Round 2 Series Preview: 3 things to watch out for in Leafs vs. Panthers clash

The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The last time these two teams faced each other in the postseason, the Panthers bounced the Leafs in five games. But this time around, things look to be different. The Leafs dominated the Ottawa Senators early in the series and then finally closed out the series in six.

Meanwhile, the Panthers lead from start to finish as the Tampa Bay Lightning could hardly muster any momentum against the state rivals.

As the two teams get set to clash in the most evenly-matched second-round series of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, three things stand out between these two Eastern Conference juggernauts.

3 things to watch out for in Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Round 2 series

The Core Four leading the offense

The Core Four did its part in the Leafs’ first-round series against the Senators. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares combined for 29 points in the six-game showdown.

That’s not a bad number, at all. However, the Core Four will continue to step up against the Panthers. But there’s a caveat. The Panthers will likely deploy defensive center extraordinaire Aleksander Barkov against Matthews and Marner.

Then, there’s the issue of Matthew Tkachuk who will likely be looking to stir the pot along with Brad Marchand. The pair will try their best to disrupt the Leafs’ mojo as much as possible.

That leaves the Core Four with the unenviable task of leading the offense while having to deal with a less-than-pleasant group of guys on the Panthers’ side. That situation means the Leafs’ success in their Round 2 matchup with the Panthers could come down to depth scoring.

If that’s the case, players like Bobby McMann, Max Pacioretty, Max Domi, and Scott Laughton will need to step things up a notch. With games projected to be low-scoring affairs, the difference between a conference final appearance and going home for the summer could be timely scoring from key role players.

The blue line stepping up to contribute

Things get a little different when it comes to the blue line. Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs defense core did a solid job of keeping the Senators’ young forwards in check. Namely, Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson did not run amok. Dylan Cozens played well but wasn’t overly influential in the series.

As for Brady Tkachuck, the Leafs handled him relatively well.

But offensively, the blue line will also need to step up. Morgan Rielly led the Leafs with three points in the series. Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two points apiece. It’s worth pointing out that Benoit played a key role in two of the Leafs overtime wins, while Ekman-Larsson scored a huge game-tying goal in Game 4.

That’s something the Leafs blue liners will need to bump up moving forward. If the Panthers successfully shut down the Leafs’ forward group, it could come down to the defense picking up the slack.

Otherwise, the Maple Leafs could face a severe scoring drought, leaving them gasping for air as the series unfolds.  

The series could come down to goaltending

Here’s where things really get interesting. Anthony Stolarz was Sergei Bobrovsky’s understudy last season. Stolarz did not see any action except for the 34 minutes he played against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

In that game, the Oilers chased Bobrovsky after scoring five goals on 16 shots. Stolarz didn’t fare all that much better, giving up three goals on 19 shots.

That was it for Stolarz in the postseason.

This year, things are different for Stolarz. He’s entering as the starting goaltender of the Toronto Maple Leafs and has shown he’s earned that role. While Joseph Woll is certainly competent in goal, Stolarz hasn’t shown any signs of needing a break.

That brings us to Bobrovsky. He’s a battle-tested goalie. However, he’s seen a lot of flight hours over the last couple of postseasons. The Panthers have played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, with Bobrovsky racking up insane amounts of ice time.

So, fatigue could be an issue for Bobrovsky just like it was for Andrei Vasilevsky. That being said, with tight scoring and hard-hitting action, the series between the Leafs and Panthers could ultimately come down to goaltending.

If Stolarz can outduel Bobrovsky, we may just see how the understudy overtakes the incumbent on hockey’s biggest stage.

The Verdict

This series will likely be decided in five or six games. I don’t envision it going the distance as one of the two clubs will run out of gas.

If we see a repeat of the 2023 playoffs, the Panthers will cruise to the Eastern Conference Final. But if we see the new-look Maple Leafs emerge, they will go toe-to-toe with the Panthers. The Cats could run out of gas and eventually succumb to the Leafs.

In my estimation, the first two games will say a lot about where this series will be headed. Florida will try to grind the Leafs away like the Senators tried. In a war of attrition, the team with the most resilience will win.