For all the talk of these Toronto Maple Leafs being different of the blue-and-white authoring a new chapter in franchise history But the task seems even taller now than it did back then The Panthers group that heads to Scotiabank Arena this time isn’t a plucky underdog with designs on upending some brackets — they’re defending champs All we learned about the Cats in Round 1 is the growing list of things that can’t slow them down — off-season roster shake-ups suspensions that toss further lineup chaos into the mix they punched their ticket to Round 2 easily dispensing with a Bolts team that looked elite all season.  But these Leafs seem unlike the nervy group Florida met back in 2023 A mid-round wobble had the Maple Leafs faithful wondering if their club had truly turned a new leaf it’s tough to deny Craig Berube’s team has a different DNA compared to the group Sheldon Keefe once led They’ve traded highlight-reel hunting for shutdown defence swapped run-and-gun for slow-and-steady.  Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on SportsnetThe NHL's best are ready to battle for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup Watch every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning on April 19 they arrive in Round 2 not bathing in the relief of waving away their first-round ghosts How much that mentality matters against a Panthers side that’s proven expert in the art of winning playoff battles remains to be seen “It’s going to be another hard series,” Auston Matthews said in the wake of Thursday’s series-clinching win in Ottawa back-to-back Cup Finals — it’s going to be hard.  rest up and go in there with some confidence Regular season 5-on-5 numbers via Natural Stat Trick Maple Leafs X-Factor: Matthew Knies It’s not going to be pretty against the Panthers If you’re looking for an introduction to the playoff grind The Maple Leafs have added far more of that to their game under Berube And the most promising glimpses on that front might’ve come from young Matthew Knies Knies had just a goal and three assists through seven games in last year’s post-season He posted two goals and a helper a year prior he’s potted three goals through five post-season games and established himself as a key cog in the Maple Leafs machine Against a Panthers side that will be physical the Maple Leafs will need Knies at his best Panthers X-Factor: Brad Marchand If you were to ask the hockey gods how they could possibly make this Round 2 match-up any tougher to stomach for the Maple Leafs faithful — beyond simply pitting the blue-and-white against the defending champs the team that crushed them the last time they made it past Round 1 — they’d probably say There is no greater reminder of Toronto playoff ghosts than No the former Bruin who was on the sheet for the Maple Leafs’ Game 7 devastation in 2013 No member of this Panthers squad is as familiar with the weight of the Maple Leafs’ crest come playoff time with the ways the opposition can ignite that pressure It isn’t just that Marchand has never lost a playoff series against the Maple Leafs — and this specific core — though It’s the damage he’s done over the course of his career whenever the blue-and-white are across from him he’s amassed more points against the Maple Leafs than all but one other NHL club putting up 58 points through 59 career games against Toronto but there’s little question the veteran still has enough in the tank to come up with a moment or two in this series no team amassed more penalty minutes (853) or penalties taken (340) than the Panthers the Maple Leafs’ power play looked elite down the stretch ranking among the league’s best over the final months of the season we’ve seen similar trends begin to take shape — the Cats amassed the third-most PIMs in Round 1 (72) while the Maple Leafs’ man-advantage has remained near the top of the pile collecting six power-play goals on 17 opportunities There’s a chance this could swing things in Toronto’s favour But it’s not as simple as it looks on paper of course — the Panthers’ penalty kill has been elite too and enters Round 2 fresh off nullifying a pretty dangerous a key reason the first-round match-up lasted only five tilts And while Toronto’s power play looked dominant for a stretch to start Round 1 it also went cold in key moments later in the six-game bout — and the group’s struggles in the big moments but Toronto’s five-forward unit should get its chances against a Florida squad that’s no stranger to the box and making good on those opportunities could prove crucial Both squads should get plenty of opportunities to make some special-teams noise — which side has the mettle to deliver when it matters most?  It wasn’t Toronto’s high-flying offence that got them by the Senators and through Round 1 — it was the steady defensive play of their rugged, rebuilt blue line, and some quality performances from netminder Anthony Stolarz who’s looked like the best option the Maple Leafs have had in the cage in years But that back-end group now faces a far more dangerous offence one that mixes creative dynamism and netfront chaos with the best of them.  Why role of Maple Leafs’ ‘B’ team was critical to Round 1 winPanthers ready to face trio of ex-teammates in series against Maple LeafsCOMMENTS When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines Should you violate our submissions guidelines we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time Craig Berube speaks with the media following Sunday's practice FLA@TOR: Nylander scores goal against Sergei Bobrovsky The Battle of Ontario | The Leaf: Blueprint Moment Max Pacioretty & William Nylander | Post Game TOR@OTT: Pacioretty scores goal against Linus Ullmark Celeste D’Agostino and June Hogan at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto June Hogan was 14 when she got a job selling popcorn at Maple Leaf Gardens These days she tends bar at Scotiabank Arena Craig Palfrey applied for a job at the Gardens because he had a hard time getting tickets to Maple Leafs games Today he stands guard outside the opponent’s dressing quarters at the home team’s rink Celeste D’Agostino was hired as an usherette at Maple Leafs Gardens because she fit in the uniform In those days there were not many usherettes and very few uniforms Now she is a supervisor of guest services for Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Together the three hourly employees have worked for Maple Leaf Gardens Limited and MLSE for a combined 152 years they worked for the current organization at least 20 years before it was founded For Hogan and Palfrey it has been 51 years “I am the baby of the group,” D’Agostino said “They are part of history,” Raphael Alfonzo the manager in charge of guest services for MLSE says as he stands outside Gate one before the second game of the first-round playoff series versus Ottawa “They have seen Leafs history more than anyone else in the organization Fans have seen them for so long that they recognize them Kevin Ramlal manages beverage and food service and hospitality for the Maple Leafs’ ownership group a hard worker and very passionate,” Ramlal says She has had breast cancer twice and bladder cancer before that She grew up in Toronto watching Maple Leaf games on television with her great-grandfather and grandfather “That’s where I got my colourful vocabulary,” she says It was easy for her to get a job at Maple Leaf Gardens because other family members worked there: her brother A year later Harold Ballard reduced hourly employees’ pay to $2 Her popcorn stand was near the executive offices and Ballard would often walk past He never acknowledged her or would not look her way She recently took some time off during treatment andeventually returned to work “I was so lucky that I could come back,” she says “I was sitting at home and had gotten tired of watching games and shouting at my TV “Coming here is such a habit and watching games is great She also once worked the door in the media lounge “It’s the people that I work with and the people you serve that make this special to me,” she says While working at a concert back at Maple Leaf Gardens she watched Frank Sinatra walk through the door wearing a tiara “It was funny,” Hogan says. He looked so out of place. It’s not something you’d see at a hockey game.” She is busiest when the Maple Leafs score right before the end of a period A goal seems to increase fans’ taste for beer Palfrey was initially hired as a spare usher The job was attractive to him because at least he would be inside of Maple Leaf Gardens and possibly catch a bit of the action “The Maple Leafs were my favourite team since I was a little kid,” he says a village about 60 minutes east of Toronto “We didn’t have a TV when I grew up and there were only two or three in the whole town,” he recalls On Saturday night he would go to a friend’s house to watch his beloved Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada “My dad was an Anglican minister and eventually he would call and tell me to get home because I had to go church in the morning,” he says he figures he has staffed at least 2,100 games combined at both venues He used to place a chair outside the visiting locker room so Guy Lafleur could sit in the hallway and smoke between periods He remembers players pedalling exercise bikes and drinking beer at the same time He maintains relationships with some of the visiting players Ottawa centre Tim Stutzle came out of the dressing room to chat briefly before Game 5 There were only a relatively few women working as ushers at Maple Leaf Gardens when D’Agostino was hired a half-century ago an applicant had to literally fit into the uniform They would get a new one about every three years “I am waiting for a Stanley Cup,” she says “Just once before I die” written on the front “I can’t retire before we win one,” she says Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Marty Klinkenberg is a reporter for The Globe and Mail Marty is a dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S He is based in Edmonton and writes about Western Canada and had a series of stories turned into the James Cromwell film Still Mine the son of a former Swing pianist who ended up working in the hotel business on Miami Beach I spent countless hours in my youth fishing and camping in the Florida Keys Journalism has taken me everywhere from Miami to New Brunswick to New York and now Alberta with past work assignments including covering the war in Afghanistan a World Series and the Stanley Cup playoffs I am fortunate to have won four National Newspaper Awards in Canada and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Hurricane Andrew while working at The Miami Herald I am a sad fan of the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Orioles Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions If you ask Matthew Knies about his breakout playoff series against the Boston Bruins last year He doesn’t want to talk about his massive overtime goal in Game 5 — his first playoff winner — to keep the series alive He’ll avoid chatting about how he was depended on by the team when it mattered at just 21 His ice time rose from around 10 minutes in Game 1 to around 19 minutes in Games 6 and 7 Knies will only look back with something between resolve and longing when he discusses Game 1 against the Bruins The puck stayed in the Bruins’ zone and in their possession they scored their second goal in an eventual 5-1 win mind you — is what stings a full year later “There’s always just little things I can get better on and help the team And that was one instance,” Knies told The Athletic in a conversation about playoff hockey sounding nothing like the wide-eyed young player who struggled with the pace of the league last season But the fact that Knies is thinking and acting like the weight of the team is on his shoulders in the playoffs suggests he understands the pressure that comes in the postseason more than you’d think a 22-year-old might And then to score three goals in the Leafs’ first-round series against the Ottawa Senators Matthew Knies doesn’t just feel that pressure TIE GAME OFF PINTO! pic.twitter.com/zD6J75mIHk — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 25, 2025 it’s clear Knies is built for the playoffs in a way not every Maple Leaf is Knies now has six goals in those 20 postseason tilts we’re dealing with a smaller sample size than his teammates His 0.30 goals per game in the