Series Talk: ECSF: (A1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (A3) Florida Panthers (Series Tied 2-2)

[Leaf Fans]

Florida should take this. Imagine if the Leafs have had that Rantanen guy though, both in these playoffs and the upcoming seasons, instead of a bunch of UFAs. Their GM did try though!

Both teams won their series.

 

[Sniper99]

I’m trying not to get banned this year, I keep missing the entire playoffs

I've somehow avoided the troll tracker troll masher troll wtf its called for a quite sometime. I'm rather shocked.

 

[Peiskos]

Panthers will have a tougher time with the Leafs than they did vs Tampa. Leafs are a better team than Tampa, swept them 4-0 regular season and would have beaten them again if they met in the playoffs. Leafs in 6-7.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I wonder how many people picked 4 when they meant 7 and 7 when they meant 4.

 

[ExarKun80]

Marchand-Bennett-Chucky aka the Rat Pack is about to lay the smackdown on the leafs candy-asses.

 

[Laus723]

45%+ of hfboards picked Ottawa TO WIN that series.

Now the leafs suck because they didn’t sweep the series? Hfboards have the worst take when it comes to the leafs. They don’t know what they’re talking about.

Toronto stopped tampas potential dynasty in its tracks in 2023 and they’ve never recovered their former glory.

Would be pretty sweet to do the same to the panthers this year.

Florida fans are happy they beat Tampa, but the leafs beat a better version of them 2 years ago.

I’m having a hard time following all the Lwad fans, does two ago matter or not? I keep reading that they’re not the same team, well neither is Florida. We had Marc Staal out there taking regular shifts, this team ain’t the same.

People picked Ottawa because they either just hate the Leafs or they plain don’t believe in them. I get that. Toronto is different now, though, but so is Florida. It’s just weird that “well two years ago” is also “two years ago doesn’t matter.”

Confused.

 

[Playoffsareoverrated]

Leafs in 5 Matthews will show Barkov who is real Selke worthy center

 

[AvroArrow]

Just keep hearing Leafs got better
New system
Better goalies

And Florida just stagnated? Haha
They will find out soon enough.

Well Florida definitely isn't better than they were last year. Thing is when you're a cup winner, it's insanely hard to improve to be better than that. So it's not some diss against Florida, like how much better than a cup winner + heavy cup favorite can you really be ?

For Toronto's side, there's been some massive changes

Knies development and emergence as a top line power forward

Tavares looks like he's 25 again

New D-core that has been phenomenal. Although there isn't a true #1D, you've got arguably three #2 D men, maybe 4. Tanev, Carlo, McCabe, Rielly. And OEK + Benoit have been great

We have a goalie who is playing at an elite level. Finished #1 in save percentage and #3 in GAA in the regular season. In limited games last year, he also finished # 1 in save percentage and #1 in GAA.

New coach in Berube that has the team playing a full 200 foot playoff type game. Limited chances, Matthews is now penalty killing, something he wasn't doing in our last series.

 

[SatanicToedrag]

Leafs in 5 Matthews will show Barkov who is real Selke worthy center

Username checks out

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Panthers in 4. Sweep coming up

 

[Delete1]

Panthers in 4. Sweep coming up

Also not going to age well.

 

[IdleTraveller]

Hey - keep going with the chirps on both sides: life can be really shitty, especially at the moment, so let's have fun where we can... @HockeyVirus I would take you up on your offer but that would NOT be an equal trade: it would be like a AHL callup that no one has heard of dragging an established superstar to the penalty box. Also, I don't hate the Leafs enough for it to be meaningful - I even like Matthews' fashion sense!

Onto the actual hockey, I think the narrative of "Cats in 3" comes from the same place as people betting that the Sens would complete a reverse sweep: that it would be hilarious but doens't come from a place of reality. A recent Athetic article has us as 54/46 to win, so it's pretty close. I would probably put us more like 60/40 as I think those stats some form the regular season. We were decidedly mid for large chunks of the season and have only just started clicking with our full roster in the playoffs.

As I mentioned before, we are at an advantage in the series but by no means an overwhelming one. With the Tampa series, they were banged up and two of the games we won were pretty flukey ones. In the end, I think our depth is what will get us over the hump, but it's not as if we're immune from crappy plays, lack of effort and brain farts - just read our board!

Cats in 6. But close games and hopefully fun hockey.

 

[Madap]

You guys keep saying the same crap over and over; “don’t think it will be easy…” Nobody thinks it will be easy, we’ve seen it all over the past few postseasons.

And ridicule all you want, but there is not a single Panthers fan who would trade the Panthers player for the Leafs player they were rated with.

