A pair of Atlantic Division rivals renew their bitter rivalry on the ice when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Florida Panthers down in the Sunshine State Friday night in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series and we have the inside scoop with our Maple Leafs vs. Panthers prediction. In Game 1 of the series Monday night, Toronto jumped in front in the opening minute and held off a late Florida rally for a 5-4 victory, drawing first blood. The Maple Leafs followed that up with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series advantage. Will the Maple Leafs take a 3-0 stranglehold or can the Panthers get back in the series on home ice? Florida won the lone previous playoff series, 4-1, in the second round of the 2023 NHL playoffs, so they own a 4-3 edge in head-to-head playoff wins. Read more about this Panthers vs. Maple Leafs prediction! Do you need a boost in your handicapping? Try our NHL Predictions and light the lamp!
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Maple Leafs Looking to Lock Down 3-0 Series Edge
Toronto defended their home ice even without their #1 netminder as they picked up a second straight victory to open this series. The Maple Leafs hope to bring their momentum with them on the road as they look for a 3-0 series advantage. Toronto is tied for fifth in the league in goals per game as they average 3.50 goals per contest in the postseason. The Maple Leafs are third in goals against as they have allowed 2.88 goals per contest. Toronto is 7th in the league in power play success as they are converting on 28% of their chances with the man advantage in the postseason. The Maple Leafs are tied for 7th in the league in the penalty-killing department as they successfully get through 75% of their shorthanded situations in the playoffs.
Against Florida in Game 2, Toronto withstood a strong Florida start and managed to regroup after the Panthers tied the score in the third period to earn the win. The Maple Leafs were outshot 6-5 in the opening period and skated off with the game tied at one at the first intermission. After giving up the opening goal of the game, Max Pacioretty knotted the score with his second goal of the postseason at 18:19, on the power play, with assists going to Morgan Rielly and Max Domi. In the second period, Toronto was outshot 11-9 only to outscore Florida 2-1 to lead 3-2 after 40 minutes of play. After going down 2-1, William Nylander evened the score with his sixth goal of the playoffs at 4:18 with assists going to Pacioretty and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Domi gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead with his second of the postseason at 17:09 with assists going to Steven Lorentz and Rielly. The third period saw Toronto outshot 11-6 with both teams scoring once, leaving them up as time expired despite a furious push by Florida, to earn the win. After Florida tied the game, Mitch Marner tallied the winner with his second goal of the playoffs at 5:50 off assists from Jake McCabe and Auston Matthews. That goal held up as the winner as Joseph Woll, who made 26 saves for Toronto in a game they were outshot 29-20, closed the door the rest of the way. With Anthony Stolarz not making the trip to Florida, that means Woll will be between the pipes again here.
Florida Trying to Get on the Board
Florida battled but again came up a goal short on the road in Toronto in Game 2 of their series Wednesday night. The Panthers now head home down 2-0 and are looking to get themselves back in the series with a win here. Florida is 4th in the league in goals per game during the postseason as they put up an average of 3.71 goals a night this season. The Panthers are tied for 4th in the league in goals against as they allow an average of three goals per contest. Florida is tied for 5th in power play success as they have cashed in on 28.6% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Panthers are tied for 2nd in the league in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 88.5% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
Against Toronto Wednesday night, Florida twice held a one-goal advantage but let them slip away. They tied the game in the third period, gave up the go-ahead goal just 17 seconds later and despite pressing the rest of the way, couldn’t get the equalizer again. That left them down 2-0 in the series. The Panthers held a 6-5 edge in shots in the opening period and skated off tied at one at the first intermission. Aleksander Barkov gave Florida a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the playoffs, on the power play, at 10:58 off an assist from Seth Jones. They gave up the equalizer later in the stanza to even things up. In the second period, Florida owned an 11-9 advantage in shots only to be outscored 2-1 to trail 3-2 after 40 minutes. Brad Marchand gave the Panthers a 2-1 advantage with his first goal of the playoffs 15 seconds into the period with assists going to Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. They gave up two unanswered goals to trail at the end of the second period. In the third period, Florida held an 11-6 advantage in shots with each team scoring once, leaving them a goal short on the scoreboard as time expired. Lundell knotted the game with his third goal of the playoffs at 5:33 off assists from Aaron Ekblad and Luostarinen. That tie lasted all of 17 seconds before Toronto regained the lead and the Panthers couldn’t get even again. Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves for the Panthers, who held a 29-20 advantage in shots, in the loss. He’s the likely option in net again here.
Best Bets for Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
Full-Game Side Bet
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Florida has their backs to the wall and has to come out with fire. If they can’t build an advantage early, the crowd will get restless and grumble, given that the team is down 2-0 in the series. Bobrovsky has struggled in the series, giving up nine goals on 50 shots, or just a .820 save percentage, in the opening two games. That won’t get it done. Woll, in his first start in nearly three weeks, didn’t wilt and got better as the game wore on Wednesday night to earn the win. Florida should prevail on home ice but Toronto is being undervalued here. Take the Maple Leafs on the puck line but don’t be afraid to sprinkle a little on the moneyline here.
Full-Game Total Pick
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Toronto split their six games in relation to the total against Ottawa with three games going to overtime and Game 6 only going over the mark thanks to Nylander’s empty-net goal.  Florida went over the number in four of their five games against Tampa Bay, tallying at least four goals in three of them. We saw a total of nine goals on the board in the opener and that contest went over the mark on the Luostarinen goal early in the third period. Game 2 was just as entertaining as Lundell’s goal cashed the over and Marner’s just added to the mix. With a desperate Florida squad here, look for this to end up over the mark as well.
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