FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second year in a row in the NHL playoffs and now turn their attention to Toronto.
The Maple Leafs defeated Ottawa 4-2 on Thursday to close out their opening-round series against the Senators.
The last time these two teams met in the postseason was in 2023.
Since Toronto is the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, the Maple Leafs will host the first two games in the series.
"It's going to be a good challenge," Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said. "They have a good team, have a good offense and defense. It's going to be a good challenge for us, and all of us are excited."
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said the Maple Leafs have some similarities to the Lightning.
"Some similarities to our first round (opponent)," Maurice said. "Really high-end elite skill, good goaltending, good defensive structure for their team. So those things will be the similarities for us that we will start with."
The teams met four times in the regular season, with Florida winning the series 3-1.
The NHL has not announced when the series will start. Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) will be in Sunrise.
