The Florida Panthers continue their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night. In Wednesday's Game 2, the Leafs took a 2-0 series lead and did what they had to do in front of their home crowd. Florida's inability to defend on the backcheck, as well as more uncharacteristic play, cost them.
15 seconds in the second period, Brad Marchand gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead and some momentum. Unfortunately, it didn't last. The Panthers have had issues on the backcheck, which has led to odd-man rushes for Toronto. That was the case a few nights ago, as William Nylander tied the game at 2 before Max Domi gave Toronto a 3-2 lead late in the middle frame.
Anton Lundell tied the game at 3 for Florida, but just 17 seconds later, Mitch Marner scored his second goal of the series by roofing a shot above Sergei Bobrovsky's shoulder on his stick side. Toronto once again gained a one-goal lead, which they would never relinquish. Now the series shifts to Sunrise. The Panthers are hoping to make this a series and avoid being down 0-3.
How To Watch Panthers vs. Maple Leafs, Game 3
Date: Friday, May 9 Time: 7:00 PM ET Venue: Amerant Bank Arena TV: TNT, Tru TV, MAX Toronto leads series 2-0
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs odds, spreads, and total
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Puck Line
Florida -1.5 (+120) Toronto +1.5 (-142)
Total
5.5 (over -125/ under +105)
Moneyline
Florida: -230 Toronto +190
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 Mackie Samoskevich- Sam Bennett- Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen- Anton Lundell- Brad Marchand Evan Rodrigues- Nico Sturm- Jesper 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 Steven Lorentz- Scott Laughton- Calle Jarnkrok Bobby McMann- Max Domi- Pontus Holmberg
Jake McCabe- Chris Tanev Morgan Reilly- Brandon Carlo Simon Benoit- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll Matt Murray
Panthers Keys To the Game
One of Florida's biggest problems over these last two losses has been the pinching of the defense. No matter which defensive pairing is out there, it seems they are all trying to pinch into the plays happening in the offensive zone. That is one thing you can't do against this Toronto squad. The Leafs have a great collection of offensive talent and speed.
That is headlined by their main weapons, such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. Any of those guys can take advantage of a bad pass or turnover in the offensive zone and be skating the other way for an odd-man rush. That is how Toronto has gotten much of its scoring as well.
We don't know if the pinching is something that was implemented by Paul Maurice. We don't know if that is something the players have sporadically done during the games. Either way, that has to stop immediately. That is not in the Cats' game. The defenseman needs to stay at the blue line and as the last two guys behind the play. Get the red line, dump the puck in, and get dirty work done on the boards. There is no need to pinch.
Florida received their first lead of the series in Game 2. That was when Aleksander Barkov scored a power-play goal at the 10:58 mark of the first period. Instead of building on that lead, Florida allowed Max Pacioretty tie the game up at the 18:19 mark. Even more egregious was what happened at the start of the middle frame.
If Barkov's boost wasn't enough, Brad Marchand scored his first goal of the series 15 seconds into the second period. A perfect start to that was wasted when a few minutes later, Williams Nylander tied the game up again. From that moment on, the Panthers were chasing the game, despite the contest being tied.
Max Domi would score late in the second period, and the rest is history. Whenever Florida has scored, they have failed to sustain the energy and momentum that's needed to put playoff games away. In Game 3, they have to hold onto that when a big play is made. Against this team, Florida has to find momentum, strike when an opportunity arises, and keep their foot on the gas pedal. Bad mistakes can't happen again if the Panthers are to make this a series.
One of this team's biggest strengths is its depth. It's how they gave themselves a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions again. So far in this series, we haven't seen any of that depth come to life. The third line of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Brad Marchand is the only line that's giving offensive production.
The top six have been nowhere to be found. Yes, Barkov opened the scoring on Wednesday night. Where has everyone else been? Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, and Carter Verhaeghe have yet to find the back of the net. Tkachuk might still have that lingering groin injury from the 4 Nations Faceoff. Verhaeghe has been struggling all year as he's missed nets everywhere.
However, this is when the big guys have to step up. The playoffs are where the big stars have to come up with big plays. They haven't done that yet, and for Florida to win on Friday night, they need to find themselves. Also, the fourth line has been invisible as well. Jesper Boqvist has been a ghost after the break. Don't be surprised to see a change there.
Notes:
- This series marks the first time the Panthers have trailed in a postseason series since the 2024 Eastern Conference Final, when they trailed 2-1 against the New York Rangers.
- In the Game 2 loss, Aleksander Barkov tied 1996 heroes Ray Shepherd and Dave Lowry for the fourth most power-play goals (4) in franchise history. Barkov trails only behind Sam Reinhart (8), Matthew Tkachuk (6), and Carter Verhaeghe (6).
- Seth Jones, who assisted on the Barkov power-play goal in Game 2, is the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones. He played in the NBA for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004. He played two seasons for the Toronto Raptors from 1996 to 1998.
- Brad Marchand tied Johnny Bucyk, Phil Esposito, and Brett Hull for the seventh most power-play goals against the Leafs in NHL history (11).
- Don't be surprised if you see Jonah Gadjovich slot into the fourth line for Game 3. While it hasnt been mentioned nor confirmed, Florida could use a small lineup change that will give them energy for Game 3.