playoffs is fourth among current Leafs on this team since 2017 Knies projects to be one of the most important Leafs in the second round against the Florida Panthers The Panthers’ style means a heavier brand of hockey will certainly be on the menu 227-pound frame will become even more vital to coach Craig Berube’s plans Asked before the playoffs began which Leaf surprised him the most this season Berube could barely hide his eagerness about one specific player “Matthew Knies has surprised me with the growth from training camp on throughout the season with how he has grown as a player and what he has accomplished this year I’m not sure I pictured that,” Berube said “He’s been a special surprise — maybe not a surprise so much because the ability was there there could not have been a better test case for Berube’s system than Knies The coach wants his players to score by bearing down and heading to the net That’s where the most reliable goals will come Not relying on rush chances to score has seen another young Leafs scorer take punishment from opposition defenders and come out the other end with net-front goals has made him invaluable to Berube “I felt that I’m good enough to play at this level and to have this much success here,” Knies said “I feel like I’ve earned that ice time that I’ve been given I knew with Craig I’d have a bigger impact I’ve been tuned into being a power forward like he wants.” Not to take anything away from Knies and his success but it’s somewhat expected that a heavy power forward will clean up the garbage in front of the net and has also contributed to Knies’ rise as a bona fide playoff performer Knies was pegged as not having the highest hockey IQ when he entered the NHL he’s developed the smarts necessary to log the fourth-highest PK ATOI of any Leafs forward through the playoffs defensive specialists such as Calle Järnkrok The trust between player and coach at critical points in the game appears to be increasing daily in this series I want to be as involved as possible,” he said Phil played five NCAA seasons and one season in Slovakia and was He took tips from him on how to use his size I noticed that (killing penalties) was a way you could get another shift That was another opportunity to get a breakaway he’s proving to teammates and onlookers that he is no shrinking violet He walks around the Leafs dressing room with a presence and stature you don’t often see from players so young and By quickly figuring out how he can contribute to the team when it matters He has just as quickly ditched the tag of the His energy levels didn’t drop off the way they did last year “At such a young age … kids now can be a little more entitled,” Steven Lorentz said And Knies is returning the favour with swagger There’s times when you have to manufacture it,” Brandon Carlo who played against Knies in last year’s playoffs This isn’t a case of “fake it until you make it,” as the saying goes This is more “act like you’ve been there before” because By proving that his last playoff run was no fluke Knies is establishing himself as a trusted playoff performer And with more difficult playoff games on tap we may not have seen the most Knies can offer I had so much respect for his game,” Carlo said “I think he’s a hell of a player for sure.” (Photo: Mathew Tsang / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Joshua Kloke is a staff writer who has covered the Maple Leafs and Canadian soccer for The Athletic since 2016. Previously, he was a freelance writer for various publications, including Sports Illustrated. Follow Joshua on Twitter @joshuakloke TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (4-2) at OTTAWA SENATORS (2-4) GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACE-OFF SUMMARY TORONTO — Craig Berube smiles before he chooses his words Following the Toronto Maple Leafs’ final practice prior to attempting to exact playoff revenge over the Florida Panthers a reporter asks the coach how he plans to deal with a team so “mean” as the one that flew to town Sunday afternoon aggressive game plan is the precise blueprint Paul Maurice’s bunch has followed to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals Chip pucks behind the opposition’s goal line Pound the unfortunate defenceman tasked with the retrieval into the glass Smother the poor sap who receives the outlet pass under pressure Then activate at the blueline whenever possible to extend O-zone time To create quality chances off won battles or “We’re gonna have to talk about (their forecheck) That’s a big part of their game,” Morgan Reilly tells reporters Just because you know the train schedule doesn’t make it any easier to stand on the tracks Forechecker extraordinaire Matthew Tkachuck memorably said the Cats like to “play like there’s no puck out there” early Sam Reinhart explains that the Panthers forecheck will exhaust the opponent but it is also an exhausting style to execute That’s why Florida will have more regular-season lulls than That’s also why the NHL’s best forecheck requires rolling four lines knowing that the guy next to you and the four other guys on the ice are going to do their job — because you play such an aggressive style,” defenceman Seth Jones details to Florida reporters And if four other guys aren’t doing their job (Then) you give a little bit of space because you’re worried about something else.” who got snapped from Chicago at the trade deadline He points to the forecheck as the primary reason Florida ousted a good Tampa Bay squad in a swift five games Ran ragged by suffocation in their own zone Lightning defencemen were slow to transition and pitch in on offence Tampa got one goal from a defenceman in the Battle of Florida because we’re hitting them and our forwards are getting up quick And that’s what really causes our forechecking game to come alive when their D are fronting pucks and things like that,” Jones says “Doesn’t matter if it’s (Aleksander Barkov) and the first line who don’t play the minutes our top guys do And you can play the same way with whoever’s on the ice The Panthers were the top-hitting team in the regular season so it’s no shock they also lead the playoffs in hits per 60 minutes (43.4) The Leafs rank 12th in that category (32.0) among the 16 teams that made the dance and they’re just consistent night in and night out." There is no secret to the Panthers’ attack The Leafs must be willing to absorb some punishment and execute exits as swiftly and smartly as possible “It’s basically going to boil down to five guys working against their forecheck,” Berube explains “You can talk all the X’s and O’s you want But what about the Leafs’ not-so-secret weapon Not only did Toronto’s power-play shed its reputation for shrivelling once the flowers bloom but no Eastern Conference team was more efficient on the man-advantage in Round 1 The Leafs struck six times and come in humming at a 35.3-per-cent success rate five-forward power-play won Game 1 over the Ottawa Senators and earned that critical early lead in Game 6 Maurice notes that an all-forward setup allows for more interchangeability of the five pieces A defenceman running point might dip to a flank but won’t rotate all over the O-zone the way Mitch Marner does More movement means more chaos and more open lanes “If you let your guard down for five seconds,” Jones says Florida’s penalty killers should be encouraged by two things The Leafs’ power-play went dry and gave up short-handed goals to Ottawa in Games 4 and 5 — both losses Florida’s PK did a fantastic job of shutting down Tampa’s elite power play in Round 1 (The Lightning had the fifth-best PP in the regular season; the Leafs ranked ninth.) The Panthers’ 88.9-per-cent penalty kill is second among all playoff teams “Power play and penalty kill is huge,” says Gustav Forsling Jones notes that the handedness of some of the Leafs’ forwards differs from Tampa’s The Panthers will focus on hard stands at blueline and try to make it difficult for Toronto to enter with possession the Cats will be much more active on the PK than Ottawa was Swipe the faceoff from Auston Matthews or John Tavares Florida GM Bill Zito traded for killer forwards Brad Marchand and Nico Sturm at the deadline thus taking pressure off his two Selke finalists The former Shark notes that San Jose could go 100 per cent on the kill but if team is still giving up five goals a game The Panthers’ dialled-in PK versus the Maple Leafs’ deadly PP you don’t have to live with it too long because you’re out of the playoffs You gotta have a solid penalty kill to get to the next round I think it’s more important than your power play.” Marner had the best excuse for ditching practice Sunday morning as he and wife Stephanie were busy welcoming a baby boy into the world and it’s a different feeling for sure," Berube says “It’s one of the best feelings you'll ever have “It’ll be a lot of good positive things on his mind The well-timed birth of Baby Marner — between rounds 1 and 2 — continues to grow the dressing room’s Dad Club Rielly and Simon Benoit’s babies haven’t turned one yet just celebrated his first birthday last month Gives you tremendous perspective and meaning to life and see things really he’s been probably real emotional and trying to soak it all in so really happy for Mitchy and his wife and his family.” One-Timers: David Kämpf and Nick Robertson will remain healthy scratches They haven’t seen game action for 33 and 13 days 2 goalie Joseph Woll hasn’t played in 18 days now .. His 59.5-per-cent faceoff win percentage tops among all skaters who have taken at least 20 draws this post-season .. Berube burst into laughter after delivering this line on William Nylander: “You talk about composure he’s pretty composed… maybe sometimes too much.” A new battle awaits pic.twitter.com/grq7XK368f — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 4, 2025 Maple Leafs projected Game 1 lineup vs. Florida Panthers:Knies – Matthews – MarnerPacioretty – Tavares – NylanderMcMann – Domi – HolmbergLorentz – Laughton – Järnkrok Rielly – CarloMcCabe – TanevBenoit – Ekman-Larsson ‘He’s on the dark side now’: Panthers-turned-Maple Leafs sharpen fangsMaple Leafs’ Mitch Marner misses practice due to birth of baby boyCOMMENTS VideoMaple Leaf fans eagerly wait for face-off with the Florida PanthersCourtney Heels speaks from outside Scotiabank Arena ahead of the second round series game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers. Never is the target on the backs of the Stanley Cup champions bigger than one or two rounds into playoffs Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Don't have an account? Create Account they know how to go through the playoff atmosphere all the way,” Maple Leaf defenceman Brandon Carlo said Monday before Game 1 against the Florida Panthers “You obviously want to be in that position as well so you want to take down each great team along the way The Leafs have not beat a reigning Cup champion in playoffs since 1967 against the Montreal Canadiens But Matthew Tkachuk didn’t think his Panthers should be considered favourites “We’re on the road and they had a better (regular season) than we did,” he said Coach Paul Maurice’s team has made it past one round in defence of their title a nasty five-game series against the state-rival Tampa Bay Lightning Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. these are all division rivals and we have a history with each other now,” Maurice said There’s no Cinderella stories in the last eight teams that are left They’re all good teams and they all share consistency The most consistent team is the easiest team to pre-scout.” Three of the four pucks in the Panthers’ playoff trophy case they brought to Toronto for their room had Lightning logos on them it’s nice to get your team together with far fewer distractions,” Maurice told Florida media earlier this week of opening at Scotiabank Arena The regular-season road team-bonding trips If you have a close group — I find this natural and truthful — they have to like each other to be around each other but the Leafs had to balance those two weekend marathons with getting some shut eye Defenceman Chris Tanev had a brief chat with brother Brandon who absorbed a hard shot to help the Jets beat St Louis in double OT after Winnipeg tied it with seconds to go in regulation Jake McCabe told me my brother blocked one at the end A huge win when they obviously didn’t look great at the start (down 