The Panthers Are Playing Like Champs. The Maple Leafs Are Playing Like Chumps
When a team goes to the Stanley Cup final in successive years and captures it once, you'd have to believe it has learned a thing or two about winning in the playoffs.
And when a team consistently underperforms and loses in the most crucial situations, it's probably a safe bet it has learned how to accept defeat.
How else do you explain what has happened in the second round of the playoffs in the series between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs?
This is a series in which the Leafs were leading 2-0 in games and 2-0 in Game 3 and, since then, look as though they've hit a brick wall. Their stars are not only not scoring, but their play is leading to goals against. Their power play has gone south, goaltending has been a problem, and they might have to look up depth scoring in the dictionary to find out what it is.
The Panthers, on the other hand, got goals in a 6-1 win in Game 5 from Niko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist and A.J. Greer.
They're harder and faster on pucks, they're more determined, they're playing with a sense of purpose, and their goaltending is trending upward.
"They outskated us, they had the puck, they won the races, and we just played slow," said Leafs coach Craig Berube. "They were fast, they were honest, they were hungrier."
And they're going to be Atlantic Division playoff champions Friday night unless the Maple Leafs can be much, much better and the Panthers much, much worse.
Watch Game 5's post-game video column for more, and share your thoughts.
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USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
What we learned in Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup Final and how it affects Game 3
What we learned in Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup Final and how it affects Game 3 Show Caption Hide Caption NHL rescue dogs, all available for adoption, compete in the 2025 Stanley Pup 32 adorable rescue puppies representing each NHL team will compete in the 2025 Stanley Pup, airing June 6 on TruTV and Sportsnet! The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is changing venues this week with a 1-1 tie in the best-of-seven series. That's a big difference from last year's series between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers when the Panthers won the first three games and the Oilers won the next three before Florida clinched the championship with a Game 7 victory. Last year had no overtime games but this year, both games have gone past regulation. The Oilers won Game 1 at home on a Leon Draisaitl overtime goal. But the Panthers took away Edmonton's home-ice advantage by winning Game 2 on a Brad Marchand goal in the second overtime. Here are some trends from the first two games and how they might affect the series heading into Game 3: Sam Bennett will earn a big contract The Panthers' pending unrestricted free agent entered the final with a league-best 10 goals. He has added to that with three goals in two games. Bennett has scored 12 playoff goals on the road, setting an NHL record. Toronto's Mitch Marner is the top UFA, but Bennett's playoff prowess will have suitors lined up. He's highly effective around the net and has a habit of bumping goalies. His Game 1 goal as he fell into Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner survived a coach's challenge, but he was called for goaltender interference on a similar play in Game 2. Is he being watched more closely by on-ice officials? "I was pushed and then I think the goalie kicked out my heel, which made me fall," he said. "I didn't agree with that (call), but I'll move on." Will Bill Zito finally win general manager of the year? He's a finalist for the fourth consecutive season but has yet to win. He changed up the Panthers' depth players last summer after winning the Stanley Cup, but his biggest moves were before the trade deadline. He added defenseman Seth Jones, who played more than 30 minutes in each of the first two games of the final and had a goal and an assist in Game 2. Marchand, the former Boston Bruins star, has been critical to the Panthers' success. He scored on two breakaways in Game 2, including the winner. "I think our whole bench stood up when he had that breakaway," Bennett said. "It was just a huge play at a huge time. He's been incredible for us this whole playoffs, scoring massive goals at massive times." The voting is already done for the GM award, so we'll see if it's finally his turn. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl working their magic Draisaitl has three goals in the first two games and McDavid has five assists. They connected on the Game 1 overtime winner and the Game 2 setup was even more impressive. McDavid stickhandled past Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and No. 1 defenseman Aaron Ekblad before feeding Draisaitl. The Panthers will continue to need to figure out how to limit those two, especially when coach Kris Knoblauch puts them on the same line later in games. Florida has the last line change in Games 3 and 4 and can get the matchup it wants. Oilers need to play better in the second period The Oilers have been outscored 3-1 in the second period and outshot 31-16. Florida turned around its Game 2 fortunes with its performance in the second period, when there's a longer distance to get to the bench for a line change. "Our passes weren't sharp. We gave away a lot of pucks," Knoblauch said. "If you can't make that first pass, you're stuck in the defensive zone. … If you just get it out to the neutral zone, you can't change." The OIlers, however, have outscored the Panthers 2-0 in the third period, tying both games and forcing overtime. Goalies are playing better than their numbers Skinner and the Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky each have given up eight goals, albeit in elongated games. Though some goals against haven't been great, such as Evander Kane's in Game 2, Bobrovsky made a big pad save on Draisaitl before Corey Perry tied the game. Skinner stopped several breakaways before Marchand's winner. "There were some good saves made at both ends, high-end saves," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "There's some world-class shooters here."
