Toronto Maple Leafs are not anticipated to encounter a stiffer test than the Panthers. However, no team is invincible, and each has its own vulnerabilities.
Unleashing the Beast: A Second-Round Showdown with the Florida Panthers
Hey there, sports fan! Dave Feschuk here, your friendly neighborhood Toronto-based sports columnist for the Star. You can find me on Twitter: @dfeschuk
Remember back in 2023 when the Florida Panthers brutally burst the bubble of Leafs nation's euphoria after their long-awaited playoff win? Well, it seems like deja vu's in store, as the Maple Leafs are about to lock horns with the defending champions once more in the post-season second round.
The Panthers dismantled the Leafs in five games back in '23 on their way to the Stanley Cup final. They've only gotten stronger since, making their upcoming matchup an elevated challenge for the Leafs. Think of the Panthers as Florida's Matthew Tkachuk to Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk: not only an elder brother, but a next-level hockey entity and tormentor – more skilled, more mature, and more menacing.
Florida-Toronto may be a long way from the Stanley Cup final, but there's a solid argument that the Panthers are the best team the Leafs will face in these playoffs, regardless of how deep they advance.
The Panthers are reigning champions and betting favorites to repeat their triumph. In fact, their bitter rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, even offered accolades to Florida's excellence after their five-game loss in the recent rivalry. We've witnessed two straight years with a Florida-Tampa playoff series, with the Panthers winning eight out of ten games.
"The most consistent team in the league by a mile" is how Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning goalie, described the Panthers. "And when you're that consistent throughout a series, you get all the lucky bounces."
Jon Cooper, the Lightning coach, echoed similar sentiments: "They have an exceptional team – not just an average team, but an exceptional team."
The Panthers excel in applying smothering structure and relentless forechecking, leading the NHL in hits this season. When they're not laying the body, they're pressuring opposition teams with an intensity second to none. On Friday alone, both captain Aleksander Barkov and winger Sam Reinhart were named Selke Trophy finalists – an award Barkov has already won twice. With Florida's aggressive defensive approach and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina trophy winner on their side, the challenges are considerable.
Oh, and there's Brad Marchand. Acquired at the trade deadline, the 36-year-old pesky Team Canada forward, known for his long history of tormenting the Leafs as the Bruins captain during his tenure, has settled in seamlessly as another Florida-based irritant, demanding opponents stay on their toes. As if the threat of Tkachuk and Sam Bennett wasn't enough.
"They pressure hard and they're a hard-working team. They don’t give you a lot of time and space," Tampa's Brayden Point shared. "It's tough sometimes to make the correct play. They won for a reason."
While the Leafs had a better regular season record than the Panthers, securing a home-ice advantage, the Panthers have their weaknesses. They led the league in penalties, although their exceptional penalty kill stifled Tampa's power play, limiting it to just 2 goals on 18 opportunities in the first round. Florida also has a history of pushing the limits, racking up suspensions for questionable actions. As of now, Aaron Ekblad, their top-pair defenseman, will miss Game 1 against Toronto due to a two-game suspension for an elbow to Brandon Hagel. Hagel addressed the incident, stating, "If you're going to go for someone's head, something's coming for you."
If Hagel's voodoo magic doesn't hinder the Panthers, they'll likely face the challenge of weariness from attempting to defend their title – a title they've fiercely pursued since acquiring Matthew Tkachuk in the summer of 2022. They played in 50 playoff games in the past two years, the most in the NHL by a good margin. The Leafs, in contrast, have played in only 24 postseason games over the same period.
It's worth mentioning that when the Leafs finally triumphed over the Lightning back in 2023, they had just clinched their third consecutive cup final appearance following wins in 2020 and 2021. The cumulative exhaustion from years of high-stakes play clearly favored the Leafs in that showdown.
Head coach Paul Maurice has dismissed fatigue-related concerns thus far. If the Panthers manage to maintain their stamina, their expertise and battle-hardened resilience may prove tough to surpass.
As Cooper stated, mastering the art of winning in the Stanley Cup playoffs "is something that's learned, and it's an art."
If the Lightning ruled that pantheon for a decade and more, the Panthers have now solidified their membership.
The Leafs might soon mirror Cooper's sentiments. On the other hand, if you aspire to be the best, you've got to conquer them. And here's your chance.
- Dave Feschuk, a Toronto-based sports columnist for The Star, is anticipating another adversarial match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers in the second round of this year's playoffs.
- The Panthers dismantled the Leafs in five games back in 2023, en route to winning the Stanley Cup, and are now considered by many as the best team the Leafs will face in these playoffs.
- The Panthers are reigning champions and favorites to repeat their triumph, receiving accolades from their rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, after their five-game loss in the recent rivalry.
- Florida's aggressive defensive approach, led by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina trophy winner, presents a significant challenge for the Leafs, as do players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and the newly-acquired Brad Marchand.
- Despite having a better regular season record, the Leafs should not underestimate the Panthers, who are prone to penalties but boast an exceptional penalty kill, having limited Tampa's power play in the first round.
- The Panthers' potential weaknesses include the possibility of weariness from attempting to defend their title and a suspension to top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad for Game 1 against the Leafs.
- Regardless of the outcome, the Leafs' opportunity to challenge the mighty Panthers could mark a significant step forward in their quest to become the best team in the NHL.
