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Leafs have not exactly started the second period like they got shot out of a cannon 鈥� Florida has been playing the exact game they want to play 鈥� but finally, they get something: Auston Matthews fights to get to a puck and draws a holding penalty. Sometimes one play can change the flow of a game, so let’s see.

Hell of a stat on Sportsnet just now: Since 2023, Florida is 15-0 when leading after the first period in playoff games, and 23-0 when leading after two. That’s how you get to two Cup finals, and win one.

By the way, remember when the Leafs asked Mitch Marner to waive his no-trade clause because Carolina was trading Mikko Rantanen? Well, Rantanen had another three-point game for Dallas today, and is back atop the playoff scoring leaderboard with 18 points in 10 games. Marner, in fairness, is sixth with 12 points while playing his 10th tonight.

On the one hand, that period could have been worse for the Leafs: if you take four penalties, get out-shot 15-4, and only trail 1-0 after one, you’re probably counting yourself lucky.

But whether it was the disjointed nature of the period or just Florida’s work rate, the Leafs didn’t really accomplish much of anything in the first 20 minutes. They didn’t create much in the way of high-danger chances; they didn’t even create the kind of conditions that lead to high-danger chances. That was a dud, and the Panthers look pretty comfortable, is what I’m saying.

But again, the good news is this can all change with one play, and you’d presume Craig Berube is probably telling his team that they can be a lot better than they’ve been.

Take enough penalties, and you’ll get penalized - that one happened after Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s puck over glass penalty, technically, but really, taking four penalties in the first period is basically a list of your bad choices. 1-0, Florida.

Auston Matthews-Sergei Bobrovsky gunfight, except Bob caught the bullet. Bobrovsky was calm the whole way there, and that was Toronto’s best chance so far. Again, Matthews hasn’t been scoring, but he’s been good. Meanwhile, the Leafs are really dedicated to giving the Panthers power play a chance to sort itself out.

Joseph Woll with a critical-feeling save, though Rodrigues didn’t get all of that puck, either. It was still better than any chance 海角社区官网has generated so far: the Leafs have treated Florida’s home-plate area the way so many Canadian tourists are currently treating American vacation destinations: they’d prefer not to go.

Bobby McMann: two minutes for doing a Sam Bennett impression, but more clumsily.

Chris Tanev had a real on-the-railroad-tracks moment there: Brad Marchand was the train. The good news is it didn’t seem to hurt him, or the Leafs. Tanev remains the most indispensable Leaf, though right now Joseph Woll is in the same category.

Jake McCabe running into Panthers, Max Pacioretty running into his own goal, Max Domi running his stick into a Panthers visor, Leafs running a reasonably effective penalty kill, and Matthew Knies running to the room, and then back to the bench.

Florida’s probably most pleased with not surrendering another first-minute goal; the Panthers look much more self-assured to start than they did in Games 1 and 3, and the Leafs mostly look fine.

Ah, Game 4: one of those hinge games. If the Leafs win it’s a 3-1 series lead, and while that hasn’t always been helpful in this Leafs era, it gives 海角社区官网plenty of margin for error. They used some of that margin against the Ottawa Senators in the first round; there was that moment before Game 6 when Leafs fans were visualizing the worst-case scenario of a Game 7 at home for a Leafs team that had dropped three straight, but 海角社区官网took care of Game 6 with a relative sense of calm.

Should Florida win, of course, then nobody will have accomplished anything in the series other than to get halfway there by winning at home. Florida, though, is one of those teams that is built for the playoffs in more than one way: their physicality can wear on teams as a series goes on, and traditionally Sergei Bobrovsky is a goalie who has gotten better the deeper a series goes. He’s currently at an .875 save percentage in this post-season, so there’s room to grow.

As for the Leafs, they have played some of their finest post-season hockey of the era in stretches of this series: calm, aggressive, in control, and finishing plays. William Nylander already has six points in the series, Max Pacioretty has five, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies have four, and Jake McCabe and Auston Matthews have three. Matthews, by the way, has been really good: he just hasn’t been the offensive weapon he can be when healthy, because he isn’t healthy and hasn’t been most of the year. But his defensive work has been superb. Of course, delivering in the late-series games has been one of the fundamental flaws of Toronto’s Core Four era.

One other thing: Florida has also played some outstanding hockey, and Toronto’s underlying analytics show this could turn quickly 鈥� it’s been a 60-40 possession series at 5-on-5 for Florida, adjusted for who’s leading and who’s not, though Toronto’s shot-blocking helps a lot 鈥� and you can almost feel the Panthers getting into their punishing playoff rhythm at times. The winning team has scored five, four, and five goals in the series. First goalie to get hot and stay hot probably wins.

Matthew Tkachuk watched Chris Tanev block hundreds of shots and take even more hits in their time with the Calgary Flames.

A gritty, in-your-face forward himself, he grew to appreciate the hard-nosed defenceman鈥檚 approach over two seasons as teammates.

That admiration has only grown as adversaries.

Tkachuk and his Florida Panthers are battling Tanev鈥檚 海角社区官网Maple Leafs in the second round of the playoffs in a series that, like most of his time in the NHL, has exacted a physical toll on the veteran blueliner.

鈥淚鈥檓 very impressed with how he鈥檚 played,鈥� Tkachuk said of the 35-year-old in the hours before Game 4 with the Leafs ahead 2-1 in the Atlantic Division matchup. 鈥淭o see him at this stage, and continue to do it year after year, it鈥檚 incredible.鈥�

Tanev is also, quite frankly, taking a beating this spring.

Read the full story here.

A sea of fans in blue and white fills Maple Leaf Square at the tailgate party outside Scotiabank Arena聽ahead of the Leafs game against the Florida Panthers tonight.