2-0) They scratched and clawed and I give them a lot of credit.” He is a former teammate of John Tavares on Long Island and played an AHL year in Moncton making a friend of New Brunswicker Philippe Myers lhornby@postmedia.com transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account Mitch Marner addresses the media ahead of tonight's game against the Florida Panthers the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs will go head-to-head in the Eastern Conference Second Round very offensive,” defenseman Seth Jones said of the Maple Leafs but we’ll do the right things the next few days to prepare for that and get ready for Game 1.” A gentleman’s sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 the Panthers made quick work of their cross-state rival the Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in six games to come out on top in the Battle of Ontario “Some similarities to our first round,” head coach Paul Maurice said of going from the Lightning to Maple Leafs Good goaltending and good defensive structure for their team Those things will be the similarities for us that we’ll start with.” Last meeting in Round 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs the Panthers took down the Maple Leafs in five games on their eventual run to the Stanley Cup Final both teams will take the ice with some familiar and news faces Here is everything you need to know ahead of the second-round matchup Panthers (3A): 4-1 | 4-1 over Lightning in Round 1 Maple Leafs (1A): 4-2 | 4-2 over Senators in Round 1 Offense: FLA: 3.80 GF/GP; 25.0% PP | TOR: 3.17 GF/GP; 35.3% PP Defense: FLA: 2.40 GA/GP; 88.9% PK | TOR: 2.67 GA/GP; 80.0% PK Maple Leafs: William Nylander (three goals Breakdown: It was all hands on deck for the Panthers in Round 1against the Lightning While Reinhart led the way with six points five other Panthers also produced at a point-per-game pace in the 4-1 series win the Panthers saw goals from 10 different players and points from 15 the Maple Leafs also had 10 different goal scorers and 17 different point earners in their Round 1 series with the Senators Breakdown: Picking up where he left off in last year’s playoffs “Playoff Bob” had no shortage of highlight-reel saves in Round 1 The “fifth penalty-killer,” Bobrovsky made 15 saves while shorthanded against one of the league’s best power plays in Tampa Bay The 36-year-old also recorded his fourth career postseason shutout in Game 2 A familiar face between the pipes on the other end Stolarz has carried his career season into the postseason Making 33 and 28 saves in Game 1 and 2 against the Senators Stolarz helped the Maple Leafs jump out to an early series lead Clinching in an intense Game 6 on the road the former Panthers netminder posted 23 saves and a .913 save percentage in the 4-2 win to eliminate the Senators Panthers: There’s not a more important time for special teams and the Panthers penalty kill was a major factor in their Round 1 win over the Lightning Carrying an 88.9% success rate into Round 2 the PK unit stopped 16 straight opportunities including a five-minute major in Game 4 to keep it a one-goal game the Panthers only allowed six high-danger chances and 17 shots in 18 trips for Tampa Bay Maple Leafs: As good as the penalty kill has been for the Panthers the power play has been clicking just as much for the Maple Leafs Cashing in at a 35.3% rate against the Senators the Maple Leafs had four different goal scorers on the man advantage in Round 1 with Knies and Tavares each sounding the horn twice the Maple Leafs produced 23 high-danger chances in Round 1 while at 5-on-4 The Panthers are going to hope they can replicate their regular-season results against the Maple Leafs With five points each in the season series the “Sams” (Bennett and Reinhart) led the Panthers in scoring a three-point performance from Carter Verhaeghe propelled the Panthers to a 5-1 win Bennett found the back of the net twice in a 3-2 win on March 13 in Toronto three unanswered goals from the Maple Leafs capped off a 3-2 win on April 2 Closing out the season series on April 8 in Florida third period goals from Eetu Luostarinen and Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 3-1 win Game 2 | Panthers at Maple Leafs | Wednesday Game 5* | Panthers at Maple Leafs | Wednesday Game 6* | Maple Leafs at Panthers | Friday Game 7* | Panthers at Maple Leafs | Sunday “Their (Toronto) top guys really thrive with time and space and when they get power plays and executing there so it's going to be something that we look to be great in and every aspect of that going forward.” – Seth Jones on what he wants to carry over from Round 1 into Round 2 “He's a good goalie and it's going to be a good challenge for us.” – Sergei Bobrovsky on former teammate and current Maple Leaf goaltender Anthony Stolarz and we play a bit more of a grinding game and you can win on the road with that game.” – Paul Maurice on what has made the team successful on the road PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand MAPLE LEAFS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner Max Pacioretty – John Tavares – William Nylander Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Calle Jarnkrok MLSE's Toronto Maple Leafs tailgate parties have become an integral part of NHL playoff season in the city year after year went down to find out what all the fuss is about for the first time Let's set the stage. It's the eve of Game 2 in the battle of Ontario, and I'm packed like a sardine in a southbound TTC train headed, alongside dozens if not hundreds of blue-clad compatriots, to watch the game from outside Scotiabank Arena at Maple Leaf Square. I'm a Leafs fan by virtue of birthright only — I can count on one hand the number of full games I've actually sat through — but already seeing the sheer volume of fans planning to be physically present at the game (a tiny fraction it's beginning to dawn on me that I've been missing out on something major this whole time.  and Maple Leaf Square seems as good a place as any to find it despite living in Toronto for my entire life I have not been blessed with the ability to navigate the ever-changing layout of Union Station and end up where I actually intend to be going this results in me arriving no less than 30 minutes late after walking in circles around the entire station sure that I really might be trapped forever in looping corridors the concentration of game-goers is so dense that anyone with even a shred of herd mentality could find their way to the action simply by submitting to the tide And if the scores of blue-and-white jerseys don't point you in the right direction the sound of a roaring crowd most surely will Upon passing the PATH entrance to Scotiabank Arena towards the Maple Leaf Square exit, we're greeted by the iconic Angus Collis an MLSE security guard who has garnered his own fan base over the years for his particularly colourful approach to crowd control moving fans through the hall, before eventually stepping into the square I've attended my fair share of concerts I even hit the streets of downtown Toronto after the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019 but this level of fandom is like nothing I've ever seen before.  there's a competition underway where a few lucky fans have the opportunity to dance for tickets to watch the game from inside the arena Winners are decided by the volume of applause and when one fan begins an enthusiastic striptease peeling off his jersey to expose a particularly impressive beer belly You'd think the Leafs had just won the Stanley Cup where the usual corporate suspects have set up booths with games like money machines and slapshot contests to win merchandise There are hot dog vendors and bars to keep fans fuelled up and There isn't even a line for the porta-potties It seems like no one wants to miss even a single second of the real show However out of place I'm feeling at this moment I spy someone who likely feels more so: Scott sticking out like a red star in a vast blue night and he says "scared," though I'm not sure whether it would be worse for him if the Senators win or lose I ask them how such a star-crossed relationship could possibly work The frenetic energy in the square has been ramping up to this moment but you can feel something bigger than all of us reined in and ready to break loose as soon as the game starts If a Senators fan walks by to enter the arena a massive Canadian flag is carried across the crowd as fans sing along but not to be overshadowed by the absolute mayhem that breaks loose as the starting lineup is announced I don't know who any of these people are Matthews and Marner, but I can immediately glean that Stolarz is kind of a huge deal.  I'm struck by the theatricality of this whole thing I always thought my own interests were antithetical to sports but I'm realizing now that the two aren't so very different after all a wave of cheers crashes over me like a tsunami It feels impossible not to get washed away in it even if I had come here stubbornly committed to my own indifference.  the first punches have been thrown on the ice It's hard to gauge which the crowd was more excited about With a two-nothing lead secured so early in the game Everyone's riding on the high of seeing our opponents score still at zero who've been among the most animated for the duration of the game thus far tell me that they're feeling "super heightened." "We've been like last season and then the other season before and it's so electric," one of them tells me This is one of the best and loudest crowds they've seen While the 2-0 lead sticks around for much of the second period Tkachuk (who I'm told everyone hates by my more hockey-literate colleagues) scores.  but I notice a discernible change in the atmosphere Heads tipped towards the enormous screen appear more set in their expressions It's like they're willing their own precision to pass through the walls and get absorbed by the players With five minutes left in the third period after what seemed like a cake walk win for the Leafs the Senators apply sustained pressure and manage to tie it up At some point during the game — it's hard to tell when — everyone in the crowd ceased to be themselves and became something bigger No one is really having conversations with one another almost like we can read each other's minds If getting out of Union Station was a herd-like experience For someone who just heard names like Stolarz I really do feel like a decent portion of tomorrow's happiness is riding on their performance tonight Is this what being a hockey fan feels like appeared to me like an intricately choreographed routine is now something far more raw While the crowd remains entirely civilized there's a sort of desperation hanging in the air that makes my stomach feel hollow If not for my own burgeoning love of the Leafs I hope they win for everyone else in this crowd Luckily, they do. A goal from Max Domi sets the entire crowd alight People who've never met before and may never see each other again are hugging as if family man — wipes a tear from his cheek.  The Leafs have secured their first 2-0 series lead since 2002 If this is what it's like after a mid-series win I can't even begin to wrap my head around what a series-clincher or a championship win would look like. Beyond pride that my city's team won a game I feel pride in the energy that's being cultivated here attributed the love of hockey as something that's socially ingrained After watching the game in the midst of the team's most devoted fans I see that it's really about something bigger than just watching big strong men throw punches and skate clutching taped-up sticks There's a community aspect stronger than any I've seen that's something the city really needs but Leafs fans have learned to love the team even without one.  