three days off for Stolarz enough to reset? Game 1 could reveal a lot. And, possibly, whether Joseph Woll will see his first playoff action this year.
Given Florida’s apparent advantage at five on five, the Leafs may not be able to win this series if their power play can’t keep it rolling. It was arguably the deciding factor in round one against Ottawa.
Something to be mindful of: The Panthers own a very aggressive penalty kill, including a first forward tandem of Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart that will strike if given the chance. Florida buried 12 shorthanded goals during the regular season, second-most in the league. The Leafs surrendered two shorties to the Sens in the first round. They went 1-9 on the power play against the Panthers during the regular season.
Jason I: “This Florida team is very, very, close to the scary ‘dynasty’ moniker. Their stars are in their primes, they already have a pretty impressive three-year run under their belts and if they defend it again this year….let's just say it's a good time to be a Panthers fan.”
Frank P: “Florida is one tough team to beat, no doubt. The Leafs are definitely a better team than they were last year; underdogs, but they have a shot.”
Peter G: “A championship team needs a little luck here and there. If the Panthers hit the post as many times as the Leafs did against the Senators, that could be the difference right there! The Leafs have had plenty of bad luck. Maybe The Hockey Gods will shine on them at long last.”
Share your thoughts by emailing live@theathletic.com.
