The Florida Panthers continue their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Leafs lead the series 1-0 after winning the series opener 5-4 on Monday night. The Panthers got off to an uncharacteristically slow start and allowed three first-period goals. The Cats picked up the pace and improved as the contest went along. Down 4-1 to start the final frame, Florida scored three goals. However, a Matthew Knies breakaway score at the 14:00 mark became the difference. The Panthers look to even this series up at a game apiece before heading back to Sunrise.
How to watch Panthers vs. Maple Leafs, Game 2
- Date: Wednesday, May 7
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Scotiabank Arena
- TV: ESPN
- Toronto leads series 1-0
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs odds, spreads, and total
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Puck Line
- Florida -1.5 (+185)
- Toronto +1.5 (-225)
Total
- 5.5 (over -118/under -102)
Moneyline
- Florida -142
- Toronto +120
Florida Panthers Injury Report:
- N/A
Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Report:
- Anthony Stolarz, G: Day-To-Day (head)
- Jani Hakanpaa, D: IR-LT (knee)
Florida & Toronto Playoff History
- 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Florida won 4-1
Florida Panthers Projected Lines:
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich- Nico Sturm - Jepser Boqvist
Gustav Forsling- Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola- Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt- Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanacek
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines:
Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty - John Tavares - William Nylander
Bobby McMann - Pontus Holmberg - Max Domi
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev
Morgan Reilly - Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll
Matt Murray
Panthers Keys To The Game
#1 Carry Momentum From Game 1 To Game 2: As stated earlier, the Panthers started slowly in Game 1. That is the reason why Toronto built a sizeable lead early on. But as the game progressed, the effort and energy level of the Panthers picked up. Their best period was the third, when they almost rallied from a 3-goal deficit. Now, the challenge for the Cats is to come out with that same intensity at the start of Game 2. They can’t come out flat. They need to get in on the forecheck, test Joseph Woll early, and play physical the entire game. When this team is on, they are almost unbeatable.
#2 Do better at the faceoff circle: One of the Panthers' biggest problems in Game 1, besides the slow start, was their inability to win face-offs. The Maple Leafs won 60% of draws on Monday night. That can’t happen if the Panthers are to win this series. Winning face-offs is one of the team’s biggest strengths. That will be the case when you have players such as Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell taking draws for you. If the Cats win that battle, especially the ones that take place in their zone, they’ll take a major step in positioning themselves for a victory on Wednesday night.
#3 The big guys have to be aggressive in the offensive zone: How do you win hockey games? By scoring more goals than the opposition. How do you give yourself a chance to score more goals than the opponent? By putting shots on net. I was mentioned vaguely in the first key. Florida needs to test the opposing goalie and put pressure on him to make saves. There is a chance that the Cats will see backup goalie Joseph Woll in the net for Toronto, as former Panther Anthony Stolarz could be out with a concussion sustained from Sam Bennett in Game 1. Woll hasn’t seen much postseason action, so this is a huge opportunity for Florida to take advantage of. Barkov didn’t register a shot on net until the third period in Game 1. Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell had no shots on goal. Evan Rodrigues and Brad Marchand had only one each. Sam Reinhart only registered two shots. More shots need to be thrown on the net, especially by the top nine forwards in the lineup
Notes:
- Seth Jones and Uvis Balinskis scored a goal each in Game 1 of the series. Florida now has the seven goals by defensemen in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is more than any team that crashed the postseason party.
- Aaron Ekblad will play in Game 2 after serving a 2-game suspension for a controversial hit thrown on Brandon Hagel of Tampa Bay in Game 4 of the first-round series between the Panthers and Lightning.
- Mackie Samoskevich takes over for A.J. Greer on the left wing of the fourth line. The rookie has missed the last three playoff games due to being a healthy scratch.
- Brad Marchand assisted on two of the goals scored by Florida in the third period of Game 1. With those helpers, Marchand now has the third-highest assist total against Toronto in the postseason. Only Gordie Howe (33) and Alex Delvecchio (25) have more.
- Marchand also became the fifth active skater to earn 30 career playoff points in the opening game of a playoff series. He joins Evgeni Malkin (36), Sidney Crosby (34), Nikita Kucherov (31), and Nathan MacKinnon (31).
- Carter Verhaeghe also had two assists in the loss on Monday night. He now ranks third in franchise history for the most playoff assists. He only trails Aleksander Barkov (44) and Matthew Tkachuk (32).
- Florida has never lost the first two games of a playoff series since the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.