Dawn, Fla. (AP) — There was a time in Paul Maurice’s coaching profession when he needed his groups to straight away go on after a significant acquire and start pondering about the next challenge.
Not now.
He wanted the Florida Panthers to expend a minimal additional time savoring their upset of the Boston Bruins in one particular of the most significant NHL playoff shockers ever, figuring that will aid get them all set for the up coming challenge. The Panthers get started Spherical 2 of the playoffs in Toronto on Tuesday evening, going through a Maple Leafs crew that ousted perennial electrical power Tampa Bay.
“It’s two sides of the same coin,” Maurice reported Monday from Boston, prior to the group flew to Toronto. “On the one fifty percent, that was as psychological a win as our franchise at any time had. So, you possibly say you’re a little light in the tank, or you’re continue to flying on people fumes. You are both coming out scorching because you are still rolling or you’re gassed. Either way, Match 1 receives performed and Video game 2 will have almost nothing to do with Match 1.”
Receiving to Spherical 2 was tremendous emotional for Florida. It also was for Toronto, the place followers spilled into the streets, honking horns, blocking website traffic and in a person case — genuine story — smacking the bottom of a horse amid the celebration. The smacker was arrested for public intoxication the horse was unharmed.
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews called the organization’s to start with playoff series victory because 2004 “step 1 of a extended journey.”
“A monkey off the back again for a whole lot of us that have been below for rather a very long time,” Matthews explained. “We know it only will get more difficult from in this article.”
The winner will go to the meeting finals for the initially time in decades: Florida received there most not too long ago in 1996, Toronto in 2002.
It’s weirdly fitting that Florida is headed back to Toronto. The Panthers received a earn there in March that assisted turn their period all-around and fueled their playoff press, prevailing 3-2 on an additional time target from Brandon Montour.
They’re 10-4-1 in their past 15 games, beginning with that Toronto acquire, and overcame a 3-1 deficit from the Bruins.
“I’m variety of speechless in the perception of where we’re at now,” Montour said. “But we have all the self esteem to keep likely.”
THE Collection
Toronto went 3–1 towards the Panthers this year, with Florida’s acquire that OT triumph on March 29.
Could want to get a nap or further shot of espresso heading on video game days in this series simply because there could be some late evenings: Five of the previous six online games involving the groups have absent to additional time.
All time, they’ve fulfilled 98 instances — Toronto winning 48, Florida profitable 43, and 7 video games ending in a tie. This marks the initially Panthers-Leafs playoff series.
THE STATS
Toronto received 6-2 on March 23 the other online games ended up all a single-intention affairs. The Leafs gained 5-4 on Jan. 17 and 2-1 on April 20, while the Panthers received 3-2 on March 29.
Matthews had 5 ambitions in the 4 online games for Toronto. Montour (2-3-5) had a workforce-very best five points in the season series for the Panthers, although Matthew Tkachuk was held to a single intention.
In internet, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (10 objectives on 73 shots) struggled at periods. Ilya Samsonov stopped 86 of 90 shots he faced for Toronto.
THE Record
As just one may possibly expect, there’s a superior little bit of variation in between the franchises when it arrives to playoff background.
Toronto has played 576 playoff online games, Florida 71. The Leafs have received 274 playoff video games, Florida 29. Toronto has received the Stanley Cup 13 moments, Florida zero.
Florida will be the 26th various franchise Toronto has confronted in a playoff collection. Toronto will be Florida’s 10th playoff foe.
SUNSHINE Condition LEAFS
Toronto has a chance to do anything no browsing staff has at any time carried out — gain 7 game titles in the point out of Florida in a person season.
The Leafs are 6–1 at Florida and Tampa Bay this year. The six wins match a single-season history for a Sunshine Point out customer the 1995-96 Philadelphia Flyers went 6-5- in games at the Panthers and Lightning that year.
Toronto is guaranteed two game titles at Florida in this collection. That’ll be nine in the point out this time for the Leafs, tying the 2015-16 New York Islanders for 3rd-most all time. Carolina played 10 in 2020-21 the Flyers played 11 in 1995-96.
TICKET Matters
Some enthusiasts could possibly have experienced some trouble Monday hoping to invest in tickets to Online games 3, 4 and 6 in Florida, because sales on Ticketmaster “will be limited to citizens of the United States,” according to a assertion on the internet site.
The Panthers plan to end that presale on Tuesday.
“We are offering our nearby followers very first accessibility to tickets to the sequence for the first 24 hrs of the one-game ticket on sale,” the Panthers stated, noting that anyone, any place could purchase on the secondary markets.
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