Panthers vs. Maple Leafs | Round Two Playoff Notes

Matchup History – Cats and Leafs

  • Florida and Toronto meet for the second time in three years in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers own a 1-0 series record against the Maple Leafs in the postseason, winning their Second Round series 4-1 in 2023.
  • The Panthers and Maple Leafs have squared off 106 times in regular season history, with Florida posting a 48-42-7-9 record, including a 29-17-5-4 record at home.
  • In the Bill Zito era (since the start of 2020-21), the Panthers own an 8-4-3 regular season record against Toronto – including 6-1-1 at Amerant Bank Arena. Paul Maurice owns a 6-3-3 record as the Cats bench boss since taking the helm prior to 2022-23

Last Time Out

  • The Panthers and Leafs will face off for the second time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, following Florida’s 4-1 defeat of Toronto in Round 2 in 2023.
  • In that series, Sergei Bobrovsky posted a .943 save percentage, 89 goals against average and 4-1 record allowing just 10 total goals against over the five games.
  • Sam Reinhart scored his first career playoff overtime goal in Game 3 of that series. Games 3 and 5 were both decided in OT, with Nick Cousins tallying the series clincher in
  • Aaron Ekblad (1-4-5) and Matthew Tkachuk (0-5-5) each led Florida with five points in the series. Tkachuk led all Cats skaters with a plus-five rating.
  • Carter Verhaeghe (3-1-4) led the team with three 10 different Cats skaters scored at least one goal in the series.

2024-25 Season Series + Matchup Notes

  • Florida posted a 3-1-0 record against Toronto in the 2024-25 regular season, outscoring the Leafs 13-7. They scored five power-play goals on 11 opportunities (45.5%) and allowed just one power-play goal against on nine Toronto power plays. The Cats scored one shorthanded goal in the season series (Sam Reinhart on 27 at home) for a net- zero shorthanded goal differential.
  • Reinhart (3-2-5 in 5GP) and Sam Bennett (2-3-5 in 3GP) led Florida with five points each against Toronto in 2024-25, with Reinhart’s three tallies leading all Cats skaters. Carter Verhaeghe (2-2-4 in 4GP), Mackie Samoskevich (1-3-4 in 4GP) and Aleksander Barkov (1-2-3 in 3GP) also produced at a point-per-game rate against the Leafs this season. Gustav Forsling led all Panthers with a plus-five rating in the season series.
  • 15 different Panthers recorded at least one point against Toronto in 2024-
  • Sergei Bobrovsky started all four games against the Leafs this season, posting a 3-1-0 record, .925 save percentage and 77 goals against average, stopping 86 of the 93 total shots he faced.
  • The Leafs highest goal total against Florida this season came in their lone victory (3-2 on April 2 in Toronto). Florida held Toronto to one goal in both games at Amerant Bank Arena and surrendered just two in their only other game at Scotiabank Arena on March 13.
  • The Panthers tallied at least three goals in three of the four meetings. The Cats out- shot the Leafs in two of the meetings, matching them in shot output in the other two contests.
  • Florida owns a 4-1-0 record in their last five regular season meetings with Toronto, and have earned the victory in each of their last four games against the Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena.
  • In their last 10 regular season meetings since March 29, 2023, the Panthers have surrendered just three power-play goals on 33 opportunities (90.9%) against the Maple Leafs while scoring two shorthanded goals for a net shorthanded goal differential of -1. In that span, the Leafs have averaged a total of just 2.10 goals per game.

FLA-TOR Connections

  • This series will feature four 4 Nations Face-Off champions in Florida’s Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett and Toronto’s Mitch Marner.
    • Additionally, Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews (USA), Gustav Forsling and William Nylander (Sweden), and Aleksander Barkov, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola and Jani Hakanpaa (Finland) represented their countries together at the tournament.
  • Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was selected in the third round (82nd overall) by Toronto in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
  • Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice served as bench boss for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006-07 to 2007-08.
  • Florida Panthers Director of Player Personnel Bryan McCabe skated in seven seasons with Toronto (2000-01 to 2007-08), serving as alternate captain for six seasons and registering 297 points (83-214-297).
  • Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Steven Lorentz were all a part of Florida’s 2024 Stanley Cup championship team.
  • Florida’s Mackie Samoskevich and Toronto’s Matthew Knies were teammates for USA at the 2022 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship.
  • FLA F Matthew Tkachuk and TOR F Auston Matthews were teammates for USA at the 2016 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, earning the bronze medal.
  • Florida Panthers Forward Matthew Tkachuk and Maple Leafs Forward Mitch Marner were teammates on the 2016 Memorial Cup winning London Knights team.

Noteworthy

  • Brad Marchand’s 29 playoff points (10-19-29) TOR is the most among active skaters vs. the Maple Leafs.
  • Aleksander Barkov has amassed 35 points (12-23-35) in 29 career regular season games against Toronto.
  • Sergei Bobrovsky appeared in his 750th NHL Game on April 2 at TOR.
  • Bobrovsky earned his 424th career win, surpassing Tony Esposito (423) for 10th most all- time by an NHL goaltender on March 13 at TOR.