The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators on the road for game three at 7 p.m on April 24 at the Canadian Tire Centre Sports‘Don’t come on a hockey day’: Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner welcomes first childBy Alex ArsenychOpens in new windowPublished: May 05 This playoff season has been especially exciting for one Toronto Maple Leafs player On Sunday, Leafs winger Mitch Marner’s wife, Stephanie, gave birth to their first-born son, Miles, that morning, according to the team. Marner and his wife have been married since July 2023 tying the knot at Peller Estates winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake The team said Marner missed out on the team’s practice as a result who are readying to take on the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs Marner said he and his wife were prepared for their son’s arrival amid the series against the Ottawa Senators adding that the would’ve flown out to be “her cheerleader.” “My son was lucky enough--smart enough to know Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner and his wife welcomed the arrival of a baby boy this morning Marner will not participate in today’s practice The first game in the best-of-seven series against the defending Stanley Cup champions takes the ice at the Scotiabank Arena on Monday night. The Panthers have played in the finals for the last two years, first losing to the Vegas Golden Knights and then clinching the cup win against the Edmonton Oilers last year. Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved The Atlantic Division rivals are in store for an epic series The Panthers aim to continue their quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups while the Leafs seek their first Stanley Cup since the 1960s The Panthers found success in the opening round by getting to the dirty areas of the offensive zone. They dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games by dominating the high-danger areas, and they must continue that trend to eliminate the Maple Leafs According to NHL EDGE, the Panthers scored 12 of their 19 first-round goals in the high-danger areas. Florida's greasy forward group are able to create chaos and the offense emerges from there like the griffin rising out of the ashes For Maple Leafs starting goalie Anthony Stolarz Stolarz was superb in the opening round against the Ottawa Senators posting a 4-2 record with a 2.21 goals-against average There is one area where he's struggled in the postseason and it works perfectly in the Panthers' favor Stolarz struggles with high-danger shot opportunities He's surrendered seven goals on 35 high-danger shots against giving him a .800 save percentage on those scoring chances he's recorded a .913 save percentage against mid-range scoring chances and a .926 save percentage on long-range chances It makes sense for goalies to have a lower save percentage as the opposing offense gets closer to the net The issue in this series is that the Panthers excel at getting to those areas and their offensive system succeeds when they are winning body position down low If the Panthers get to that style of offense and enforce their will on the Leafs, the series will shift in their favor quickly. The Maple Leafs must counter with a stout defensive presence The battle for the high-danger area will commence in Game 1 Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! JACOB PUNTURI Game 1 Panthers at Maple Leafs: How to Watch, Lines, Odds Panthers Start in Toronto vs. the Leafs. They’re Cool with That ‘Forgotten Man’ of Florida Panthers Now a Not-So-Secret Weapon Playoff Schedule for Panthers vs. Maple Leafs Now Available Florida Panthers Hope to Keep Championship Run Going at the Kentucky Derby Seth Jones Finally Gets another Shot at the Playoffs with the Panthers Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers Not Concerned with Scoring Slump Moves the Florida Panthers Can Make After Kulikov Injury How the Florida Panthers Improved Using Tkachuk LTIR Money Brad Marchand Has Joined the Florida Panthers. How It Happened FHN Today: Florida Panthers Take Off, Jets Win Epic Game 7 FHN Today: Tkachuk Gears Up for the Leafs, Stars Win Game 7 FHN Today: Hagel Rips Ekblad, says Head Hit ‘As Bad as it Gets’ FHN Today: Panthers Play Leafs, Rangers Close to New Coach FHN Today: Florida Panthers Moving On, Drop Lightning in 5 their second round playoff series against the Maple Leafs kicking off tonight the Panthers treated this as a business trip Those who know the Panthers understood Paul Maurice was being serious when he said on numerous occasions and to anyone who would listen that his team did not care who they opened the playoffs against Home ice advantage seemingly helped the Panthers last year en route to the Stanley Cup championship win Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers in the humid confines of Sunrise the Panthers fared pretty well away from South Florida the Panthers won Game 3 in Edmonton to take a 3-0 lead in that series There was a lot of pressure on Florida in that game “I just don’t think the road is anywhere near as intimidating as it used to be,’’ Maurice said “It was a different back when you thought home ice advantage was everything and you can win on the road with that game.’’ The Panthers will open the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto tonight taking on a Maple Leafs team that worked hard to win the Atlantic Division title and earn home ice for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs it’s not like the Panthers did not care about winning the Atlantic They just prioritized being healthy going into the playoffs — and after playing over 280 games in the past three seasons “We just have to stay calm and composed,” Gus Forsling said I think we get the guys together on the road It doesn’t matter if it’s home or on the road the Panthers were the road team in all four of their playoff series and 2-0 in Raleigh before dropping all three in Vegas for the title Florida had home ice in the first two rounds — and went 1-1 in Tampa winning the right to play for the Cup in Game 6 at home taking all three games played in Tampa by a combined score of 14-5 all of those Tampa Bay games were closer than the score looks but the Panthers have seemingly figured out how to successfully guard against the pitfalls of playing in what is sometimes mockingly called the ‘Centre of the Hockey Universe.’ There are many knowledgable fans in Toronto who will recognize even the lesser known players on the streets and in line for coffee There are family concerns with many players from There is also more media responsibilities to work around with the small visitors’ room at Scotiabank Arena filled with cameras and cellphones trying to record every moment The former Air Canada Centre may not be Maple Leaf Gardens the Maple Leafs do play in the capital of hockey A good many players go a touch faster and little harder knowing those lights in Toronto are a bit brighter they left behind a Stanley Cup championship ring to reside at the nearby Hockey Hall of Fame “It’s probably one of the best atmospheres to play in Game 1 Panthers at Maple Leafs: How to Watch Hoping for some offensive output from Barkov and Verhaeghe with a little something from Rodrigues thrown in as a bonus tonight Will be interesting to see how everything shapes up — including how an emotional fan base will react to the playing of The Star Spangled Banner Getting game one would be spectacular — especially with Ekblad coming back for game two We need game 1 to get in their heads… We need them to know that we OWN them I pray we are the ones who have the inside scoop on Stolarz and OEL Let’s bring the physicality and the offense!! Enter your email to get the latest from Florida Hockey Now delivered straight to your inbox Copyright © 2020 George Richards and National Hockey Now. A strong showing from the Ottawa Senators saw them take game five by a score of 4-0 to bring their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs back to Ottawa for game six Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk all scored for the Senators while Linus Ullmark made 27 saves in goal for the shutout The Senators are heading back home for Game 6 after big 4-0 win in Toronto The first period came to a close scoreless with both teams having power play opportunities but unable to capitalize The Senators found themselves trailing 12-3 in shots after the first period an offensive zone face-off win saw Thomas Chabot dance the puck along the blue line to score his first NHL playoff goal and give the Senators a 1-0 lead OTT@TOR: Chabot scores goal against Anthony Stolarz Chabot’s goal was the difference maker of the second frame as the period came to a close with the Senators leading by a score of 1-0 the Maple Leafs continued to lead the way in shots but the Senators closed the gap from the first period a strong defensive play by Adam Gaudette led to an odd man rush the other way for the Senators with Dylan Cozens burying the first playoff goal of his career to make it 2-0 for the Sens Picking up the lone assist on the goal was Gaudette The Maple Leafs pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker as they looked to start a comeback but Tim Stützle found the back of the empty net for his second goal of the postseason to make it 3-0 for the Senators Assisting Stützle's goal were Claude Giroux and Brady Tkachuk the Maple Leafs continued their push for a comeback and they continued to play with an empty net for the extra attacker Burying the puck for his second of the series to make it 4-0 was Brady Tkachuk with less than a minute left in the third The lone assist on the goal went to Tim Stützle the first round series will return to Ottawa on Thursday for game six Dylan Cozens speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs Thomas Chabot speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs Linus Ullmark speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs Travis Green speaks with the media following the Senators game against the Leafs follow the Ottawa Senators' socials and on the web Keep up to date with Sens360: https://www.nhl.com/senators/sens360/content/ Follow the Senators on Instagram: senators Engage with the Senators on X: @Senators Like the Senators on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ottawasenators Fans can breathe a sigh of relief after the Maple Leafs punched their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs A crucial Game 6 victory has Leafs Nation breathing a collective sigh of relief The Toronto Maple Leafs have silenced their critics and doubters after a resilient Game 6 victory over the Ottawa Senators that has them advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs It was a game script that couldn’t have been written any better as the magnifying glass was once again on the Core Four in a big game A post shared by Toronto Maple Leafs (@mapleleafs) After a questionable Game 5 effort on home ice that had fans and media scratching their heads the Maple Leafs came out jumping early and often in Game 6 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa They were physical and they were direct in their approach taking the game by the horns and establishing the pace of play from the get go In the final two minutes of the first period the Maple Leafs had their first opportunity of the game with the man advantage After being criticized by the media for their lack of production on the power play in closeout games captain Auston Matthews fired a screenshot past Linus Ullmark to put them up 1-0 A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) It was then the birthday boy, William Nylander — after nearly being removed from the lineup prior to puck drop due to a game sheet error — who came up clutch within the first minute of the second period to put the Maple Leafs up 2-0 A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) much like they’ve proven throughout the series would not go down without a fight as captain Brady Tkachuk cut the lead in half shortly after After weathering the storm as a collective in impressive fashion it was a lucky bounce by David Perron midway through the third period that would instil hope in the Ottawa crowd once again With the game now level and the clock winding down in the third period timely contribution from veteran Max Pacioretty would restore the lead and joy in Maple Leafs fans’ hearts once again A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) but the birthday boy had other plans on his big day as he took matters into his own hands with an admirable effort to seal the deal for the Maple Leafs with an empty-net goal A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) In a true test to prove that this group has learned from the past and in a game where the media and fan base called on their stars to rise to the occasion Key contributions in a series-clinching game from Auston Matthews Mitch Marner and John Tavares will have Leafs Nation breathing