With the Toronto Maple Leafs closing out the Ottawa Senators in six games, the Leafs have now managed to make the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in three seasons. However, what they got for their hard-earned reward is the Florida Panthers as their second round opponents.
We all remember how the last time the Panthers owned the Leafs during the playoffs in 2023 in almost every aspect of the game, disposing Toronto in five games. The Maple Leafs will now need to face that same Florida team, who have been built strongly from the goaltender out, all the way to the bruising defense and tantalizing forwards.
Nevertheless, as daunting as the task may be, the Leafs actually have a chance against the pesky Panthers this time around. Here, we will take a look at five reasons why Toronto can win the series against Florida in the second round of the 2025 NHL Playoffs.
5 reasons why Maple Leafs can win the second round series against the Panthers
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz
You can’t go far in any year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs without elite level goaltending. This year, the Maple Leafs certainly have one in Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz is currently tied for second in goals against average (2.21) among goalies in the playoffs that have played at least 100 minutes, Not only that, he has given the Leafs that much-needed stability and confidence that they have the chance to win each time out. More importantly, he has often come up with some key saves at the right moment to help the team to victory.
During the regular season, Stolarz ranked ahead of Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky both in GAA (2.14 vs. 2.44) and save percentage (.926 vs. .906). With Bobrovsky likely getting the bulk, if not all, of the starts for Florida in the series matchup, it should give the Leafs the edge in the goaltending department. That advantage could very well end up being the difference in enabling Toronto to advance further in the playoffs.
The “stars” have aligned
In recent years, one of the recurring problems was that the Leafs’ stars failed to show up in the biggest games during the playoffs. That hasn’t been the case so far in 2025 as the core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander have combined for nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points in their six-game series against the Senators.
More significantly, they showed up in the close-out game against Ottawa with Matthews setting the tone for the night and Nylander finishing it off with a two-goal performance. If they manage to continue their elite offensive output in the series versus the Panthers, Florida will be no match for the core four, despite how well-rounded their roster have been structured.