At some point in the first round of the Toronto-Otawa series, the Maple Leaf fans all joined in unanimously and started chanting.

"We want Florida!"

They used the same song in 2023 and even if the series didn't like Leaf likes, they wanted a rematch-that would happen. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will hold the second round of the Eastern Conference in Toronto on Monday night, the team meeting in the second round of the playoffs in the last three years.

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Florida beat Leaf in five games in 2023.

"They've changed a lot. Half of our teams are different," said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. "So there's nothing to use in the series at all."

Leaf's defender Morgan Reilly said his club feels the same way.

"They have different people out there. We have different people here," Riley said. "I think the mentality of the playoffs usually remains the same, but I think there are differences in the team, the structure, the system, and everything else."

Toronto has 56 wins this season, including the playoffs, second only to Winnipeg. Toronto won 27 road games, the most in the league. Leaf expelled Ottawa and Brady Tkachuk in Round 1 and now received Florida--and Brady’s brother Matthew Tkachuk as their reward.

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"It could be a tougher series," said Leaf coach Craig Berube, who made a lot of the right moves in his first year in Toronto. “We won the series and now it’s over, we’re starting to focus on Florida and prepare for Florida.”

The Panthers bid for the Stanley Cup final for the third time, and anyone in the NHL has won more victories over the past three seasons. They started the series in that span of seventh game - 4-2 in the last game since the 2023 playoffs began.

"We don't mind," Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. "Get in, start on the road, being able to steal one, trying to take the crowd out of it, gives you some extra boost, I'll say."

Season Series

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Florida scored 3-1-0 in the season series against Toronto, surpassing Maple Leaf 13-7 and defeating Leaf 117-93.

The Panthers brought pepper to Toronto in those games. In these four games, Leaf's 117 shots obviously didn't take into account Leaf's 73 blocks.

Toronto may be informed of unnecessary penalties in these four games. Florida scored 11-5 in the power play in the season series, while Toronto scored a 1-1 record and gave the Panthers a brief goal.

It should be pointed out that both teams will say that the regular season is of little significance. Two years ago, Toronto faced the Panthers 3-0-1, and Florida won the playoffs in five games.

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"Nothing told you in the regular season," Morris said.

Marchand Factor

Panthers forward Brad Marchand certainly knows his way around Toronto at this time of year.

No active player has more playoffs than Florida's trade wins lead, with more goals, assists or points than the Maple Leafs' playoffs.

Marchand scored 10 goals, 19 assists and 29 points in 28 playoff games against Toronto. Together with Boston, he faced Toronto in four series – all in seven games, and the Bruins won seven games each time.

The power of leaves is exerted

Toronto has been operating an unusually powerful playback unit – sometimes five forwards, playing out their power. Group: Auston Matthews, Mickey Manner, John Tavarez, William Nyland and Matthew North.

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In the first round of the game against Ottawa, it was fatal. In the series, the Leafs gained a 17-to-1 advantage by humans, continuing nearly 20% of their shots in those opportunities.

That's a far cry from the power play at the end of the regular season, when Toronto finished 31 seasons in his final 14 games into the playoffs.

The relationship of bonding

The Maple Leafs have three players - defenseman Oliver Ekman Larsson, forward Steven Lorentz and goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz - who ran to the Stanley Cup last season with the Panthers.

Maurice is one of three men coaching Florida and Toronto. Others: Roger Neilson and Peter Horachek.

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drought

Most hockey enthusiasts know – Toronto fans are keen and even painfully aware – the Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, which also happens to be the team’s final season into the championship series.

This may be equally difficult to understand: Toronto hasn't even surpassed the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2002. In fact, this is just Leaf's third trip at this tie - they lost to Philadelphia in 2004 and to Florida in 2023.

Since last four games to the NHL, Toronto has used 361 different players and eight different coaches during this period - including Maurice.

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AP NHL Playoffs: