The Toronto Maple Leafs can sense momentum swinging in the Florida Panthers‘ favor after a deflating 2-0 loss in Sunrise. Toronto failed to capitalize on their 2-0 lead in the series and have now given life to the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the NHL. After the shutout defeat, Auston Matthews made sure to remind his teammates about the monster they face in Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, and the rest of the Cats.
The Panthers have had as much success as they’ve had in recent NHL seasons because of their ability to dominate on home-ice. Florida is a force to be reckoned with in every arena in the league, but they look quite unbeatable whenever they are at Amerant Bank Arena, and Toronto experienced it firsthand.
A series that once seemed firmly in the Maple Leafs’ control has now turned into a best-of-three showdown, with the upcoming clash in Toronto proving crucial for either team to seize momentum and put the pressure on the other.
Matthews has struggled so far in the series, and his lack of goal production has greatly hindered the Leafs‘ odds against Tkachuk, Marchand, and the Panthers. On that note, Matthews delivered a sincere admission to the locker room about taking on the 2024 Stanley Cup champions.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We’re playing the defending Cup champs,” Auston Matthews admitted after the 2-0 loss in Game 4, via Sportsnet. “They’re a good team, both teams took care of home-ice.”
Head on a swivel
Game 4 ended with fireworks after Max Domi delivered a gruesome hit on the back to Aleksander Barkov, who landed head-first against the boards. The message was sent by the Leafs, and the Panthers answered right back.
Matthew Tkachuk took it upon himself to issue a warning to William Nylander ahead of Game 5, as a target now appears to be fixed squarely on Toronto’s stars. After the Leafs went after the Panthers’ captain, the door has been opened for anyone to be hit—Matthews included—in what promises to be a dramatic fifth game of this Second Round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Struggles in second round
The Maple Leafs haven’t had much success getting past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the start of the 21st century, and when they’ve managed to reach the second round, that’s where the journey ended for them every year since 2002.
Matthews, the team’s captain and prolific goal scorer, has certainly been a factor in the Leafs’ second-round games—but for all the wrong reasons. Across nine career appearances in the second round, Matthews has yet to score a goal, recording just five assists.
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This statistic highlights one of the biggest concerns in Toronto, as the series is now tied and Florida appears to be gaining momentum while the Leafs struggle with a dip in production.