Florida Panthers Not Alone in Playoffs: Checkers Win Opener

The Florida Panthers aren’t the only team in the playoffs these days.

On Friday night, the Charlotte Checkers began their push to the AHL Calder Cup with a 5-1 win over the host Providence Bruins.

The Checkers, who lead the best-of-5 series 1-0, earned a first-round bye.

The first two games of this series will be in Providence with the final three scheduled for Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum.

On Friday night, the Checkers took control of the game early on a pair of shorthanded goals from John Leonard and Justin Sourdif.

Sourdif had missed the final seven games of the regular season with an injury.

Up 2-1 in the second, Mike Benning scored to give the Checkers a nice lead going into third where Ben Steeves and C.J. Smith later scored.

Kaapo Kahkonen, whom the Panthers acquired before the trade deadline for Chris Driedger, made 27 saves in the win.

Game 2 is on Sunday in Providence.

“Be even keeled. We’ve done it all year,’’ coach Geordie Kinnear said. “Continue to get better and move forward. Enjoy the win, and then we have to make some corrections because they’re going to make some corrections. We just want to continue to get better and build.”

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: GAME 1

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Best-of-7 Series

• When: Monday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
• National TV/Streaming: TBA
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1: Monday @Toronto, 8 (TBA); Game 2: @Toronto TBA; Game 3: @Florida TBA; Game 4: @Florida TBA; Game 5*:@Toronto TBA; Game 6*: @Florida TBA; Game 7*: @Toronto TBA.
• How They Got Here: Toronto d. Ottawa 4-2; Florida d. Tampa Bay 4-1
• This Season (Panthers Won 3-1) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Leafs 1 (Nov.27); Panthers 3, Leafs 1 (Ap. 8). At Toronto: Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (March 14); Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2 (April 2).
• Last Regular Season: Tied 2-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 51-40-7, 7 ties
• All-time Postseason: Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS)