
Leafs, Panthers open Round 2 tonight in Toronto
Send this page to someone via email
Share this item on Twitter
Share this item via WhatsApp
Share this item on Facebook
TORONTO – The second round of the National Hockey League playoffs gets underway tonight at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who knocked off Sunshine State rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who eliminated the Ontario rival Ottawa Senators in six games.
The Maple Leafs, with new bench boss Craig Berube, finished first in the Atlantic Division this season, 10 points ahead of the third-place Panthers. They are in the post-season's second round for the second time in three years.
Story continues below advertisement
The Panthers, who added Boston Bruins' pest Brad Marchand to the roster at the trade deadline to help Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett get under their rivals' skin, have been to the Stanley Cup final two straight years — losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and beating the Edmonton Oilers last year.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The Panthers, who draw confidence from physically imposing their will on opponents, will find eager challengers in Toronto's Chris Tanev, Bobby McMann and Max Pacioretty, to name a few.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in Toronto, with Games 3 and 4 in Sunrise, Fla., on Friday and Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Post
13 hours ago
- National Post
Canucks: Why massive Mason McTavish hype is about future playoff potential
When Joel Quenneville guided the Chicago Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup championship in a six-year span in 2015, his centre of attention was Jonathan Toews. Article content At age 26, his 'Captain Serious' moniker fit like a glove because of drive, desire and delivery. Toews was 21 when the Blackhawks claimed their first crown in 2010, nearly the same age as another pivot who has become talk of the league this summer. Article content Article content Article content Mason McTavish, 22, is a proud, productive and stubborn restricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, whose heavy and direct game at junior and international levels projects well for the NHL postseason. He led the Ducks last season with 22 goals, and his 52 points with the 24th-ranked club, and 30th-rated offence, were as credible as his team leading 50.7 per cent face-off efficiency. Article content McTavish has potential to become a reliable 30-goal producer and tough to play against. However, he has yet to reach contract-extension terms and that has sent suitors into a summer tizzy of what it would take to pry him away — everything from offer sheets to multiple players and draft picks. Article content Good luck with all that. He could stay put. Article content The Vancouver Canucks would salivate at potential of adding the 6-foot-1, 219-pound McTavish to help solve their riddle in the middle. But at what cost? Probably a roster player, prime prospect, and pair of high draft picks. AFP Analytics has McTavish receiving a six-year, $40.6-million US deal that would carry a $6.67 million in annual average value. Article content Article content Article content Article content McTavish's competitiveness was evident in advance of the 2021 NHL Draft. After 42 points in (29-13) in 57 OHL games with Peterborough Petes in 2019-20 — followed by COVID suspension of OHL games the next season — he was loaned to Olten EHC of the second division Swiss pro league. He responded with 11 points (9-2) in 13 outings. Article content 'I love to get to the dirty areas to score goals,' he told this reporter prior to the 2021 draft, where he was selected third overall behind defenceman Owen Power and centre Matty Beniers. 'I'm not one to shy away from playoff-style hockey. Just watching the NHL playoffs, those big-bodied guys really pay off. Article content 'I love to compete against anybody and I don't really back down from anyone. I just want to be hard to play against and you don't want them to say: 'Oh, he was easy to play against.' Or, 'He was fun to play against.' I don't like to make it easy on guys.'


Vancouver Sun
13 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Canucks: Why massive Mason McTavish hype is about future playoff potential
When Joel Quenneville guided the Chicago Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup championship in a six-year span in 2015, his centre of attention was Jonathan Toews. At age 26, his 'Captain Serious' moniker fit like a glove because of drive, desire and delivery. Toews was 21 when the Blackhawks claimed their first crown in 2010, nearly the same age as another pivot who has become talk of the league this summer. Mason McTavish, 22, is a proud, productive and stubborn restricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, whose heavy and direct game at junior and international levels projects well for the NHL postseason. He led the Ducks last season with 22 goals, and his 52 points with the 24th-ranked club, and 30th-rated offence, were as credible as his team leading 50.7 per cent face-off efficiency. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. McTavish has potential to become a reliable 30-goal producer and tough to play against. However, he has yet to reach contract-extension terms and that has sent suitors into a summer tizzy of what it would take to pry him away — everything from offer sheets to multiple players and draft picks. Good luck with all that. He could stay put. The Vancouver Canucks would salivate at potential of adding the 6-foot-1, 219-pound McTavish to help solve their riddle in the middle. But at what cost? Probably a roster player, prime prospect, and pair of high draft picks. AFP Analytics has McTavish receiving a six-year, $40.6-million US deal that would carry a $6.67 million in annual average value. Of course, his camp is pushing for more, somewhere between $7 million to $8 million, and hence the impasse. McTavish's competitiveness was evident in advance of the 2021 NHL Draft. After 42 points in (29-13) in 57 OHL games with Peterborough Petes in 2019-20 — followed by COVID suspension of OHL games the next season — he was loaned to Olten EHC of the second division Swiss pro league. He responded with 11 points (9-2) in 13 outings. 