Florida Panthers
How to Watch Maple Leafs at Panthers: Lines, Goalies, Betting Odds
The Florida Panthers are getting some of their top dogs back tonight when they play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs only neither side looks at the game as some sort of playoff preview.
Even though the Panthers and Leafs could meet in the playoffs — perhaps in the opening round — both teams will look a little different than they do tonight.
The Panthers will get Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Gus Forsling back but will still be without Sam Bennett, Nico Sturm, Dmitry Kulikov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aaron Ekblad.
Toronto, which can clinch the Atlantic Division title with a regulation win tonight, are playing the first of a back-to-back and will go with backup Joseph Woll in Sunrise.
“Focus on our team and what we need to do,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “We know what Florida is all about, how they play. That’s not going to change.’’
Florida coach Paul Maurice joked about all the talk about the Panthers slipping to the first wild-card spot and facing the Leafs.
If the season ended today, Florida would open with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Oh, everyone knows who we’re playing in the playoffs,’’ Maurice said with a wink.
Only the Panthers have lost five straight and have been resting players — Bennett is probably out for the remainder of the regular season, Maurice said — which could allow Ottawa to charge up and take third in the Atlantic from Florida in these final five games.
The Panthers will play the Lightning or the Leafs in the first round, that much we know.
“You would think so, and I might be wrong, and that certainly wouldn’t be the first time this morning,” Maurice said about treating tonight like a playoff preview.
“Usually, when you fire off these two teams, you just kind of square off a little bit. My experience is, you go into a game like this and think ‘this is going to be a heater tonight. Intensely played.’ Primary for both teams is they’re trying to get their game right, feel good, and get ready.
“We played Tampa about a month ago, and we had played them before Christmas and it was on. Quite an affair. I thought we would have the same game when I cam to the rink, and it was a church game. No one was chirping, just getting up and down.”
MAPLE LEAFS @ PANTHERS
- How to Watch: Tonight’s game is being broadcast nationally by ESPN so it cannot be streamed locally on Panthers+. It can be streamed, without blackouts, on ESPN+ and Disney+. Goldie, Randy, Katie, Jessica, and Jovo return Thursday.
- Starting Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky returns to face Toronto after allowing three goals on 25 shots Wednesday. Woll will go tonight, with the Leafs starting former Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz tomorrow in Tampa.
- NHL Betting Odds: The local book has the Panthers as a favorite (-160) on the money line. To win with the Panthers, a $160 bet pays $100.
ON DECK: GAME No. 78
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- National TV: ESPN
- National Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Betting Odds — Panthers Favored: Money Line (-160); Puck line (-1.5, +140); Over/Under 5.5 (-105/-115)
- This Season (Panthers Lead 2-1) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Leafs 1 (Nov.27); Today. At Toronto: Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (March 14); Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2 (April 2).
- Last Season: Tied 2-2
- All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 51-39-7, 7 ties
- All-time Postseason: Panthers d. Maple Leafs 4-1 (2023 ECS)
- Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS (44-29-4) LINES
23 Carter Verhaeghe // 16 Sasha Barkov // 13 Sam Reinhart
27 Eetu Luostarinen // 15 Anton Lundell //63 Brad Marchand
20 Jesse Puljujarvi // 17 Evan Rodrigues // 25 Mackie Samoskevich
10 A.J. Greer // 92 Tomas Nosek // 12 Jonah Gadjovich
42 Gus Forsling // 88 Nate Schmidt
77 Niko Mikkola // 3 Seth Jones
6 Jaycob Megna // 26 Uvis Balinskis
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
41 Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Rasmus Asplund, Jesper Boqvist, Matt Kiersted
Injured: Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Nico Sturm (UBI), Sam Bennett (UBI)
PROJECTED TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (47-25-4) LINES
23 Matthew Knies // 34 Auston Matthews // 16 Mitch Marner
74 Bobby McMann // 91 John Tavares // 88 William Nylander
24 Scott Laughton // 11 Max Domi // 19 Calle Jarnkrok
18 Steven Lorentz // 29 Pontus Holmberg // 89 Nicholas Robertson
44 Morgan Rielly // 25 Brandon Carlo
95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson // 8 Chris Tanev
2 Simon Benoit // 51 Philippe Myers
60 Joseph Woll
41 Anthony Stolarz
Scratched: None
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Max Pacioretty (tightness), Jake McCabe (undisclosed), David Kampf (upper body)
Toronto Maple Leafs Lines Courtesy NHL.com
