Panthers-Maple Leafs matchup will 'feel like a playoff game'

TORONTO -- The battle for Atlantic Division supremacy enters the home stretch Thursday when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, SCRIPPS).

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers (40-22-3) currently lead the division with 83 points, two in front of the Maple Leafs (39-22-3) and five ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning (37-23-4). Both Toronto and Tampa Bay hold a game in hand on Florida.

The game marks the first of three meetings between the Maple Leafs and Panthers in the final five weeks of the season. They'll face each other again in Toronto on April 2 followed by a matchup six days later at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

The head-to-head games likely will go a long way in determining who finishes atop the division, which at first blush would equate to an easier matchup in the Stanley Cup First Round. In Toronto's case, for example, such a scenario would mean avoiding facing Florida or Tampa Bay, two of the stronger teams in the League, in the opening round.

"It's a big game," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after the team's optional morning skate on Thursday. "You play Florida, it's always going to be a hard game. That's just the style they play. They're in your face. There isn't much room out there.

"It's going to feel like a playoff game."

Having said that, Panthers coach Paul Maurice cautioned against the idea that finishing first guarantees a smoother ride once the postseason comes around. Such confidence -- or overconfidence, as the case may be -- can be dangerous.

"You want to finish first because you can, but it doesn't necessarily gain you an easier route," he said. "You'll find the two teams in the wild card will have been playing playoff hockey for three months. The idea that the standings will tell you how hard that first series will be is foolish."

For Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and goalie Anthony Stolarz, who will start on Thursday, they are aware of how Maurice can motivate a team, having played for him when they won the Cup with Florida last season. Lorentz said the three have and will continue to provide their teammates and the coaching staff with whatever intel they can about their former team.

"On a personal level, [Maurice] knows what makes guys tick," Lorentz said. "He's been around a long time, he's got the experience and now he's got his Cup. He knows what it takes.

"I know what he'll be telling those guys tonight. If there's any knowledge I can share with [my teammates] with OEL and 'Stolie,' we're going to do that. Expect our best."

When asked if the Panthers have a target on their collective backs for being defending Stanley Cup champions, Berube smiled.

"You always want to beat the team that won last year," he said. "Then again, I find the Toronto Maple Leafs have a target on their back too. Seems we don't get an easy game, especially at home here. These teams come in here with a lot of players from here, and their family and friends are here, and they get gunned up and geared up to play us.

"I find it's a tough night every night."

It certainly was for Toronto in the only previous meeting between the two teams this season, a 5-1 Panthers victory on Nov. 27.

The Maple Leafs could be getting reinforcements Thursday in defenseman Chris Tanev, who hasn't played since Feb. 25 with an upper-body injury. He has resumed skating with the team and is a game-time decision against the Panthers.

Florida, meanwhile, will be without several key cogs, including two prominent members of their Cup-winning team.

Forward Matthew Tkachuk is likely out for the regular season with a lower-body injury he suffered during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended 20 games Monday for violating the League's Performance Enhancing Substances Program and won't be eligible to return to the lineup until the third game of the playoffs.

Forward Brad Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins on Friday, remains out of the lineup week to week with an upper-body injury.

To some extent, Maurice said, the playoffs already have started for some teams, especially those battling for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

"Big picture, we look at it like there's 17 games left for us and 15 of them are teams fighting for something," Maurice said. "We have three with Toronto, one with Tampa Bay, one with Washington, then a whole bunch against teams truly fighting for their lives every game."