Come on, give us someone at least. You’d trade verhaege for Knies.

 

[Enniskillen]

They hungry like flies shit on a pail. They will take no prisoners. Canes to the cup.

miserable broons fan rooting for canes in Florida Leafs thread. How unhinged it is lol

 

[I am Canadian]

Leafs have to get in front of the net and make it difficult for Bob.

In 2023 they played Tampa and was constantly in front of Vasilevskiy making it hard to see the puck. Next series vs Florida they just abandoned it and tried to score skill goals again.

We will see the strategy

 

[Fatass]

Panthers in 4. Sweep coming up

This would be great for the soap opera drama out of TO. Sadly, it’s not going to happen. The Leafs are a much different club than in previous years. Imo the Leafs dispatch the Panthers in five.

 

[The Shadow]

Matthew and Marner getting psyched up for this battle

 

[kanadalainen]

Panthers take this in 6. Sorry Tranna.

 

[Dayjobdave]

I think the series is going to be a real battle. I’m a Leaf fan through and through, and I believe if the Leafs show up the way they can, they have a good shot and will need a bounce and a save to pull it off.

It’s going to be both fun and agonizing watching what happens.

 

[Strangle]

The Cats beat the Bolts in 5 2 years in a row. Glad the Leafs beat them the year before

And the panthers lost to the lightning the year before the leafs beat them in 6

 

[Metroid]

A few short years ago I looked at tickets in Florida. They were selling a 4 pack of tickets, beer, hotdogs AND parking for like $50 lol

Never mind that, I was able to get season seats (2 of them) free Jerseys, free parking 10% off consesisions (not booze) concert tickets, draft etc for 620 all in

Jumped on it and me and my wife went down few times to watch hockey in an empty area and enjoy the beach, good times.

 

[PromisedLand]

Emotional damage buff from Marner the Bard

Crosby and now Mack are golfing. Time to send marchand to the golf course too so the Nova Scotia trio can play summer golf together

 

[Strangle]

I’m having a hard time following all the Lwad fans, does two ago matter or not? I keep reading that they’re not the same team, well neither is Florida. We had Marc Staal out there taking regular shifts, this team ain’t the same.

Of course the past matters. Have you not noticed all the comments about the pasts of these two teams? The leafs winning 2 playoff series in the last 20 years and the panthers being to the finals two years in a row? The panthers beating the leafs in 5 last year?

Of course history matters, especially recent history.

Have the teams made changes, yes as teams do every year. Are these teams radically different that they have been? No, probably not. There have been changes, but we don’t know if those changes will mean better results for either team yet. That’s why we play the games.

Cores of both teams haven’t changed much, they aren’t radically different teams than they have been though. But they also aren’t exactly the same.

People picked Ottawa because they either just hate the Leafs or they plain don’t believe in them. I get that. Toronto is different now, though, but so is Florida. It’s just weird that “well two years ago” is also “two years ago doesn’t matter.”

So what’s stopping people from picking the panthers because they hate the leafs? I’m sure no one has all of a sudden stopped hating the leafs over night lol

Confused.

Yes.

 

[thusk]

I’m having a hard time following all the Lwad fans, does two ago matter or not? I keep reading that they’re not the same team, well neither is Florida. We had Marc Staal out there taking regular shifts, this team ain’t the same.

People picked Ottawa because they either just hate the Leafs or they plain don’t believe in them. I get that. Toronto is different now, though, but so is Florida. It’s just weird that “well two years ago” is also “two years ago doesn’t matter.”

Confused.

Yeah Florida made some upgrade/change like marchand or Mikkola but the impact of leafs change are higher

Tanev vs brodie: Brodie was a guy unable to handle physical game and was looking to play with a grenade the minute its starting to play physical...
vs
The best shutdown D leafs had last 25 years and who's never panicking whatever what

Its a massive upgrade

Carlo vs Schenn : hope i don't need to explain why its a massive upgrade

oel-Benoit are harder to play against than a 39 Giodarno and liljegren/Holl

and just didn't get Samsonov in net anymore is a massive upgrade

they moved from 1 of worst D group who was struggling to play physical game amd maybe the worst starting goalie

to

A pretty good D group and one of more physical D group and a goalie who had been rock solid since 2 years and was pretty good in 1st round

I don't know if result will be different or anything about this but outside core5, basically everything is new and different

 

[Ratsreign]

And the panthers lost to the lightning the year before the leafs beat them in 6

And the Panthers beat the Leafs right after the Leafs beat the Lightning in 6.

What’s the point?