05-05-2025
Maple Leafs Coach Sends 'Comfortable' Message Before Panthers Series
Craig Berube and the Toronto Maple Leafs have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they will face the reigning champion Florida Panthers.
Even though the Panthers will be unlike the Ottawa Senators in terms of their heightened physical play, the Leafs seem to be getting cozy.
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Head coach Berube, in particular, is not worried about that Panthers trait ahead of Game 1, scheduled for Monday in Toronto.
When asked about the physical challenge Florida presents, Berube made it clear he has no concerns about the aggressive, gritty, grinding Florida style of play.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube speaks to the media during the 2025 Stanley Cup DesRosiers-Imagn Images
'I'm very comfortable,' Berube said. 'I don't feel worried about it at all. Our team is—they're ready for it. They understand it.
'That's playoffs. It's going to be hard, and there's going to be hits, and you've got to get up and play.'
The Panthers closed out their first-round series in five games, dispatching a strong Tampa Bay Lightning team with little trouble and leading all teams already qualified for the second round in penalties in minutes per game at 14:24.
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Florida also won three of four regular-season games against the Maple Leafs, outscoring Toronto 13-7.
Berube stressed that his team is already focused on what comes next and is not "satisfied" with just advancing past the first-round matchup.
'I don't know about satisfied,' Berube said after the win over Ottawa. 'We're happy we won; you're supposed to be happy you won. It's not easy to win a series, and the guys should be happy they won the series, but now we've moved on, and we have to get prepared for Florida.'
Related: Matthew Tkachuk's First Message to Brady Tkachuk After Senators-Maple Leafs
Related: Panthers and Maple Leafs Fire Loaded Messages Before Second-Round Series
