Plenty of evidence Florida Panthers will go for the jugular against Maple Leafs
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Scenes the Maple Leafs should sear into memory before their next series against the Florida Panthers:
* Brad Marchand in handshake line, after besting Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning, with plastic rats strewn on the ice.
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Plenty of evidence Florida Panthers will go for the jugular against Maple Leafs Back to video
* Aaron Ekblad at the Panthers bench after his shot on Brandon Hagel’s chin, with a look of ‘whatcha gonna do about it’ to the Lightning players. Ekblad no doubt had Hagel’s earlier hit on Aleksandar Barkov on file, taking the Tampa forward out of the series.
“I’m not sure if he meant to do it, but it really doesn’t matter,” former NHL referee Dave Jackson said on the ESPN telecast. “Elbow went up, got him in the face.”
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There was no penalty, but the league later suspended Ekblad two games, which will now include the opener against the Leafs.
* Matthew Tkachuk, who got a major penalty for burying Tampa’s Jake Guentzel after an empty-net goal, delivered one last chirp at the Bolts after ending their season in five games.
“I don’t know if it’s really a rivalry,” he huffed.
* The many moods of coach Paul Maurice: Witty and charming on the interview podium, but purple rage on the bench if thinking his team is getting hosed — or has let their own work ethic slip.
* Radko Gudas roaring like the MGM lion in Joseph Woll’s face as the Cats eliminated the Leafs in 2023. Yeah, Gudas is long gone, but that memory lives on.
Let’s just say Florida didn’t win the Stanley Cup last year with halos affixed to their helmets.
Not that the Leafs expected to pussy foot through the Cats now, but Tkachuk (the elder version is much more calculating than Senators captain Brady), the handful that is Sam Bennett and the addition of the Marchand sideshow will be part of the adjustment.
Marchand is just one factor on Florida’s excellent third line with centre Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.
The Panthers remain a collective force, entering this series with a bit more rest, a winning record against the Leafs in regular season (3-1, without key players in their lineup) and they held Tampa to five goals in three road games.
Their penalty-killing, second in the league so far in playoffs despite their aggressive nature, is far better than Ottawa’s.
Match that against the Leafs being much more playoff-hardened than two years ago, with several additions, including three who played strong support roles on Florida’s run last season. Toronto also buried its first-round baggage and have home-ice advantage.
It’s not going to be as one-sided, but we’re calling Florida to win it in six.
X: @sunhornby
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