Miami Herald
40 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Legendary lineages: Have the Panthers' joined South Florida's sports dynasties from the past?
For South Florida sports fans, few moments are as iconic as Don Shula hoisted above his undefeated 1972 Dolphins, LeBron James and the Big Three delivering back-to-back titles to the Miami Heat in a dramatic Game 7 run in 2013, or the underdog Miami Hurricanes stunning Nebraska in the 1984 Orange Bowl. Now — a new moment emerges, as the Florida Panthers claw their way into this legendary lineage. With a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers are crashing the conversation of South Florida's greatest sports runs. What was once unthinkable in Sunrise is now undeniable: the Cats are chasing history. For lifelong Panthers fans, it's been a long time coming. Florida's meteoric rise to being one of the standard bearers of the National Hockey League is something few could have foreseen. Before general manager Bill Zito took over ahead of the 2020-21 season, Florida was in the midst of a 23-year drought without winning a playoff series and had made the postseason just five times total in that span. 'They broke everything down and started from scratch,' Dana Ross said to the Miami Herald before Thursday's Game 1 Watch Party at Amerant Bank Arena. Ross said she's been a fan of the team for 31 years, and her family were original season-ticket holders back in 1993. 'Most teams don't ever experience this,' They do in South Florida. The Miami Herald takes a look at these past South Florida sports dynasties, and what the 2023 to 2025 Panthers have done to join the ranks. Miami Dolphins No football franchise has been able to do what the early 1970s Miami Dolphins accomplished — from 1971 to 1973, the Dolphins went to three straight championship games, went undefeated in '72 and won back-to-back Super Bowls. For revered Dolphins guard Larry Little, he believes the team of the early '70s had not only the best three-year run in South Florida professional sports history, but in all of athletics. 'I know the Heat did something great, I know what the Panthers are doing now will be something great but when you lose only five games in three years, I don't think that can be comparable to anything,' Little said. 'We lost three games in 71. We were undefeated in '72. In '73, we lost two games. That's a great run for anyone.' The pressure, he continued, was different back then in a professional athletics landscape that looks entirely different from the one in the Sunshine State today. In the early '70s, the Dolphins happened to be not just the only show in South Florida but in the entire state itself. There was no Heat, no Panthers, no Buccaneers, no Magic, no Jaguars. Although the team itself didn't necessarily think about that at the time, it made their run that much sweeter. 'We were the only game in the whole state,' Little said, later adding that 'we were the only team that people could really identify with during that time.' The recipe to success, another Dolphins linebacker Larry Ball said, is all about the perfect storm: off-the-charts talent, an unrelentingly focused mind-set, and dedicated management. But, 'continuity' is also key. For a winning season to become a generational run, you've got to keep the pedal to the medal. With NFL salary caps and free agents, it's almost impossible in today's day and age. For the 2025 season, the hard cap for the league is $279.2 million per team. 'As you win more, all of a sudden you can't afford all the players you have, so you're gonna lose some players,' Ball said. 'You gotta replace them with players who can fill the void and play at the same level, which is very difficult. That's why three, four year runs are just really phenomenal.' Of course, a winning mind-set is also a crucial component of success. Both Little and Ball noted a focused, 'no mistakes' attitude for the team. 'It takes belief, believing in one another and every time you go out on that field, no matter who that opponent is, you have a chance to win that football game,' Little said. Miami Hurricanes For years, Miami was a football-firstof town. The Miami Hurricanes were one of college football's biggest powerhouses in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, winning three national championships in a span of five years — 1987, 1989 and 1991 — and went a nearly flawless 56-4 in that span. Only two other teams since have claimed at least three national titles in a five-year span — Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012) and Nebraska (1994, 1995, 1997). Miami's half-decade run of dominance spanned its final four years as an independent and their first as a member of the Big East. The Hurricanes had 13 players earn All-America honors in that span and had 43 players from those five teams selected in the NFL Draft, including eight first-round picks — Bennie Blades and Michael Irvin in 1988, Bill Hawkins and Cleveland Gary in 1989, Cortez Kennedy in 1990, Russell Maryland and Randal