Florida Panthers: Lines, Updates, Preview for Round 2, Game 3 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Florida Panthers look to dig out of their 0-2 series hole against the Toronto Maple Leafs as they return to home ice.
FORT LAUDERDALE — It’s not quite a win-or-go-home situation for the Florida Panthers just yet, but they find themselves in their biggest series hole in quite some time.
The Panthers have not trailed a series on the Eastern Conference side of the bracket since they made the 3-1 series comeback to the Boston Bruins in 2023 that kickstarted their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida trails the Maple Leafs 0-2 after dropping both games in Toronto.
“Every game is a big one,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. “I know we didn’t get the job done in Toronto. We had some good moments, we had some bad moments, so we will learn from those and we have a great opportunity and challenge to do so on home ice.”
The Panthers allowed four or more goals in back-to-back games to open the series — a rarity for a team that has built its system on staunch defensive play. Even with the top two forward lines being held in check at 5-on-5 in the 5-4 Game 1 loss and the 4-3 Game 2 loss, Florida coach Paul Maurice knows where the priorities lie.
“We are really not particularly concerned about our offense,” Maurice said. “We went on the road, scored four and scored three. We would expect to win both of those games on those numbers based on the way we play the game. Offense is not where our focus needs to be.”
The Maple Leafs were able to beat Florida off the rush numerous times in the first two games of the series. They found holes in the Panthers’ gap game and were able to get behind them with speed.
The Panthers are looking to correct that going into Game 3.
“They do a good job of stretching out the game and we’re all about pressure and being above it, so it’s just important we realize when guys are behind us,” Aaron Ekblad said. “The Domis and the Nylanders of the world are constantly stretching out the game, so it’s an important part.”
THE NEWS
Sergei Bobrovsky will start in net for the Panthers tonight.
Coach Paul Maurice said that multiple players could be a “game-time decision” due to health concerns. He did not reveal any potential line-up changes.
Tonight’s game will start at 7:00 p.m. EST and will be broadcasted nationally on TNT and TruTV. It can also be streamed on MAX.
Catch the Florida Panthers pre-game show on Scripps Sports with Jessica Blaylock, Ed Jovanovski, Randy Moller and Katie Engleson 30 minutes before puck drop.
For more information on how to find Scripps Sports, visit nhl.com/panthers/info/how-to-watch.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Matt Licthenstadter will be recording subscriber-exclusive podcast episodes following the conclusion of each playoff game. For Colby’s postgame stories right after the buzzer, check out palmbeachpost.com/sports
FLORIDA PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP
Presented by William Raveis Real Estate
Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich — Nico Sturm — Jesper Boqvist
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt — Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Jaycob Megna, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS PROJECTED LINEUP
Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — Max Domi
Steven Lorentz — Scott Laughton — Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Morgan Reilly — Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll
Matt Murray
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (IR), David Kampf (DTD), Anthony Stolarz
Scratched: Dennis Hildeby, Dakota Mermis, Phil Myers, Nick Robertson
Maple Leafs Lines Courtesy of DailyFaceOff.com
*Opposing team lines subject to change.