Maple Leafs want to get physical, set tone against Panthers in East 2nd Round

TORONTO -- Craig Berube is an expert in the definition of rough-and-tumble hockey, given he ranks seventh in NHL history with 3,149 penalty minutes.

So, when it was suggested to him Sunday that the Florida Panthers play a "mean" style, the Toronto Maple Leafs coach wasn't sure he was buying it.

"They play a hard game. I agree," Berube said. "They forecheck hard and they're physical. They're in your face.

"But I don't necessarily think they're mean. That's just their game."

A game that will be put to the litmus test in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).

And whatever your definition of "mean" might be, Berube does know this: With talented pests like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand attempting to bruise and batter at every opportunity, the Maple Leafs need to push back hard, albeit within the rules if possible.

"Look, our guys, we're a physical team, too, and we have to go out and be physical ourselves," Berube said. "We've got to initiate as much as possible.

"Yeah, you're going to get banged around. They're going to come. They're going to do all they can. That's just part of it. I thought (the Ottawa Senators) did the same thing to us. They're physical, they're honest, they're hitting. I thought we handled it well."

To Berube's point: The Senators ranked third in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in hits per 60 minutes (42.23). The team that was first? The Panthers (43.40).

The Maple Leafs are 12th (32.03) after defeating the Senators in the first round in six games.

Those numbers notwithstanding, Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz, who backed up Sergei Bobrovsky during Florida's run to the Stanley Cup last season, thinks the Panthers' sandpaper style extends beyond anything you'll find on a stats page.

"Ottawa's kind of a good little jumpstart for us to lead into Florida," Stolarz said. "They play a little similar system -- that tough, rugged style -- so I think going forward, it was nice to get a little bit of a warmup in.

"Now we're going to have to go out there, and they're the king of the castle that won the Stanley Cup last year, so we're going to want to go out there and work hard and battle."

Berube feels a key to success will be how the Maple Leafs deal with the Panthers' swarming forecheck. Tkachuk, Bennett and Marchand, in particular, are extremely potent on bearing down on defensemen quickly, using their physicality to win puck battles, then heading toward the front of the net to create havoc for the goalie.

Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is aware of Florida's game plan, having experienced it firsthand when the Panthers eliminated Toronto in five games in the 2023 second round.

"I think you have to be prepared," Rielly said. "You can't be taken by surprise by anything. You just have to be ready to go.

"I think that two years ago it felt like, just like that, right when the series starts, it can get away from you. All of a sudden, you're down 2-0. Then you go into Florida, and you're in a tough position. That's what I remember. Both teams are motivated, and I expect it to be really competitive."

On the topic of motivation, no one will have more than Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs forward and wife Stephanie welcomed the birth of their first child, a boy, on Sunday, understandably causing Marner to miss practice.

Berube said Marner will be ready to go for Game 1.

"Obviously he's in a good mood," Berube said. "I mean, he's probably flying high.

"I remember when I had my first child. It's a different feeling for sure. You know, it's one of the best feelings you could ever have, in my opinion. I'm sure he's very excited, and he'll be very excited [Monday] too. Get a little skate in the morning and go from there.

"There'll be a lot of good positive things on his mind, which is good."