a collective sigh of relief as their beloved team has punched their ticket to the next round Here is how the fan base has reacted following the big win Never got nasty and was never a track meet it was a mandatory and expected win for the Leafs and they pulled it off Congratulations to the boys in blue and white Their biggest test now awaits them in the form of the defending Stanley Cup Champions who they will have home advantage against in the second round A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) While the second round schedule has yet to be finalized or announced took to X to spill the beans on speculation so don't go making (or breaking) any important plans but the expectation seems to be that Game 1 of the Leafs-Panthers series will go Monday night in Toronto but it appears Game 1 could be taking place on Monday May 5 live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto The Maple Leafs will be looking for revenge this time around after the Florida Panthers knocked them out of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023 Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The Athletic has live coverage from Game 6 between the Maple Leafs and Senators in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs building to Saturday’s inevitable Game 7 loss to the Ottawa Senators I just wanted to make sure any especially sensitive Maple Leaf fans had a chance to click away in horror before we went any further You wouldn’t think there’d be many of those fans left anyone who’s been paying attention over the years should be thoroughly dead inside by now let’s check in with a reasonable Leafs fan for a quick temperature read The incredible thing is after this game they'll still have two tries to win once against a very middling team and there is not a soul on the planet who believes they'll do it — Acting the Fulemin (@actingthefulemin.bsky.social) April 29, 2025 at 9:26 PM But here’s the thing: We’ve seen this movie before the suddenly red-hot goalie on the other side but this is extraordinarily well-worn territory by now And while there’s undeniably a certain perverse joy to that for certain types of fans even the most dedicated connoisseur of the genre must feel a little underwhelmed Maple Leafs playoff collapses are basically the “Fast & Furious” movies – still their own kind of fun but maybe we don’t need yet another barely recycled version every year I’m here to offer some help to the hockey gods as they sit down to pen the script for how this all ends and coming up with new and innovative ways to make Leaf fans sad can’t be easy But your work is getting a bit predictable these days Let’s put our heads together and see if we can punch this thing up I’ve got eight ideas about how the rest of this series could go and you hockey gods can let me know what sticks Or maybe come up with something truly new and unique I’m happy to do it for the love of the game and a reasonable share of the streaming rights Maybe the whole premise of this piece is flawed Maybe we don’t need any new wrinkles from the hockey gods It’s a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff collapse or at least close enough to offer up some hope to the few remaining Leaf fans still capable of feeling it Have Auston Matthews hit the post a time or two Let Charlie Brown get a good run at that football before you yank it away and then we watch the stars spend the entire third period squeezing their sticks so hard they leave little trails of sawdust on the ice behind them punctuated by some half-hearted boos as the clock drains down Make sure to get a few good shots of Mitch Marner trying to swallow his own tongue on the bench The critics would say: We’ve seen this all before but for all the different times the Leafs have lost a winner-take-all game they’ve never really had one that wasn’t competitive You could point to the 5-1 loss to the Bruins in 2019 but even that was a one-goal game heading into the third So why not mix it up and have the Leafs fall behind 5-0 heading into the first intermission? Really give those quiet Toronto fans a chance to let them have it. No fake suspense or faint hopes of a comeback. Just a total collapse that makes the 2002 Avalanche look clutch honest losses that didn’t get your hopes up The sort of elimination that looks you right in the eye while it kicks you in the groin The critics would say: This felt kind of cruel this one’s been a surprising omission from the Leafs’ recent resume of playoff disaster None of them have ever hinged on an obviously controversial moment That’s not to say that Leaf fans haven’t complained about bad calls here or there because it’s the NHL and every fan base does. But is there anything that’s really lingered past the moment? I think the closest you can come is probably the Justin Holl pick play in 2022 against the Lightning But it’s certainly not Brett Hull’s skate in the crease And yes, we all know why the hockey gods haven’t wanted to play this card: They used it in 1993, when a missed call cost the Leafs a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and Toronto fans haven’t shut up about it for three decades and counting having Brady Tkachuk powerbomb Anthony Stolarz onto the faceoff dot right before Messi-kicking the puck into the top corner for the winner would be one way to do it The critics would say: This felt extremely cruel Everyone loves nostalgia, right? So, rather than finding a new way to deliver the same result, why not pay tribute to past episodes by giving us a remake? After all, if there’s one thing we know about this franchise, it’s that they’ve never loved anything more than running it back and have the Leafs blow a 4-1 lead in the third period The point is that if we don’t get a shot of John Tavares mumbling “Somehow but they’re really running out of ideas down there We haven’t mentioned the Senators much in this article because they’re the Senators the Leafs are their own villain in these stories, and the actual opponent doesn’t tend to matter much. But what if it did? After all, Ottawa has a unique place in Leafs playoff lore. Why not dig back into that rich history and have Ottawa serve up an Uno reverse card to finish off their provincial rivals You could have Stolarz give up a pair of Patrick Lalime-style softies Maybe have a Senator deliver a long-distance and have Max Domi mash him into the boards to take a series-altering major If modern-day Hollywood has taught us anything it’s that audiences love rebooting the hits from their childhood for no good reason why does everyone keep pretending to throw broken sticks into the crowd not The GOAT – there’s no greatest of all-time lurking in this series I mean “the goat” the way we used to mean it: The guy who single-handedly blows the big game for his team Again, this plot device has been used surprisingly sparingly in Toronto, where the focus has always been more on the big stars as a collective letdown. We’ve had a few temporary goats, like Alex Galchenyuk’s OT brain cramp or anytime Jake Gardiner touched the puck against Boston in a Game 7 modern Leaf fans don’t really have their Bill Buckner or Scott Norwood The critics would say: The post-credit scene where the goat goes to another team and immediately wins the MVP felt unnecessary If this is going to be the last series before every Leafs fan finally quits hockey and devotes all those extra hours to playing Balatro No such thing as “too much.” This is the payoff to a decade-long storyline Bring back Sheldon Keefe to give one of his patented “just have fun” motivational speeches Have the Leafs make their entrance by skating through Allan Bester’s five hole Make Craig Berube coach wearing a paper bag over his head Let Kyle Dubas sign Mitch Marner to one more extension Have Jeff Marek dig up Harold Ballard so he can shut off all the water fountains I want the third period to start with an exhausted Auston Matthews stumbling out to center ice only to hear William Nylander tell him “on your left” a portal dramatically opens up and David Ayres rides over him on a Zamboni The critics would say: I did not see that twist ending coming (Top photo of Morgan Rielly: Claus Andersen / Getty Images) The Toronto Maple Leafs advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beating the Ottawa Senators in six games The Leafs won Game 6 4-2 in a thrilling game With the game tied 2-2, Max Pacioretty scored the go-ahead goal The Leafs now face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs It's their second playoff series win in the last three seasons They didn't let the Ottawa Senators force a Game 7 They didn't let a reverse sweep become a reality the Leafs begin their second-round series against the Florida Panthers Can they find a way to knock out the defending champs to advance to the Eastern Conference final Celebrate well Leaf fans and get ready for Round 2 We'll be here providing live coverage as the Leafs continue their Stanley Cup Playoffs journey The only lineup change Craig Berube made after two losses in a row was sending veteran forward Max Pacioretty up to the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander Berube had relied on Pacioretty to play with the Leafs stars earlier this season and liked the strength and physicality he brings to the line But it’s still hard to ignore how much Pacioretty’s lack of foot speed makes that second line defensively suspect You’re never going to get a ton of defensive details from any line with Nylander anyway but moving Pacioretty alongside Nylander felt like Berube was willing to take the risks that come with the possible rewards The line hit a post in the first period and Pacioretty forced a turnover that led to Nylander’s goal Those are the rewards that come with the line seemingly giving up dangerous scoring chances against every time they were on the ice And then: Pacioretty scored the series-clinching goal with just over five minutes left in the third period It was Pacioretty’s first playoff goal since June 22 Brady Tkachuk’s first-period penalty ultimately put the Senators in some trouble after Auston Matthews converted on the power play afterward The Sens were further down in the hole after a Nick Jensen turnover led to the William Nylander goal But Tkachuk found a way to make up for his earlier mistake by redirecting a Thomas Chabot point shot past Anthony Stolarz sending the Canadian Tire Centre faithful into madness Fans could barely contain their excitement once the jumbotron flashed the Sens’ captain on the jumbotron Tkachuk will always say he provided his best when needed in his first playoffs eight hits and 18:46 time on ice in an elimination game his team needed to have Four goals and seven points through six games for the series It was worth the wait to have Tkachuk in the playoffs though he probably would like to have that first-period penalty back Two goals from two Maple Leafs stars within two minutes: the visitors built momentum late in the first period and early in the second with shots from Auston Matthews and William Nylander You’d have to go back to Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 for the last time both Matthews and Nylander scored in the same playoff game The Leafs broke their 0-for-30 power play drought in possible series clinching games with a knuckleball of a shot from the Leafs captain Nylander followed with his patented wrist shot The Senators tightened up for nearly half of the second period afterwards Berube can claim the onus fell on the entire Leafs team to end their poor run in possible series-clinching games But it’s the Leafs’ core whose legacy remains on the line in these types of games Scoring these types of goals when it matters has been a rarity for the Leafs stars two of the Leafs’ stars dragged their team into the fight The Senators seemed nervous and jittery in their opening 20 minutes of play You would’ve thought that they had all the pressure on their back Linus Ullmark letting dump-ins hit him in the pads nervously before the puck entered the corner The Swedish netminder had Lady Luck on his side when Pacioretty hit the post with a wide-open net in front of him before Max Domi redirected the puck wide of goal The Sens could barely enter the zone and maintain offensive-zone possession on their sole power-play opportunity of the first period And then Brady Tkachuk took an undisciplined penalty near the end of the first period that led to Toronto’s