Hill in 1991 and Leon Searcy in 1992. They went a perfect 12-0 in 1987 under Jimmy Johnson, outscoring opponents by an average of 20.75 points and beating six ranked opponents, capped off by a 20-14 win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to secure the national championship. After going 11-1 and finishing No. 2 nationally in 1988 in their final season under Johnson, their lone loss that season being a 31-30 defeat at Notre Dame, the Hurricanes reclaimed their championship form under coach Dennis Erickson. They went 11-1 again in 1989 and claimed the national title after a 33-25 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Miami went 10-2 in 1990 and ended the season ranked No. 3 in its final season as an independent before joining the Big East. In their first season affiliated with a conference, the Hurricanes went a perfect 12-0, wrapping the season with their third national championship in a five-year span following a 22-0 win over No. 11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Miami Heat Few runs in NBA history can match the sheer dominance and spectacle of the Miami Heat's Big 3 era from 2010 to 2013 — a stretch that delivered three straight Finals appearances, two championships, and a cultural tidal wave that reshaped the league. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh at the helm, the Heat were an unstoppable force, racking up a 170-60 record across those three regular seasons — a blistering .739 winning percentage. The pinnacle came in 2012-13, when Miami stormed to a 66-16 finish, the best mark in franchise history and one of the top 20 regular seasons ever recorded in the NBA. Just as Little and Ball said for their run some 40 years earlier across town, the difficulty in sustaining a long championship run over multiple seasons comes down to player mentality, team member and Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers said to the Herald. 'Your mind-set – you got to be ready for everybody's best shot every night you step on the court and you just got to be able to give it your all,' Chalmers said. Among the Heat's crowning achievements during these memorable three seasons came in the form of an incredible 27-game winning streak during the 2012-13 regular season. This went down as the third-longest regular-season winning streak in NBA history. But what's difficult, Chalmers said, isn't necessarily staying at the top, but striking the perfect balance to get there. 'It's harder to get to the first [championship] just because you're still trying to put all the ingredients together to learn how to get there,' he said. 'And then once you get there, you know what it takes to get there and keep going there and be successful in those moments.' The Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals to begin this run, but bounced back to win back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013. They went 46-21 in the playoffs during these three seasons. 'If you're not prepared for it, you're going to miss the moment.' The Panthers' Bid Since the National Hockey League's expansion in 1967–68, only seven teams have reached three or more consecutive Stanley Cup Finals: the St. Louis Blues (1968–70), Philadelphia Flyers (1974–76), Montreal Canadiens (1976–79), New York Islanders (1980–84), Edmonton Oilers (1983–85), Tampa Bay Lightning (2020–22), and now the Panthers. Among them, Florida is the only team to do so after playing a full 82-game regular season in all three years, as Tampa Bay's first two seasons were shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the Stanley Cup Final ends, the Panthers will have played anywhere from 312 to 315 games, breaking the record of 309 games over a three-season span, originally set by Dallas in the 1997-98 through 1999-2000 seasons and matched by Detroit in the 2006-07 through 2008-09 seasons. For the Panthers, their success has much to do with their management — the team knows it, and the fans know it. 'When you have ownership that wants to win, you win, and we are lucky enough right now to have that,' season-ticket holder since 2007 Matt Swenson said to the Herald. Both GM Zito and chairman Vincent Viola have helped to turn the team around. When Zito joined the helm in 2020, he began working his front-office magic — retooling the Panthers' roster bit by bit and hiring Paul Maurice as head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season. All this tinkering eventually turned them into the juggernaut they are today. Only four players — captain Aleksander Barkov, top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad, star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and third-line winger Eetu Luostarinen — remain from the pre-Bill Zito era. While the blockbuster trade for Matthew Tkachuk ahead of the 2022–23 season is often seen as the defining move of Zito's tenure, it's just one of many. He snagged Gustav Forsling off waivers, turning him into one of the league's top defensemen; signed Carter Verhaeghe after Tampa Bay let him go, then extended him twice; traded for key forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett; drafted Anton Lundell in the first round in 2021, who has since emerged as a premier young two-way center; and this season, added Brad Marchand and Seth Jones at the trade deadline to bolster an already loaded roster. 