'I love to get to the dirty areas to score goals,' he told this reporter prior to the 2021 draft, where he was selected third overall behind defenceman Owen Power and centre Matty Beniers. 'I'm not one to shy away from playoff-style hockey. Just watching the NHL playoffs, those big-bodied guys really pay off. 'I love to compete against anybody and I don't really back down from anyone. I just want to be hard to play against and you don't want them to say: 'Oh, he was easy to play against.' Or, 'He was fun to play against.' I don't like to make it easy on guys.' Kind of sounds like what former Canucks captain Bo Horvat brought on a nightly basis. He has surpassed the 30-goal plateau in three of the last four seasons. '(Horvat) works really hard and takes pride in his two-way ability,' McTavish said in 2021. 'A terrific player and I have a lot of work to do, but hopefully I can have a similar career to that. Definitely somebody to look up to.' Quenneville could have McTavish centre a second line with Cutter Gauthier and Frank Vatrano, while Leo Carlsson works the first alignment with Chris Kreider and Troy Terry. That leaves Mikael Granlund between Alex Killorn and Ryan Strome. Not bad. Maybe a playoff contender. That wood resonate with McTavish, who excelled in international competitions that were like a postseason pressure-cooker. He piled up 17 points (8-9) in seven games to lead Canada to the 2022 world junior championship crown and was named the event's most valuable player. He also helped his country claim gold at the 2021 U-18 world championship with 11 points (5-6) in seven outings. McTavish, a Zurich native who moved to Canada at age eight, also played in the 2022 Olympics. In his OHL career finale, McTavish led the Hamilton Bulldogs to the league title in 2022 by scoring twice in Game 7 of the championship series. He then got creative when COVID struck and he needed a place to play. 'It was obviously a crazy year, but it was a very cool experience for me to go back to where I was born in Switzerland and play professional hockey at such a young age,' recalled McTavish. 'It really helped me get prepared for the U-18s. I would do that again.' But maybe not with all the travel hassles. 'I was in the Montreal airport in mid-November and was supposed to get over there (Switzerland), but they wouldn't let me into the country with COVID-related stuff,' said McTavish. 'We went back home and I also needed a work visa to get over there, and I had to be 18 to get that. 'So, right on my Jan. 30 birthday, I got my visa, and the next day I way on a plane. In the next couple of days, I was playing a game. It was pretty competitive. They're older men and they don't take days off, and take it way more seriously. 'I learned a lot from those guys.' bkuzma@


Edmonton Journal
13 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Canucks: Why massive Mason McTavish hype is about future playoff potential
Article content When Joel Quenneville guided the Chicago Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup championship in a six-year span in 2015, his centre of attention was Jonathan Toews. Article content At age 26, his 'Captain Serious' moniker fit like a glove because of drive, desire and delivery. Toews was 21 when the Blackhawks claimed their first crown in 2010, nearly the same age as another pivot who has become talk of the league this summer. Article content Article content Article content Mason McTavish, 22, is a proud, productive and stubborn restricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, whose heavy and direct game at junior and international levels projects well for the NHL postseason. He led the Ducks last season with 22 goals, and his 52 points with the 24th-ranked club, and 30th-rated offence, were as credible as his team leading 50.7 per cent face-off efficiency. Article content Article content McTavish has potential to become a reliable 30-goal producer and tough to play against. However, he has yet to reach contract-extension terms and that has sent suitors into a summer tizzy of what it would take to pry him away — everything from offer sheets to multiple players and draft picks. Article content The Vancouver Canucks would salivate at potential of adding the 6-foot-1, 219-pound McTavish to help solve their riddle in the middle. But at what cost? Probably a roster player, prime prospect, and pair of high draft picks. AFP Analytics has McTavish receiving a six-year, $40.6-million US deal that would carry a $6.67 million in annual average value. Article content Article content Article content Article content McTavish's competitiveness was evident in advance of the 2021 NHL Draft. After 42 points in (29-13) in 57 OHL games with Peterborough Petes in 2019-20 — followed by COVID suspension of OHL games the next season — he was loaned to Olten EHC of the second division Swiss pro league. He responded with 11 points (9-2) in 13 outings. Article content 'I love to get to the dirty areas to score goals,' he told this reporter prior to the 2021 draft, where he was selected third overall behind defenceman Owen Power and centre Matty Beniers. 'I'm not one to shy away from playoff-style hockey. Just watching the NHL playoffs, those big-bodied guys really pay off. Article content 'I love to compete against anybody and I don't really back down from anyone. I just want to be hard to play against and you don't want them to say: 'Oh, he was easy to play against.' Or, 'He was fun to play against.' I don't like to make it easy on guys.'