first power-play goal in 31 opportunities in close out games since 2018 Matthews sent a shot past Ullmark to give the Leafs a lead before the intermission The Senators would’ve been fortunate to end that period tied with the way they played the most important takeaway from Game 6 was the fact that it won’t be followed by a Game 7 The “Sens in 7!” chant that crept up again and again from the Canadian Tire Centre crowd Few would have surprised had the Leafs played tight and tense through Game 6 and allowed another opportunity to close out a series slip through their fingers the Leafs were 1-13 in possible series-clinching games since 2018 That statistic has been brought up again and again over the last 48 hours the Leafs deserve credit for silencing the growing anxiety around them and just playing a better game than the Senators The Leafs strung together decent chance after chance and locked things down in their own end more often than not Getting a clutch goal from a veteran in Pacioretty late in the third period is likely part of what GM Brad Treliving had in mind when he added all the veterans he did ahead of this season The Leafs looked like they did through the regular season when they would take a lead and rely on their defensive structure to close out a game They did that without overthinking where they were in the playoffs The Toronto Maple Leafs power play scored five goals in their first round series against the Ottawa Senators They were humming in the first three games but got a critical goal in Game 6 thanks to Auston Matthews the Leafs will need to take advantage on special teams The Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three of the four meetings this season They outscored Toronto 13-7 in those four games Leafs captain Auston Matthews played in just three of the four Florida meetings The "Core Four" forwards will need to be big for Toronto should they advance William Nylander was proud of his team's compete level throughout Game 6 He had a simple message following his team's win: "We'll have fun tonight but the focus is on Florida," Nylander said Mitch Marner led the Maple Leafs with six assists through the first round Auston Matthews and William Nylander are both tied in second place with five assists John Tavares and Matthew Knies all led the Maple Leafs with three goals after the first round Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had two goals Below are the point leaders for the Toronto Maple Leafs through the first round: Ottawa Senators coach Travis Green said that he was disappointed for his players after losing in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs He believes his team will learn about the "attention to detail" in the playoffs and that every shift matters But he praised his team and believed that it was a very close series "I liked how our team played," Green said "It could've gone either way." Below are the Eastern Conference playoff matchups: they would play the winner of the Capitals and Hurricanes It's the second time in three seasons the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs it would be the first time the Leafs are in the Eastern Conference final since 2002 23 years since Toronto was playing for a chance to make the Stanley Cup Final The Ottawa Senators hadn't been to the playoffs since 2017 Their comeback effort after being down 3-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs falls short It remains at four teams in NHL history (Toronto Maple Leafs Los Angeles Kings) to complete the 3-0 down comeback the Toronto Maple Leafs have two series wins in the "Core Four" era The other was the first round in 2023 when the Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games the "Core Four" forwards of Auston Matthews John Tavares and William Nylander had a big Game 6 to win the series William Nylander scored two goals and recorded an assist Auston Matthews scored a goal and Mitch Marner tallied an assist Despite Geauga County voters’ majority support for President Donald Trump in the Nov mostly from the county and surrounding areas showed up to protest the current administration’s policies May 4 in Chardon Demonstrators at the protest — called May Day Strong — stood at the junction of Water Street Cherry Avenue and Wilson Mills Road for two hours yelling chants related to democracy and holding signs outlining a variety of grievances “Everybody has an issue that’s hitting home to them be it social security benefits that they’re scared are going to get lost federal jobs,” said protest organizer Lisa who requested to be referred to by her first name only for privacy concerns “There are veterans who are out (protesting) — their (U.S Department of Veterans Affairs) funding is getting cut for employees and for research for difficult diseases veterans face Elon Musk in the government is a big one.” are local coordinators for 50501 — a national organization protesting the Trump administration — and activists with Indivisible Ohio District 14 Partners They are working with the pro-democracy groups in each of the District 14 counties to hold protests in the area adding Sunday’s protest was held in conjunction with hundreds across Ohio as part of a national day of protest stretched from near the Sheetz entrance on Water Street to the entrance on Wilson Mills Road Protesters also lined the north side of the street from the crosswalk to near the McDonalds driveway Others gathered near Taco Bell and on the traffic island in the center of the road Demonstrators who spoke to the Geauga County Maple Leaf — some asking to remain anonymous or be referred to by first name only — expressed concern about the current administration’s impact on international relations the support for the main food banks in Ohio are being reduced,” said a verified member of the Geauga Hunger Task Force “This will add to those coming to be served at the five pantries we support in Geauga County.” she believes people will suffer and may die Several demonstrators said this is not a partisan issue It’s what’s right and what’s wrong and what’s happening is wrong,” said Denice adding she knows multiple Trump voters who now disagree with the administration There have been a lot of Republicans turning out to the protests There were people who came to those meetings who said said he has been dissatisfied with the current administration “(Trump) is not representing the Republican party he’s not upholding some of the basic aspects of the Constitution that’s what it’s all about in terms of those protests,” he said Another protester said he hopes the demonstration shows the area is not purely red “We gotta show there are people in Geauga County who actually care about democracy,” he said Indivisible Ohio District 14 Partners and 50501 are peaceful groups adding anyone curious about them or their cause can come up and ask questions at a protest or reach out to them directly While a counter protestor and demonstrators did briefly argue Sunday The duo are hoping to see more political action from constituents “Protests are the way people enter into taking political action,” she said we say make calls to your elected officials and visit your elected officials offices because those are the two most effective steps.” Lisa also encouraged constituents to connect with whatever pro-democracy group in their area reflects their values as those groups will be taking actions beyond protests other people can see they aren’t alone and can take a stand Evans and Lisa hope the protests mobilize people to the point politicians have to notice I’ve been ignoring my constituents,’” she said has experienced the sort of ignoring Evans referenced “I’ve been trying to make phone calls and do the things,” she said “I’m frustrated at the lack of response from our Ohio representatives and senators.” To access our complete online news coverage Copyright Geauga County Maple Leaf. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Website Designed & Developed by Company 119 William Nylander almost got some time off for his birthday As the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators prepared for Game 6 of their first-round series an official caught a critical error that would have sidelined the Toronto star for the pivotal matchup Nylander, who turned 29 on Thursday, was mistakenly listed as his brother Alex Nylander with his No Luckily for Toronto, an official caught the error and William Nylander was eligible to play, falling under Rule 5.1 in the NHL rulebook if an official (on-ice or off-ice) notices that a player is in uniform but has not been included on the Official Game Report the Referee shall bring this to the attention of the offending team so that the necessary correction can be made to the Official Game Report with no penalty assessed." If the error had gone unnoticed before puck drop Nylander would have been pulled off the ice and Toronto unable to replace him in the lineup Under Rule 5.2, the team is not assessed an additional penalty, differing from a mistake with the starting lineup under Rule 7.2 On Nov. 21, 2024, the Nashville Predators received a minor penalty after Filip Forsberg took the opening faceoff despite Steven Stamkos being listed on the game sheet. It was a major bullet dodged for the Maple Leafs as Nylander was in the lineup. Not only that, but the birthday boy recorded an assist on the game's opening goal and scored one of his own 43 seconds into the second period. Maple Leafs finally score power-play goal in potential closeout gamePredators receive penalty for starting game with wrong lineup vs. KrakenCOMMENTS TORONTO -- Auston Matthews sat down on the bench and angrily smashed his stick on the boards It was a rare moment of emotion from a Toronto Maple Leafs team that showed far too little of it on the ice in a 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday after winning the past two games of the best-of-7 series the Senators have momentum in their favor as they’ve narrowed the Maple Leafs’ lead in the series to 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Ottawa on Thursday (7 p.m “I think it gives our team belief,” Senators coach Travis Green said “I can’t speak for how they feel or the pressure that’s on their team “[But] I don’t think our group has really felt pressure from the beginning.” the Senators are the team that seems to be exuding more confidence Meanwhile, Toronto’s frustrations could be symbolized by Matthews’ outburst, which came after a costly giveaway by the Toronto captain in the offensive zone led to a short-handed goal by Dylan Cozens at 8:24 of the third period to put Ottawa up 2-0 and thrust a dagger into the Maple Leafs’ comeback hopes having not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017 were acknowledged as the inexperienced team In Game 5, it was the Maple Leafs who looked more like one. Passes rattled off their sticks, there was far too little physicality in their game, and there was even a breakaway -- courtesy of forward Steven Lorentz -- that didn’t even result in a shot on goal there’s still plenty of hockey to be played in this series are battling a history that has seen them win just one postseason series since 2004 And you can be certain Ottawa is feeding off any potential insecurities and doubts that might be rising inside the Toronto dressing room. After all, the Maple Leafs’ core of Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander is now 1-13 in games in which Toronto had the opportunity to eliminate an opponent from the postseason “Whenever you lose two games in a row, I mean, it’s just not a good feeling,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said when asked if the pressure in the series has now shifted to Toronto we lost three in a row and it was a [lousy] feeling we’ve just got to keep focusing on the task at hand.” Which means an opportunity to tie the series in Game 6 in front of the home fans who were deafening in Games 3 and 4 with Ottawa having the opportunity to force Game 7 with a win Canadian Tire Centre will be at its raucous best the Senators didn’t allow the Scotiabank Arena crowd to have that type of effect on the hometown Maple Leafs and quickly siphoned the energy out of the building That was especially true when defenseman Thomas Chabot scored at 3:46 of the second period to give the Senators a 1-0 lead Both the Maple Leafs and their fans seemed to become more tense than ever And on the rare occasions they did, goalie Linus Ullmark was there to turn aside all 29 Toronto shots Not bad for a player who was criticized for his play in Ottawa’s 6-2 loss in Game 1 “I feel like we’ve been talking about Linus a lot in the series and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him.” The same could be said about the Senators’ resurgent penalty kill They’ve held the high-octane Maple Leafs power play off the scoreboard in the past seven opportunities scoring a pair of short-handed goals in the process including the key one by Cozens on Tuesday “I felt I had the speed to beat my guy up the ice and try and create an opportunity,” Cozens said I think anytime a team gives up a short-handed goal it’s going to take the crowd out of it a bit.” Matthews was understandably upset at how that play materialized Imagine how much worse he and his teammates will be feeling if they don’t find a way to stop Ottawa’s growing surge in this series Round 1 | Full Coverage🔹Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 🔹Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 🔹Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals 🔹New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes 🔹St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets 🔹Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars 🔹Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights 🔹Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Matthew Knies has been invaluable to the Maple Leafs offense this postseason and will be a factor in Game 1 vs This article contains predictions for an old game Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs kicks off tonight with the Florida Panthers facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.  