Florida preparing for 'more mature' Toronto team than when they played in 2023 postseason
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TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will be seeking redemption when they meet the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
It was two years ago that the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Panthers in five games in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, with Craig Berube having replaced Sheldon Keefe as Toronto coach, Florida coach Paul Maurice sees significant differences in style and personnel between the current Maple Leafs team and the one it eliminated 24 months ago.
“They have more patience in their game,” Maurice said Monday. “Maybe in the past it was an attack mindset, kind of looking to go on offense all the time. Now they’re more patient. They’ll put more pucks in deep and are more patient getting pucks out [of the defensive zone].
“I would say maybe a more mature game.”
The biggest topic of discussion at the Maple Leafs’ morning skate wasn’t so much about facing the Panthers as it was about new dad and birthday boy Mitch Marner.
On Sunday, Marner and wife Stephanie celebrated the birth of their first child, a son named Miles. On Monday, Marner celebrated his 28th birthday. All that remains to seal the deal on a perfect 48 hours for the Maple Leafs forward would be a victory in Game 1.
Asked if he got much sleep Sunday night, Marner laughed.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I mean, I just sat there and cheerleaded. My wife was an absolute beast through it all. It was so impressive to watch.”
Marner said he would have returned to Toronto had Stephanie gone into labor while the team was in Ottawa for the first round against the Senators.
“Fortunately we won the series in six games, and then the baby came when we got back and had a few days,” he said.
As for the mission ahead of he and his teammates, Marner said he expects a tight-checking, at times suffocating series.
Marner is one of eight players still with the Maple Leafs from that 2023 series against the Panthers, along with forwards Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, defenseman Morgan Rielly and goalie Joseph Woll.
“They’re a team that doesn’t give you a lot of space on the ice,” Marner said. “They make it hard for you to make plays. They’re in your face a lot with their pressure.”
Florida will see three familiar faces with the Maple Leafs who were members of its Stanley Cup team from last season: forward Steven Lorentz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and goalie Anthony Stolarz, who drew praise from Maurice.
“His game from January on last year for us is exactly the guy you’ve seen all season from the Leafs,” he said. “He’s one of the wonderful personalities in the game that you cheer for.”
Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-7 series own an all-time series record of 531-249 (.681) including 6-2 during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tkachuk, Panthers take on Matthews, Maple Leafs as Round 2 action begins tonight on ESPN
Here’s what to look for in Game 1:
Panthers: Florida held high-octane forward Nikita Kucherov without a goal in its five-game elimination of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Kucherov, who led the NHL with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) during the regular season, never could break away from the Panthers’ smothering checking and had just four assists in the five games, three of which came in Game 3, Tampa Bay’s lone victory in the series. Expect Florida to use a similar game plan to take time and space away from Toronto’s top forwards, Marner, Matthews and Nylander.
Maple Leafs: It’s a given that Panthers pesky forwards Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand are going to be in and around the Maple Leafs’ goal crease for much of the evening, all the while trying to goad Toronto into taking penalties ignited by after-the-whistle shenanigans. As Berube keeps preaching, discipline is going to be a key for the Maple Leafs. Let’s see if his players are able to turn the other cheek when need be.
Numbers to know: 10. That’s the amount of goals the Maple Leafs scored in five games against the Panthers in their second-round series two years ago. Toronto scored two goals in each of those games, a testament to how effectively Florida can shut down high-powered offenses.
What to watch for: The Panthers thrive on a relentless, physical forecheck led by the likes of Tkachuk, Marchand and Bennett. How the Maple Leafs defense reacts to that and their ability to move pucks quickly out of their zone to counter Florida’s attack will go a long way to determining which team comes out ahead in the series.
“There are no Cinderella stories left. The last eight teams playing are good teams. And aside from talent, the one thing they share is consistency. The good teams do the same thing over and over and over again, and in the end the team that wins it usually is the most consistent team.” — Panthers coach Paul Maurice
“Any time you’re playing the Stanley Cup champions, you’re going to be the underdog, right? They’ve proven the past few years they’re a great team. We’re a good team too. And we’re approaching this with a business-like approach. We’ve got to go out and do our job and play the way we can.” — Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube
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
Scratched: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Jaycob Megna, Mackie Samoskevich
Injured: None
Suspended: Aaron Ekblad
Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Pontus Holmberg
Steven Lorentz — Scott Laughton — Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Rielly — Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Nicholas Robertson, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Artur Akhtyamov
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body)
Status report
Tkachuk did not practice Sunday but will play. … Ekblad is serving the last of a two-game suspension the defenseman received from the NHL Department of Player Safety for his hit on Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in Game 4. … The Maple Leafs will use the same 18 skaters they have since Pacioretty entered the lineup for Game 3 against the Senators.
