Goin’ to Carolina: Panthers Dominate Leafs Again, This Time in Game 7

The Florida Panthers are off to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year after taking it to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 6-1 Game 7 win on Sunday night.

The Panthers scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the second period to take complete control of the game.

Florida outshot the Leafs 17-5 in the second, and had a 39-13 shot attempt advantage.

The Panthers, who are the defending Stanley Cup champions, will open the ECF against the host Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (TNT/tru).

Florida swept the Hurricanes out of the 2023 ECF. The Panthers beat the Rangers in 6 last year.

The Panthers got off to a great start to the game, only despite opening with the first seven shots on goal and 25 shot attempts, failed to get anything past Joseph Woll.

Toronto woke up in the second half of the first, only Sergei Bobrovsky was on his game as well —and it was 0-0 going into the second.

Seth Jones got the scoring barrage going, lacing a shot from the right circle at 3:15 of the second period.

Jones was followed up by goals helped off rebounds from Anton Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich.

After the Leafs made it 3-1 early in the second, Eetu Luostarinen redirected a Brad Marchand point shot 47 seconds later. Sam Reinhart then added to the Leafs’ frustration with a wrister from the high slot.

Well, Marchand (5-0 against the Leafs in Game 7) scoring into an empty net to make it 6-1 seemed to be poetic justice.

Bobrovsky had 19 saves.

Jones had a two-point night, and had Florida’s fourth goal waved off for goalie interference after he was tripped into Woll.

GAME 7: PANTHERS @ MAPLE LEAFS

• Paul Maurice is 6-0 in a Game 7 — getting three of those wins with the Panthers.
• Toronto has not been to the Eastern Conference final since 2002 — when it lost to Maurice’s Hurricanes in 6.
• The Panthers have won nine of 10 playoff series since 2023 — including six straight.
• Florida is 4-0 in Game 7 when scoring first.
• The Panthers won their first playoff series when trailing 0-2.
• Jones became the second defenseman in Panthers history with a goal in a Game 7, joining Brandon Montour (two in 2023 vs. Boston).
• Lundell has four points (one goal) in his three Game 7 with the Panthers.
• Marchand, now 5-0 against Toronto in a Game 7, got his sixth career assist in a Game 7 to tie Evegni Malkin for most among active players.
• The Panthers will give the Boston Bruins a 2027 (protected) or 2028 first-round pick for Marchand. The deal was for a conditional second unless Florida made the ECF and Marchand played in half of the games. Done and done.
• Florida is 4-1 in Game 7 and 3-0 away from South Florida.

PANTHERS / MAPLE LEAFS SCORING

• Panthers 1, Leafs 0 (3:15 2nd): Evan Rodrigues drops a pass to Seth Jones who brings the puck into the zone with speed. Jones does not sent it across to Sam Reinhart off the rush, but instead picks a corner from the right circle.
• Panthers 2, Leafs 0 (7:18 2nd): Anton Lundell is right in the slot when a rebound off an Eetu Luostarinen deflection lands on his stick.
• Panthers 3, Leafs 0 (9:39 2nd): A.J. Greer gets a rebound off his own shots and sends it to Jonah Gadjovich for his second goal of the series.
• Panthers 3, Leafs 1 (2:07 3rd): Max Domi sends an off-balance shot from the left circle coming off a Florida line change and puts it between the skates of Sergei Bobrovsky.
• Panthers 4, Leafs 1 (2:54 3rd): Luostarinen redirects a point shot from Brad Marchand for the quick answer.
• Panthers 5, Leafs 1 (9:24 3rd): Sam Reinhart gets the puck off a faceoff win, slides into the deep slot and whips one through.
• Panthers 6, Leafs 1 (16:57 3rd EN): Who else but Marchand?

FHN’S 3 STARS OF GAME 7

• 1. Seth Jones, Florida
• 2. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida
• 3. Brad Marchand, Florida

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 1

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ CAROLINA HURRICANES

Best-of-7 Series

• When: Tuesday, 8 p.m. 
• Where: Lenovo Arena; Raleigh, N.C. 
• National TV: TNT/truTV
• National Streaming: Max
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule (all games on TNT/tru) — Game 1: Tuesday @Carolina, 8; Game 2: Thursday @Carolina, 8; Game 3: Saturday @Florida, 8; Game 4: Monday, May 26 @Florida, 8; Game 5*: Wednesday, May 28 @Carolina, 8; Game 6*: Friday, May 30 @Florida, 8; Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 @Carolina, 8
• This Regular Season (Panthers Won 2-1) — At Florida: Panthers 6, Hurricanes 0 (Nov.30); Hurricanes 3, Panthers 1 (Jan. 2). At Carolina: Panthers 6, Hurricanes 3 (Nov. 29).
• How They Got Here: Carolina d. New Jersey (5), Washington (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7).
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Carolina/Hartford leads 74-49-10, 11 ties
• Postseason History: Florida 1-0 (2023 ECF in 4)