Leafs, Panthers Set for NHL Playoff Rematch

The Toronto Maple Leafs will begin their second-round NHL playoff series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Monday, May 5, at 8 p.m. ET in Toronto. This matchup is a rematch of the 2023 postseason, where the Panthers eliminated the Leafs and later reached the finals. Florida outperformed Toronto in the regular season, winning three of their four meetings. The Leafs enter as Atlantic Division champions with home-ice advantage, but several of their players, including Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz, were on Florida’s Cup-winning roster last year. Key players for the series include Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Aleksander Barkov, and Sergei Bobrovsky. The full series schedule has yet to be announced, but both teams are expected to deliver a competitive matchup.