'In the market that we're in now, it's unheard of with the salary cap and the 82-game season,' said Swenson. And he's right — the Panthers are the first to reach the Stanley Cup finals for three consecutive years, playing an 82 game season and navigating the $88 million salary cap. And there's no telling when this might feasibly end. The Panthers have seven of their top nine forwards and four of their top six defensemen under contract after this season — with seven of those 11 under contract through at least the 2027-28 season. 'I'm ready for another parade!' Ross said. Miami Herald sportswriters C. Isaiah Smalls, Jordan McPherson and Anthony Chiang contributed to this report.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What's gone right and wrong for Oilers against Panthers in Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON — Could this Stanley Cup Final be any tighter? Two overtime games. One win apiece. Each team takes control before the other punches back until someone lands the final blow. There have been unbelievable goals and thunderous hits. There's even been some controversy. The Edmonton Oilers nearly went up 2-0 in the series but had to settle for a split as things shift to South Florida. There's been a lot to like about their performance and also some aspects to quibble about. Let's look at three areas where they're doing well and three where they're not. Offense was hard to come by for the Oilers through the first two games of last year's Final. They scored just once on 51 shots in back-to-back losses as Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky almost seemed to be in their heads. That hasn't been the case this time around. The Oilers have scored four goals on 46 shots in each game and appear to have more of a book on the star netminder. Advertisement Pucks were placed on Bobrovsky's glove side the first five times the Oilers scored. Each shot that has beaten Bobrovsky has been elevated, a good call considering Bobrovsky is one of the best at stopping attempts along the ice in the NHL. The Oilers have a good chance of winning this series if they can continue scoring at a rate anywhere close to this one. Winger Zach Hyman's absence for the series due to a dislocated right wrist presented the possibility of a gaping hole in the Oilers' lineup. He went from a scoring wonder last year to a complementary piece and a hitting machine this year. It's hard to replace that, but the Oilers have done just fine thanks to a largely by-committee approach. Kasperi Kapanen was great in Game 1, and so was the fourth line of Vasily Podkolzin, Mattias Janmark and Viktor Arvidsson. Evander Kane has been everything you thought he could be: playing physical, acting as pest control against the most annoying Panthers and scoring a goal in Game 2. We can't forget about Corey Perry. He has a goal and an assist. The former was the latest tying marker in Cup Final history when he scored with 17.8 seconds left in regulation of Game 2, and the latter contributed to the winning tally in Game 1. Perry's up to eight goals in 18 games, seven more than he produced in 19 contests during the 2024 run. 'He only had one goal last year, but we wanted (him back), knowing in the playoffs it's hard to score and you need guys around the net and finding ways,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'He's as good as anybody finding ways to score.' The Oilers have also tilted the ice when they've loaded up the top line with the 40-year-old Perry and their two superstars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers are outshooting the Panthers 19-8 and out-attempting them 37-16, and they own a 71 expected goals percentage in 22:25 minutes together at five-on-five. Advertisement Here are the number of shots the Oilers have allowed in the third period in each of the last two games: two in Game 1 and five in Game 2. That five-spot must have felt like a lot considering the Oilers had surrendered no more than four shots in each of the previous four contests. Sure, the Oilers trailed heading into the third period of both games of the Stanley Cup Final, but it sure helps trying to make an offensive push when you defend that well. Besides, Mattias Ekholm scored 6:33 into the third period of Game 1, so things were on level terms from there on. 'We find our way, get better throughout the game,' defenseman Jake Walman said between the first two games. 'Maybe in crunchtime we dial it in a little bit more, but ideally, we'd like to do that from the start of every game.' The way the Oilers have charged back offensively in the third period is worth mentioning, too. It's something they've done all playoffs, dating to their first win in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings. The series opener of the Final was their seventh come-from-behind win. They could have made it eight when Perry forced overtime in Game 2. That would have equalled a franchise mark set in 1987 and 1991. 