The Florida Panthers play host to Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night, May 16, leading the series 3-2 and on the verge of moving into the NHL’s final four for a third consecutive season.
You can watch it on TNT/TruTV/Max or live stream it on DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate). The game will also stream on Max, which includes live sports via the B/R Sports package with standard ($16.99/mo.) and premium ($20.99) subscriptions.
Toronto Maple Leafs (52-26-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Florida Panthers (47-31-4, in the Atlantic Division)
WHERE/WHEN: Sunrise, Florida; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
TV: TNT/TruTV/Max
LIVESTREAM: DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate). The game will also stream on Max, which includes live sports via the B/R Sports package with standard ($16.99/mo.) and premium ($20.99) subscriptions.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Panthers -243, Maple Leafs +197; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Panthers lead series 3-2
LAST GAME: Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, three Florida defensemen scored and the Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. The defending champion Panthers scored three times in a 7:53 span of the second period to pull away for their third straight victory. Game 6 is Friday night in Sunrise, Florida. Jesper Boqvist returned to score his first career playoff goal, and defensemen Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola also scored in the first two periods. In the third, A.J. Greer had his first career playoff goal and Sam Bennett added his sixth of the playoffs. Nicholas Robertson had a late goal for Toronto.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brad Marchand has scored 23 goals with 27 assists for the Panthers. Sam Bennett has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Mitchell Marner has 27 goals and 75 assists for the Maple Leafs. William Nylander has scored five goals and added eight assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.7 assists, 5.6 penalties and 16.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Maple Leafs: 5-3-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.8 assists, 4.7 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
HOW TO WATCH
WHAT: Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers, Game 6 of NHL Eastern Conference best-of-seven playoff series; Panthers lead 3-2WHEN: 8 p.m. EDT Friday, May 16WHERE: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FloridaTV: TNT/TruTV/Max LIVESTREAM: DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate). The game will also stream on Max, which includes live sports via the B/R Sports package with standard ($16.99/mo.) and premium ($20.99) subscriptions.
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Game preview, from reporter Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press:
Finally, after five games’ worth of hitting, tons of chirping, more than a few unnecessary scrums, and no shortage of after-the-whistle hijinks, the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs agree on something.
The approach to Game 6 of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series — one that the Panthers now control — will evidently be the same.
“One shift at a time,” Leafs forward William Nylander said.
“Next shift, next moment,” Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said.
The urgency might seem different, however. Florida plays host to Game 6 against the Maple Leafs on Friday night, the Panthers leading the series 3-2 and on the verge of moving into the NHL’s final four for a third consecutive season. The Panthers have won three straight to flip the series, the most recent — and most convincing — of those wins being Wednesday’s 6-1 victory.
It was an outcome that had even ardent Maple Leafs fans leaving midway through the third period and surely wondering if they had just watched their team on home ice for the final time this season.
“We’ve responded in the past, and I expect a response from our team,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “We’ll talk about things and make some adjustments that are needed. But it’s more of a mindset for me going into this Game 6 than anything else. It’s not X’s and O’s.”
The longest-serving members of Toronto’s core — players like Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly — have faced elimination 14 times over the last eight seasons. The Leafs have gone 6-8 in those 14 games. On one hand, the eight losses mean the season always ends in disappointment, and with another year tacked onto the drought since the city last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. On the other, the six wins show that it’s been tough to land the knockout blow.
Florida Panthers’ Jesper Boqvist (70) scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) during second period NHL playoff hockey action in Toronto on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)AP
“At the end of the day, the job’s not done,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “And there’s still a lot of work to do to go home and recover and have our best game at home in Game 6.”
The Panthers — who got goals from three defensemen in Wednesday’s win — have gotten goals from 15 different players in the series, compared with only nine goal-scorers for Toronto. It’s been remarkably balanced for Florida on that front; Sam Bennett has three goals, while Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe each have two, and 11 others have scored once.
Nylander has three goals in the series for Toronto, while Matthews is 0 for 20 on shots in the series — and 0 for 28 against Florida this season when tacking on the regular season.
“We’re just focused on one at a time,” Florida’s Sam Reinhart said after Game 5. “We had one job to do (Wednesday). Now it’s about recovering, getting ready for the next one, getting back home and get in front of our fans again.”