Panthers vs. Lightning | Round One Playoff Notes

Matchup History – The Battle of Florida

  • The Panthers or Lightning have represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past five seasons, with a Florida team winning the Stanley Cup in three of those Final series (TBL – 2020 and 2021, FLA – 2024).

  • The Panthers (2023 and 2024) and Lightning (2020, 2021 and 2022) are the two most recent NHL teams to make Stanley Cup Final appearances in consecutive seasons.

  • Florida and Tampa Bay have faced off against each other in three previous postseasons (First Round: 2020-21 and 2023-24; Second Round: 2021-22), with the Panthers earning the most recent series win in the First Round of the 2024 playoffs, 4-1.

  • The Panthers and Lightning have squared off 161 times in regular season history, with Florida posting a 79-55-10-19 record (Home: 45-19-4-11, Away: 34-34-6-8).

  • In the Bill Zito era (since the start of 2020-21), the Panthers own an 13-7-3 regular season record against Tampa Bay -- including 7-3-2 at Amalie Arena -- outscoring the Bolts 86-69. Paul Maurice owns a 6-4-1 record a Cats bench boss since taking the helm prior to 2022-23.

Last Time Out

  • Carter Verhaeghe (5-4-9) and Matthew Tkachuk (3-6-9) led FLA in points in the 2024 postseason series vs. TBL, with each player recording at least one point in all five games of the series. Tkachuk produced multiple points in four of the five contests. Verhaeghe led all skaters in the series with a plus-7 rating, and 15 different Panthers logged multiple points.

  • Verhaeghe scored the OT goal in Game 2 against Tampa Bay last season, marking his franchise-leading fifth career postseason OT winner, becoming the sixth skater in NHL history to score at least five playoff overtime goals, joining Patrick Kane, Corey Perry and Glenn Anderson (5 each), Maurice Richard (6) and Joe Sakic (8). Among that group of six skaters, Verhaeghe (81GP entering the 2025 postseason) is the only one who has skated in fewer than 100 postseason games.

  • Sergei Bobrovsky posted a 4-1 record vs. TBL in Round 1 last season, including a 3-0 record, .932 save percentage and 1.65 goals against average over Florida’s three home games where he surrendered just three total even-strength goals against.

2024-25 Season Series

  • The Cats downed the Bolts in two of their four regular season matchups (2-2-0) in 2024-25. Aleksander Barkov led Florida with three points (2-1-3) in three games played against Tampa Bay this season.

  • In the regular season series, Florida killed off 16 of 18 TBL power-plays (88.9%) while scoring two shorthanded goals for a net-even shorthanded score.

  • Both of those shorthanded goals were scored by A.J. Greer and Eetu Luostarinen on the same penalty kill when the Cats visited the Bolts on Dec. 22, the third time in club history the Panthers scored twice on the same PK (also: Feb. 9, 2023 vs. SJS and Dec. 30, 1998 at PIT).

FLA-TBL Connections

  • This series will feature five 4 Nations Face-Off champions in Florida’s Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.

  • Additionally, Matthew Tkachuk and Jake Guentzel (USA), Gustav Forsling and Victor Hedman (Sweden) represented their countries together at the tournament.

  • Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe appeared in 52 regular games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20, amassing 13 points (9-4-13), and posted two assists over eight playoff games en route to capturing his first Stanley Cup with the Lightning, and is the only player to win a Stanley Cup with both Florida NHL franchises.

  • Panthers Senior Advisor to the General Manager Rick Dudley served as General Manager of the Lightning from 1999-00 to 2001-02.

  • TBL D Darren Raddysh played with Panthers forward Sam Bennett (GTHL U16) and Gustav Forsling (Rockford IceHogs)

  • TBL F Zemgus Girgensons played with Dmitry Kulikov, Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues on the Buffalo Sabres.

  • TBL F Cam Atkinson played with Sergei Bobrovsky and Seth Jones on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Noteworthy

  • Aleksander Barkov has amassed 40 points (9-31-40) in 47 career regular season contests against the Lightning.

  • Among active NHL players, Brad Marchand’s six regular season game-winning goals vs. Tampa Bay rank second behind only Alex Ovechkin (7).

  • Aaron Ekblad (0-1-1) notched his 250th career assist on Dec. 22, 2024 vs. TBL, surpassing Stephen Weiss for third most assists all-time in franchise history.

  • A.J. Greer (1-0-1) buried his first career shorthanded goal in the Panthers 4-2 victory on Dec. 22, 2024.

  • Evan Rodrigues skated in his 500th career NHL game on Dec. 22, 2024 vs. TBL.

  • Brad Marchand (1-0-1) tallied a goal in his 1,100th career NHL game on April 15, 2025 at TBL.