SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will look to get back in the win column when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs for a divisional battle at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

A familiar foe, the Panters eliminated the Maple Leafs from the playoffs in 2023 and 2025.

“There’s going to be a lot of juice in the building,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of the impending rematch. “There’s always emotional matches with teams we’ve played in the playoffs. They bring it just as much as we do. It’s always a fun game for the fans.”

Sitting at 12-11-1 and tied with the Maple Leafs in points (25) in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers are looking to rebound from their first back-to-back losses in over a month. After falling 4-2 to Philadelphia on Wednesday, they suffered a 5-3 loss to Calgary on Friday.

In both games, the Panthers held a 2-0 lead.

Playing better than the picture those two recent losses paint, the Panthers, despite enduring a mountain of injuries, have still managed to win five of their last nine games and currently rank sixth in the NHL in expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5 at 53.61%, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Brad Marchand leads the Panthers in scoring with 27 points (15G, 12), while Sam Reinhart, who will skate in his 800th NHL game tonight, is second with 23 points (13G, 10A). Taking over top-line center duties this season, Anton Lundell sits third with 19 points (6G, 13A).

In a jam-packed division, the time to make a move is now.

“It’s a learning process,” Lundell said of the team’s start. “It’s important to try and stick with the game the whole 60 minutes. I feel like we’ve been playing great hockey part of the game, but the second part hasn’t been as good. That’s why we haven’t been able to hold the leads and get the points we need. That’s something we want to learn from.”

Recalled from the AHL on Monday, Jack Studnicka will make his Panthers debut tonight.

Following this morning’s skate, there was no word on whose spot he’d be taking.

“We liked his game,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the forward. “We like his speed.”

Sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs have lost eight of their last 11 games, but enter tonight’s tilt looking to build off a 7-2 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Seven different skaters lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs in the win.

Opening the scoring against the Penguins, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a member of Florida’s Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2024, extended his point streak to nine games. The franchise record for a point streak by a Toronto defenseman is 10, set by Tom Kurvers in 1989-90.

Despite exiting in Pittsburgh with an injury, Ekman-Larsson is expected to play tonight.

“He’s extremely poised,” Ekblad said of his former teammate. “Nothing ever bothers him.”

William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 32 points (11G, 21A), while John Tavares ranks second with 28 points (12G, 16A). Matthew Knies is third with 26 points (6G, 20A), with Ekman-Larsson sitting fourth and leading the D-men with 20 points (4G, 16A).

Shaking off an early-season injury, Auston Matthews has five goals in his last nine games.

Manning the crease in six of the last seven games for the Maple Leafs, Joseph Woll, who backed up Denis Hildeby in the win over Pittsburgh, could get the nod in net against the Panthers. In six appearances this season, he’s gone 2-3-1 with a .919 save percentage.

For the Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start.

“I feel like we’ve been playing against each other a lot in the past couple years,” Lundell said. “It’s always fun to play against them. A little bit more emotions and history between us. It’s always going to be a good game.”

THEY SAID IT

“We know if want to go to playoffs, we have to play against them to go forward. We’re going to see them again. That always brings a little more energy for the game.” – Anton Lundell

“A good team coming here. I feel like our game has been pretty good even though we haven’t got all the points we’ve wanted. A good matchup, for sure.” – Jesper Boqvist

“They just know each other very well. When you play each other as often as we’ve played Toronto and some of the other teams, you get a real good idea – or you think you have a real good idea – of what the game’s going to look like going in.” – Paul Maurice

FIVE CATS STATS

– Sam Bennett has at least one point in five of his last six games.

– Sam Reinhart posted 17 points (5G, 12A) in November.

– Brad Marchand has scored nine goals in 13 home games this season.

– The Panthers went 3-1-0 against the Maple Leafs in the 2024-25 regular season.

– Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 16-9-1 record in his career against Toronto.

PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

FORWARDS

Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Jesper Boqvist – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – A.J. Greer

Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicka – Noah Gregor

DEFENSEMEN

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky

Daniil Tarasov

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

– Dec. 1: F Jack Studnicka was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

– Nov. 19: F Jack Devine was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

When: Tuesday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL

TV & Streaming: ESPN+, Hulu

Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 91/App & Streaming 931

Tickets: Click here