'We all understand that it's never over with this group,' McDavid said. The Panthers are in and around the blue paint more than any team the Oilers have faced in the playoffs. That's been an issue through the first two games. Former Calgary Flames nemesis Sam Bennett has been the ultimate irritant. Bennett was tripped by Brett Kulak in the first period of Game 1 before falling into goalie Stuart Skinner. The puck nicked him on the way into the net. The Oilers challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld. The Panthers scored on the subsequent power play. Advertisement 'I would challenge that any day,' Knoblauch said after the game. 'Actually, I challenged it. I was on the bench, and I was even looking at it again. I was getting ready for the next lines, and I see the player fall in. I was told he was tripped. 'If that play happened again, I would challenge it. What I've seen in the NHL this year on the challenges for goaltender interference, I had a lot of confidence and would challenge that again.' In Game 2, Bennett was at it again. He was contacted by Ekholm during the first period and toppled into Skinner. This time, with Skinner down on the ice in apparent pain, Bennett was sent off for interference despite neither referee — Chris Rooney or Jean Hebert — initially raising his hand to signal a penalty. In the second period, another former Flames rival, Matthew Tkachuk, was bumped into Skinner as a point shot from ex-Oiler Dmitry Kulikov eluded the goalie. The Oilers opted not to challenge, and the Panthers tied the score at 3. It's not easy to keep Bennett, Tkachuk and others away from their goalie, but it's something the Oilers must be more cognizant of. 'We know they have players that want to drive the net,' Oilers defenseman John Klingberg said after Game 2. 'It comes to us trying to box out earlier. But we're trying to drive the net, too. 'They're a high-shooting-volume team, and if you are that, they're bringing people to the net as well.' The middle stanza hasn't been kind to the Oilers through two games, and that was especially the case in Friday's loss. The Oilers were outscored 2-0 in the second frame of Game 2, and they were outshot 14-9. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers out-attempted them 31-13 at five-on-five and had double the number of high-danger chances (8-4). 'We just lost our legs a little bit,' Draisaitl said after the overtime defeat. 'We weren't as quick to recover pucks, and they're going to have their push. It's something to look at.' Advertisement After Game 2, Knoblauch pointed to a couple of areas the Oilers need to improve at to solve their woes in this regard. 'It was puck execution. I know our passes weren't sharp and we gave away a lot of pucks,' he said. 'If you can't make that first pass, you're stuck in the defensive zone, and you might get it up to the neutral zone. 'But especially in the second period, if you just get it out to the neutral zone, you can't change, and then you get stuck, and that's what happened.' Overall, the Oilers have been outscored 3-1 during the second period as the series shifts to Florida. They've been outshot 31-17. 'You're never going to play a perfect 60 minutes,' Klingberg said. 'If you can control the puck most of the time in the second period, you're going to have fresh legs and having an easier way to change.' The Oilers have had some outstanding moments on the man advantage in the early portion of the series, with two of Draisaitl's three goals coming in that capacity. Draisaitl scored the winner in Game 1 at 19:29 of overtime after Tomas Nosek's puck-over-glass penalty. It doesn't get more important than that. The Oilers can add style to substance, too. McDavid side-stepping Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and then undressing Aaron Ekblad before feeding Draisaitl for an easy one in the first period of Game 2 was simply an otherworldly move. 'There's one player in the world that can make that (play),' Draisaitl said. For all the good with the power play, it struggled after that McDavid masterpiece. The Oilers failed to capitalize on a 33-second two-man advantage a couple of minutes later. They wound up going 1-for-6 on the power play Friday. Worse still, Brad Marchand scored his first of two breakaways when the Panthers were short-handed in the second period. Advertisement 'As good as our power play is, and as much as I'd like it to score every single time, that's unrealistic,' Knoblauch said. 'As long as they're getting quality looks — and the majority of our power plays, I feel we have. But we'll definitely be looking at things that we can try to exploit if there are things.' (Photo of Corey Perry celebrating after scoring during the third period of Game 2: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