The Panthers don’t give up a lot of quality chances which is great considering Sergei Bobrovsky’s flakiness with high-danger shots this postseason This is one of the many reasons my Panthers vs Maple Leafs predictions are targeting Toronto props specifically Matthew Knies’ anytime goal market Find out why with my free NHL picks for this Monday The Florida Panthers won three out of four games against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the regular season and enter Game 1 as favorites to win again.  the Panthers did not travel well this season and will be without key defender Aaron Ekblad for the first bout as he serves the final game of his suspension who went 10-14-2 with a -16 goal differential without their star defenseman in the lineup this season.  Florida's road record was a middling 20-19-2 through the regular season the Leafs at home went 27-13-1 and are expected to perform well tonight at SBA in Game One to help tame the Cats My Panthers vs Maple Leafs pick: Matthew Knies anytime goal (+280 at Sports Interaction) The Maple Leafs fell to the Panthers in five games two postseasons ago and hope to put forth a much better fight this time Their physical and heavy style of hockey under Craig Berube is conducive to what wins in the postseason and will be a necessity during this series against Florida.  The player who exemplified that hard-nosed, get-to-the-net hockey the most in Round 1 was Matthew Knies who is tied for the team lead with three goals in the playoffs.  This is largely due to his ability to battle in front of the net and generate scoring chances from high-danger areas. Knies led the Maple Leafs with 10 high-danger shots in Round 1, which ranked him fourth league-wide, per NHL Edge.  This will be particularly key in this series against Sergei Bobrovsky who struggled to stop high-danger scoring chances against Tampa sporting a lowly .800 high-danger save percentage through five games.  This is why I feel strongly about Knies’ chances to score Not only is he a mainstay on the Leafs’ top line but he also became a fixture on the top power-play unit that operated at 35% in Round 1.  whether it’s at 5-on-5 or on the power play Knies is good for a few quality scoring chances tonight and the Leafs’ power forward has a good chance at getting one to drop with Bobrovsky struggling in those situations Matthew Knies anytime goalMatthew Knies 2+ shots on goalUnder 6.5 we’ll continue to ride with Knies and take him to record two shots on goal He’s hit this number in three straight outings and four of six Round 1 games For the final leg of my SGP I’ll take this game ot go Under 6.5 goals The total has stayed under that number in each of the four games between the Leafs and Panthers this season The Under also went 5-0 in each of the games from the 2023 series Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies. Looking to bet on some NHL Playoffs action and get a 125% bonus on your first deposit (up to $250) Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction The Under has hit in four straight meetings between the Leafs and Panthers. Find more NHL betting trends for Maple Leafs vs. Panthers. Not intended for use in MA.Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links. Mike DiStefano joins Covers after a successful five-year stint with TSN. Distefano hosted Leafs Lunch, a Toronto Maple Leafs-centric radio show which featured a daily best bets segment where he found the biggest and best value plays of the night. He was also a weekly staple on TSN's flagship radio/tv show "OverDrive" as a betting analyst during their NFL picks segment #TeamAl-DogForever. A graduate of Centennial College’s Sports Journalism program, Mike has also contributed to the Canadian Baseball Network, FanSided, and The Hockey News. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account The Ottawa Senators have landed in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ kitchen We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe ghosts of spring exits from the past have returned to haunt the Leafs thanks to the Senators Two straight wins by the Senators to close the gap to 3-2 in the Battle of Ontario have left Leaf Nation hitting the panic button with Game 6 of the first-round playoff series on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre The Senators understand they haven’t won anything yet and the Leafs know they’ve still got the upper hand with a third straight opportunity to close out the series Get the latest sport headlines and breaking news The next issue of Sports will soon be in your inbox This is the spring the Leafs are supposed to turn the corner especially if Ottawa makes an historic comeback so the momentum is for us a little bit,” said veteran winger Claude Giroux on Wednesday and we’ve got to find a way to bring our best game.” There is no question the Senators have planted the seed of doubt in the Toronto dressing room with these two wins The Leafs are trying to shake their playoff demons and they’ve all crept back in the last 24 hours The Leafs are trying desperately to dismiss the talk about their past but the 1-13 record in elimination games since 2018 is a chilling stat for a group that has dealt with so much playoff disappointment The pressure on the Leafs’ “Core Four” of Auston Matthews William Nylander and John Tavares has been building You couldn’t turn on a radio in Toronto on Wednesday without hearing about it Leafs coach Craig Berube is tired of the finger being pointed only at the club’s top players “It’s on everybody on the team,” Berube said Wednesday before the club left for Ottawa The Core Four.’ But it’s on everybody as a team The Leafs are a better team than the Senators They’ve got better forwards and they’ve got a strong defence Linus Ullmark is the best goalie in this series and not even the biggest Toronto booster can argue that point with me If the Senators had gone down in four straight to the Leafs the fans would have been pleased they made the playoffs and looked forward to the promise the club made of a longer run next year after taking some time to lick their wounds after a loss to the arch-rivals But the Senators have refused to go quietly into the night but we’ve seen this from Ottawa all season Every time the Senators were counted out during the regular season and it’s even better for the Senators that it has come against the Leafs We’re playing some good hockey and we’re finding ways to score more goals than them,” said Giroux it’s 0-0 and we’ve got to find a way to win.” It will be interesting to see if the Leafs opt to make any changes There was talk after Game 5 that Berube might turn to backup goalie Joseph Woll ahead of Anthony Stolarz Stolarz has a 3-2 record in the first five games with an .899 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average He allowed two goals on 17 shots in Game 5 Stolarz noted that Ottawa looks different in its approach And we haven’t gotten to that point yet,” Stolarz said Now might be a good time for the Leafs to lay it all on the line The Senators should be the team facing all the pressure heading into Game 6 because they need a win to keep their season alive it’s being heaped on the Leafs because of their past playoff disappointments “There is always pressure,” Senators coach Travis Green said “This is playoff hockey and there is supposed to be pressure The pressure doesn’t feel big on them right now And I think sometimes pressure could freeze people and put doubt in their minds It doesn’t feel like they feel pressure right now.” bgarrioch@postmedia.com This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The Maple Leafs have a history of postseason failures and even though they are heading to the second round for the second time in nine years In more ways than one, the Maple Leafs and their superstar core still have so much to prove and this series against the Senators wasn’t a walk in the park. The Maple Leafs got out to a 3-0 series lead but didn’t shut the door right away The Senators planted that dreaded seed of doubt and won not one Back in Ottawa for Game 6, members of the “Core Four” stepped up to open the scoring Auston Matthews and William Nylander put the Maple Leafs up by a pair of goals but they still struggled to put the nail in the coffin The Senators scored two goals of their own to tie the game late in the third period it felt like the Maple Leafs lost all of their momentum Max Pacioretty eventually scored the game-winning goal with Nylander potting the empty netter to seal the series for the Maple Leafs but they came far too close to an all-time collapse Not only did they come close to watching everything slip away but they can’t be satisfied with just one series win They’ve been to the second round before and when you have a team stacked with Matthews with the Maple Leafs squeaking into the second round The reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers The same team the Maple Leafs faced in the second round in 2023 The same team that handily beat them in five games in 2023 The Panthers are coming off of a five-game victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team who had a sneaky chance of contending for the Cup The Panthers are still full of their typical talent like Aleksander Barkov but they also added a notorious Leaf killer Former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is now a member of the Panthers and is ready to take on the Maple Leafs in the playoffs for the fifth time in his career He's been victorious in each of the first four meetings The Maple Leafs have advanced and will have more hockey to play in 2025 but it’s far from a successful season and playoff demons still lurk in the shadows NICK HORWAT The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER the Maple Leafs have reached the second round of the NHL Playoffs they are +150 underdogs to advance to the third round.  the Panthers made quick work of the Leafs in Round 2 Florida is +450 to do the same this year.  Florida Panthers series betting odds  Leafs captain Auston Matthews is the favoruite to lead the series is goals Two years ago he was held goalless in the five games against Florida in the second round.  Sam Reinhart (+550) and Matthew Tkachuk (+750) come in behind Matthews while William Nylander (+800) and John Tavares (+950) round out the top 5.  Panthers’ defenceman Nate Schmidt is priced at 250-1 to lead the series in goals after he tied for the lead on Florida in Round 1 with three goals on six shots.  