FORT LAUDERDALE — The next step in the Florida Panthers’ journey to a Stanley Cup championship repeat will take them through Toronto.
That is familiar ground as they are taking on the Maple Leafs in the second round for the second time in the past three years.
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Last time out, Florida defeated Toronto in five games en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2023. The Panthers will look to repeat that effort when they open the series on May 5 in Toronto.
For both teams, the star players are still very similar. The Maple Leafs are built around their Core Four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares with Morgan Reilly returning to anchor their defense. But added to that group are three key additions from Florida’s 2024 Stanley Cup-winning team in goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Steven Lorentz. There also is new head coach Craig Berube.
The Panthers have gotten more dangerous, too, adding Brad Marchand and Seth Jones to their familiar core of Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling. They also have gotten a lot more playoff experience under their belts after making it to back-to-back Cup Finals.
”I think experience is one aspect of it,” Barkov said. “We have a lot of guys who went through those series and that year last year, so we have a lot more experience of playing in the playoffs, but every year is different. They have a lot of new guys, new systems, a new coach. They’ve been playing really well this year and they played good in the first round, so it’s going to be tough. All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and our game plan and go out there and do it.”
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Here are three things the Panthers need to do to beat the Maple Leafs in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Carry over penalty-killing success from Round 1 to Round 2
Apr 8, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Scott Laughton (24) and Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) battle for the puck during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In the first round, the Panthers held the Tampa Bay Lightning’s fifth-ranked power play to just two goals on 18 opportunities. They are going to have their work cut out for them once again against a Maple Leafs power play that finished the regular season ranked ninth in the NHL.
Toronto found success in Round 1 while running with a five-forward power play unit. They ran at a 35.3 percent clip, which ranks third-best in the league, with Matthew Knies and John Tavares each scoring twice on the power play in Round 1 and Marner dishing out five assists from the quarterback spot up top. Matthews and Nylander remain dangerous shooting options off the flank.
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The five-forward unit does have its weaknesses, though. The Maple Leafs already gave up five shorthanded goals in their six-game series win over the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers are very well-known for being able to exploit that, having led the NHL in shorthanded goals during the regular season.
“I think they are confident in it right now,” Reinhart said. “They have a lot of skill and talent.”
Contain Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner as much as possible
When the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs in 2023, they held Matthews and Marner to one goal and four assists combined. While it is easier said than done against two of the NHL’s top offensive players, they have done it before and they have the guns defensively to do it again.
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Matthews’ point production dropped during the regular season — his goal total from 69 to 33 and his point total from 107 to 78 — but he has been a much more effective player in the playoffs, scoring two goals and seven points in Round 1. Marner put up over 100 points in the regular season and backed it up with a one-goal, eight-point outing against the Senators.
The Panthers were able to match up well against that line, deploying defensive specialists Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen against them in most situations to slow things down. But it’s always tougher in the playoffs with Toronto playing at an extra gear.
“The key is that you’re not shutting anybody down,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “The greatness of these players at the top-end of the league is that they will get their chances. There’s no need to be funny. We’re not fools. We have a plan. Everybody had a plan for Sam Reinhart’s 57 goals last year, except he ended up with 57 goals. We’re not stopping Matthews, we’re not stopping these guys, they’ve just proven over the length of their career that they are going to generate.
“It’s the volume. How much do you give? How much do they create? They are all going to generate offense. The question is how much you are going to give them on top of that. How many power plays do you give? How’s your discipline? How much chance trading do you do in a game? They’re getting theirs. They always have, always will. But how much you feed them on top of that is a deciding factor.”
A healthier Matthew Tkachuk could mean a more balanced offense
After rolling out Matthew Tkachuk for just a shade over 13 minutes per game in the first round as he was returning from a lower-body injury, he could end up being healthier and more effective after nearly a week in between the first and second round.
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That is a scary thing for Toronto to think about, considering Tkachuk managed to score three goals and five points in that five-game series against Tampa Bay despite being on a minutes restriction for a good portion.
“Well, it’d be critical for every team to have their best players available,” Maurice said. “I felt, in the last two [or three] games, I didn’t monitor anything Matthew did. Really the first two games of the series was the only the time I was really careful with minutes, so I really don’t think about that behind the bench.
“Now, having everyone healthy is highly unusual and not to be expected so we kind of just roll with it.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Panthers and Maple Leafs have Stanley Cup playoff history, star-studded rosters