The Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet in Game 1 of their best-of-7, Eastern Conference semifinals series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Monday. Puck drop at Scotiabank Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Panthers vs. Maple Leafs odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Regular-season series: Panthers won 3-1

The Panthers made quick work of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, as the defending Stanley Cup champs ousted their Sunshine State rivals in 5 games. Florida outscored Tampa Bay 19-12 in the series, while the Over cashed in 4 of the 5 outings.

The Maple Leafs fired out to a 3-0 series lead against the Ottawa Senators in Round 1, before losing consecutive elimination games. However, Toronto regrouped and won Game 6 in Ottawa to advance. It is just the second time since 2004 that Toronto has played into the second round of the postseason.

These teams met 4 times in the regular season. While Toronto won the Atlantic Division, it was no thanks to Florida. The Panthers won 3 of the 4 regular-season meetings, going 1-1 at Scotiabank Arena.

These teams met in the second round in 2023, too, with the Panthers posting a 4-1 series victory. The final 4 games of the series were decided by a single goal, however, with 2 of the installments going to overtime.

Maple Leafs RW William Nylander led the team with 9 points in the first round vs. Ottawa, while RW Mitch Marner had a team-best 7 assists. C Auston Matthews chimed in with 2 goals and 7 points. C Max Domi and D Simon Benoit notched overtime game-winning goals.

Panthers C Sam Reinhart led the way with 6 points, including 4 assists, in Round 1 vs. Tampa Bay. C Aleksander Barkov not only had 4 assists and 5 points, but he led the team with a sparkling 59.3% mark at the faceoff dot. LW Matthew Tkachuk was good for 3 goals and 5 points, with 2 goals and 2 assists coming on the power play.

Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!

Panthers at Maple Leafs odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Panthers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Maple Leafs +105 (bet $100 to win $105)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+200) | Maple Leafs +1.5 (-250)Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)Panthers at Maple Leafs projected goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky (4-1-0, 2.21 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO — postseason) vs. Anthony Stolarz (4-2-0, 2.21 GAA, .901 SV%, 0 SO — postseason)

Bobrovsky allowed 2 or fewer goals in 3 of the 5 starts against the Lightning in Round 1, including a 19-save shutout in Game 2 at Tampa Bay. After posting a 16-8-0 record with a 2.33 GAA, a .906 SV% and 2 shutouts in last season’s playoffs — leading the franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship — he looks poised for another deep postseason run.

Stolarz, who served as Bob’s backup in Florida last season, has gotten a chance to start for the Maple Leafs. In fact, his 4 victories and 6 postseason starts against Ottawa in Round 1 were the first of his career. He allowed 2 or fewer goals in 5 of the 6 games, going 2-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .923 SV% in 3 home starts against the Senators in Round 1.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Panthers at Maple Leafs picks and predictionsPrediction

Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 2

The PANTHERS (-125) are worth a look in this series opener.

Florida won the season series, won the last time these teams met in the postseason, and it has that championship experience to tap into from last season.

Toronto has been dysfunctional for many seasons. It finally broke through to the second round in 2023, and again this season, so things appear to be trending up. However, looking at the goaltender situation, it’s clearly in favor of the defending champs. Unless Bobrovsky shows signs of letting up, keep fading the Maple Leafs in this series.

If you’re really on the adventurous side, forget the moneyline and back PANTHERS -1.5 (+200) for the opportunity to double up. The way the Maple Leafs have performed in playoffs past, it’s not hard to fathom Florida covering this number. However, proceed with caution, as the final 4 games of the 2023 series were decided by a single goal.

The OVER 5.5 (+100) is worth a look, especially at even-money.

Generally, a series will be a little more wide open early on before the teams start to tighten up, with familiarity breeding contempt, as well as more defense, physicality and less risk-taking.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @danieledobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.