The Toronto Maple Leafs are shuffling up their top six for Game 6 who had previously occupied that spot on the wing will slide down to fourth-line centre between Max Domi and Bobby McMann who played with Nylander and Tavares during the regular season before his injury entered the Battle of Ontario in Game 3 after a pair of healthy scratches but has yet to record a point while averaging 12:33 of ice time per game Holmberg has also failed to hit the score sheet despite starting all six games as a second-line winger The Maple Leafs' first line (Auston Matthews Matthew Knies) and third line (Scott Laughton Anthony Stolarz is set to start in net after allowing two goals on 17 shots in Game 5. Live coverage of Game 6 is available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. ‘No reason to panic’: Are Maple Leafs ready to battle demons in Ottawa?Senators feeding off newfound success vs. reeling Maple LeafsCOMMENTS William Nylander (TOR) scores an empty-net goal against the Ottawa to make it 2 - 4 Anthony Stolarz speaks with the media following the Leafs' 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in RD1 GM6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter Senators captain Brady Tkachuk battles Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit in the second period of Game 5 Senators winger Claude Giroux checks Leafs winger Mitch Marner along the boards in the opening period of Game 5 Leafs’ Chris Tanev and Senators’ Tim Stützle battle for the puck during first period of Game 5 The Maple Leafs will try to close out the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night Follow the Star's live blog throughout Game 5 between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as the action unfolds Follow the Star’s live blog throughout Game 5 between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as the action unfolds Editor’s note: This file is not longer being updated The current high-water mark for failure for this Maple Leafs team is still blowing the 3-1 series lead to Montreal in 2021 That was the one where assistant coach Paul MacLean was filmed by Amazon saying Everywhere they look is a f—-ing demon The biggest obstacle this team has now is themselves.” The Leafs were up 3-2 when MacLean gave that speech the Leafs are 0 for their last 30 on the power play in potential series-clinching games Maple Leafs are now 0 for their last 30 PP opportunities in potential series-clinching games And now they’re going back to Ottawa for Game 6 and maybe it’s good they only have one day off to think about it Because for the first time in a series that they led 3-0 the Leafs are going to have to think about it and one thing to note: What if Linus Ullmark With the Senators right back in the series the ghosts and goblins of playoffs past are creeping from the shadows to begin to haunt the Maple Leafs and is still making mistakes that give this top-heavy But Toronto squandered so many in this game: the Nylander breakaways that weren’t And they needed Morgan Rielly to save two goals Now it’s back to Ottawa for a Game 6 you’d still rather be the Leafs than the Senators But amid the early triumphalism of this series here’s what it looks like: the Leafs won the first game in a romp and since then it’s been three overtime games and a 4-0 loss in a game they should have controlled Tim Stützle scored an empty-net goal moments after Matthews hit the post as the Senators took a late 3-0 lead Brady Tkachuk would add another one in the final minute to make it 4-0 just to ensure this feels like a curse game but the Leafs look like they’re thinking about it That pass by Auston Matthews that led to the Dylan Cozens short-handed goal — I mean Gaud's plan 🙏#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Jf2hISbP73 time for all the ghosts of every Leafs playoff failure to assemble in the tunnel The ghosts of all recent Leafs playoff failures are currently gathering by the Zamboni entrance Ridly Greig with an absolutely terrible penalty This doesn’t look like a furious attempt at a comeback Anthony Stolarz doesn’t have a lot to do with the Leafs’ past playoff problems Auston Matthews took that shot on the hand getting outshot 8-4 in the second period when you had been stuffing the Sens in a locker for four periods isn’t ideal the Senators are not a team with big scoring ability so being down 1-0 after two periods in a series where you’re up 3-1 is fine you do have to start wondering when the Leafs — with their rich history of failing to close out playoff series stretched over years — will start to think about this Morgan Rielly has now saved two goals in this game And Steven Lorentz ups Toronto’s inability to finish breakaways by failing to finish what was more or less a 2-on-0 The Leafs haven’t exactly set up camp in their own zone this period but you could be forgiven for thinking that was the plan with occasional day trips to the Sens end of the ice Toronto-born actor and comedian Will Arnett is in attendance at Scotiabank Arena for Game 5 Arnett was shown on the jumbotron to fire up the Leafs crowd .@arnettwill is in the house for Game 5 of the Battle of Ontario! 👏 pic.twitter.com/lGVwWCCwsG So the Leafs have squandered three breakaways (and nearly got a fourth) and cut one power play short before the second one came up blank but at some point you’d hope the old habit of struggling to score in elimination games doesn’t apply here The Senators had four shots on goal — literally going backwards on the shot count — and then Ottawa won a faceoff Thomas Chabot got time to waltz into space and his wrist shot went past a Brady Tkachuk screen and clipped Stolarz on the way in But the next goal could make this feel a lot tighter than it should 7️⃣ 👉 7️⃣2️⃣ 👉 🥅 👉 🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/KmuoGs03a5 Leafs outshot the Senators 34-21 in Game 4 finally took the lead in shots on goal in the series One defining aspect of this series: The Senators just don’t have a lot of offensive finishers Drake Batherson couldn’t dig a puck out in the Leafs crease on the power play despite both teams getting to the net at times Thomas Chabot’s playing 26 minutes a game in this series so Ottawa wouldn’t want to lose him: he’s still on the bench who isn’t usually a hit-a-guy-in-the-numbers-into-the-boards guy and that’s sloppy in a scoreless elimination game take a run at Matthew Knies after the whistle he surely won’t send you careening through the air like you’re in a cartoon Auston Matthews shouldn’t block shots with his hands for the same reason I don’t open doors with my face: that’s the money-maker partly: It would be fine for me to open doors with my face Matthews icing his hand on the bench isn’t great the Senators sometimes feel like they can’t score in an empty rink After blocking a shot with his hand, Auston Matthews ices it on the Maple Leafs bench pic.twitter.com/39L6jjMDZE The Leafs have now futzed three different breakaway chances: Nylander and Ottawa might start to regret leaving the middle of the ice wide open The Senators may want to stop deflecting Leafs shots that are aimed at their own goalie Scotiabank Arena is buzzing early in Game 5 with multiple chants heard from the sold-out crowd Competing chants to start the game: Brady Sucks John Tavares with a Tavares version of a Nylander breakaway: slower but his backhand at the end was not going to do it William Nylander dropped that potential touchdown pass — it’s amazing that he is still sneaky enough to get breakaway chances — and boyyyyy did Anthony Stolarz and Morgan Rielly have to work to keep that puck out the last time the Leafs clinched a playoff series was in Tampa in 2022 The last time the Leafs clinched a playoff series at home was 2004 against Ottawa; it was also the last time the Leafs clinched a playoff series of any kind I know our eyes glaze over when we talk about this but that’s one playoff series win in 21 years The Leafs have given themselves enough cushion in this series with the Sens that it seems very hard to imagine them not closing this out and going to be a tougher crucible in Tampa or No place like home 😤 pic.twitter.com/3rZvlAsy5w The Maple Leafs have a chance to close out the series tonight something they’ve struggled to do in the Auston Matthews era Here’s how the core players have performed in those games Scotiabank Arena announced that Maple Leaf Square was reopening to fans hoping to watch the game outdoors The square had been evacuated half an hour earlier due to an inclement weather warning “The tailgate at Maple Leaf Square has now reopened,” the official arena account posted on X “Tailgate pass holders are invited to queue at the entrance gate where hundreds of Leafs fans gather to watch playoff games outside Scotiabank Arena is being evacuated due to an inclement weather warning The official Scotiabank Arena account on X made the announcement at 6:06 p.m “Due to circumstances beyond our control the tailgate will have to be stopped,” read a notice on the giants screen outside the arena “Please use any available exit as quickly and orderly as possible.” Toronto and the GTA have been under a severe thunderstorm watch throughout the afternoon with heavy rain and strong winds expected to roll through most of southern Ontario Maple Leaf Square has been evacuated for inclement weather. There won’t be a tailgate tonight outside of ScotiaBank pic.twitter.com/jDy5Fb5YL1 Read more here: Toronto, GTA under severe thunderstorm watch with risk of strong winds, large hail this afternoon As they seek to close out the second playoff-series win of an era starved for playoff success perhaps it’s understandable why the Maple Leafs have made a point of avoiding references to previous post-season shortcomings and certainly this team looks different than previous iterations of the Maple Leafs Stanley Cup-proven hand at the helm in Craig Berube There’s a commitment to a defensive philosophy that held the Senators to a combined four shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of Saturday’s Game 4 and the thinking goes that these Leafs can’t possibly resemble those Leafs Read the full pre-game column here: There’s a fine line between winning and losing. Now’s the time for the Leafs to get on the right side of it Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews acknowledging he’s playing through an injury says he’s ready for action for tonight’s Game 5 it’s “not a big deal” even though it kept him off the ice for an otherwise full practice Monday “You just listen to your body sometimes,” Matthews said “Sometimes you just feel like you need a little time off the ice It’s that point in the season where it’s hard physical hockey So it’s nothing that’s abnormal.” Matthews missed 15 games this season with an undisclosed injury scoring 33 goals — the lowest output of his nine-year career He has one goal in four games against Ottawa Auston Matthews … Leafs morning skate pic.twitter.com/ukOws4bnYV When asked how he thought Matthews was after a day off coach Craig Berube didn’t miss a beat “Rested,” Berube said. “(He played) a lot of minutes the other night in that game (he played more than 26 minutes in the overtime loss in Game 4) Matthews spent about 15 minutes on the ice at the morning skate mostly taking passes from Max Domi and shooting from the slot “He works insanely hard,” forward Max Pacioretty said of Matthews That’s why he’s had so much success.” Berube said he’d go with the same lineup that lost 4-3 in overtime Saturday and that means there’s still no room for veteran centre David Kämpf so I don’t see a reason to change it right now,” Berube said But he got injured at the end of the year and that’s the situation The team was playing well and I didn’t want to change the lineup “It’s not a knock against him at all Auston Matthews did not practise ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 for rest while goalie Joseph Woll was under the weather Toronto can earn a series-clinching win on home ice for the fifth time in the past 30 years following the 2004 conference quarterfinals 2002 conference quarterfinals and 2001 conference quarterfinals The Leafs are 1-12 since 2018 in elimination games Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account You are now being redirected to the BCE.ca website (Bell Canada Enterprises) where you can view our Accessibility plan, and submit your feedback using our Accessibility webform Auston Matthews speaks with the media following the Leafs' 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in RD1 GM6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday TOR@OTT: Nylander scores goal against Linus Ullmark