Long-time Leafs fan Harsidaq Grewal came out to the square with her sister, Gurnadar, to cheer on the team and experience fan camaraderie, 鈥渆specially because we鈥檙e up in the series,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 cool how so many people are excited to be here,鈥� said Gurnadar, a newer Leafs fan than her sister.

Reflecting on Friday鈥檚 overtime loss, Harsidaq hopes the team 鈥渃an step it up鈥� tonight. 鈥淚 just hope Florida doesn鈥檛 play (well),鈥� she said.

Friends Taylor Bertrand and Lauren McIntyre were “really nervous before Game 4. It’s their first time attending the tailgate in these playoffs.

鈥淚 think this atmosphere is what hockey and sports are all about,鈥� said McIntyre. 鈥淚t’s crazy that all of us are just kind of united right now and it鈥檚 for the same thing.鈥�

Justin Bieber is just a typical Maple Leafs fan.

The Canadian singer was clearly feeling the nerves ahead of Game 4, and took to Instagram to ask his fans and followers to pour their energy into his favourite hockey team.

“Direct all of your love and prayers toward the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs thanks big game this eve,” the post read.

Bieber, who has relationships with several players including Auston Matthews and has collaborated with the team in the past, has been posting about the Leafs throughout the playoffs as he watches the games.

Auston Matthews was a notable absence at the Maple Leafs’ morning skate, according to multiple reports from Florida.

The Leafs captain did not participate in the usual pre-game skate, but the team said he was resting and will be in the lineup for Game 4.

Matthews has three assists in three games against the Panthers in this series, and has two goals and eight assists in nine games since these playoffs began.

“He’s our captain. He’s our leader and he’s been an incredible player for us,” defenceman Chris Tanev told reporters on Sunday. “So I expect him to be the same tonight. He’s going to show up and be great for us.”

海角社区官网Maple Leafs fans are in the singing spirit with a playoffs series lead in Round 2 against the Florida Panthers.

An online video is going viral for showing fans serenading the team鈥檚 anthem singer Natalie Morris with an impromptu rendition of 鈥淥 Canada鈥� on the TTC subway.

The singalong was initially posted to TikTok Thursday before the Leafs put it out on their social media Friday afternoon.

Read the full story 鈥� and watch the video 鈥� here.

Max Pacioretty wears No. 67, a number fans of the Maple Leafs have an uneasy relationship with.

After all, 1967 was the year the team last won the Stanley Cup and fans in other buildings will sometimes chant 鈥渟ixty-seven鈥� to remind the players on the ice.

It鈥檚 the number Pacioretty has worn since he joined the NHL in 2008 with Montreal. He wore it in Vegas, Carolina and Washington and when he got to 海角社区官网in September, well, the number was available.

Asked in training camp why he went with 67, he was ready with an answer.

鈥淚 hope to bring the team luck with that number,鈥� he said.

Read the full story here from Kevin McGran.

Such a scene would have been simply unimaginable just a few months ago. Brad Marchand scores an overtime goal to win a playoff game, and Florida Panthers great-turned-executive Roberto Luongo pumps his fists and gives some hugs in celebration.

Well, it happened.

They have history and lots of it, including Marchand scoring four goals against Luongo in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

But now, Luongo loves him. So, too, does everyone else in Florida, from the fan base to the players and everyone in between, with good reason. Nobody on the Florida roster has more points in these playoffs or a better plus-minus than Marchand, who will celebrate his 37th birthday on Sunday when he and the Panthers play Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs.

Read the full story here from the Associated Press.聽

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.鈥擳here were at least a couple of ways to look at the Maple Leafs鈥� 5-4 overtime loss in Game 3 of their second-round series with the Florida Panthers.

You could spin it as a blown chance to bury the reigning Stanley Cup champs deep in a 3-0 series hole. Handing a team as accomplished as Florida the gift of renewed life is never optimal, especially in a game in which the Leafs carved out two separate two-goal leads. The Panthers are known around here as the Comeback Cats for a reason.

While it might make sense to see such a furious rally as a dramatic turning point, history suggests such comebacks are more often one-off blips. That makes sense. There鈥檚 usually a reason a team requires an improbable comeback to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole: Their opponent is really good.

Read Dave Feschuk’s full column here.

No sooner had I arrived at the Star鈥檚 main offices on Monday morning than I was informed, in a way that suggested I should be delighted about it, that the Winnipeg Jets had secured a hard-fought double-overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues in an NHL game the night before.

My own team, the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs, had already advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, having defeated the Ottawa Senators after six games, three in the Leafs鈥� home rink and three in the Leafs鈥� other home rink. Still, I was delighted for the Jets鈥� several fans.

You may be wondering how I can be so smug in my fandom: after all, something something 1967. You also may be thinking that this kind of raillery is unsuited to the times: facing economic and existential threats from the United States, we should all pull together to support Canadian teams. Hockey, as telecom and gambling companies love to tell us, is our game.

Read the column from Graeme Bayliss

Six wins into what鈥檚 already the best playoff run of the Shanaplan era, it couldn鈥檛 be going much better for the Maple Leafs. But there鈥檝e been moments when fans will be forgiven for imagining a handful of those wins taking a turn for the worst.

For all their success, including a 2-0 series lead over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Maple Leafs have been watching third-period leads disappear on the regular.

In Wednesday鈥檚 Game 2, for instance, 海角社区官网watched a 3-2 advantage turn to a 3-3 tie early in the final frame on a goal by Anton Lundell. For past iterations of this Leafs team, that tying goal might have turned the tide, with the Leafs proceeding to drown under the weight of a blown lead. On Wednesday it took all of 17 seconds for Mitch Marner to restore the 海角社区官网lead on the way to a 4-3 win.

Read the column from the Star’s Dave Feschuk