Panthers Series Will Define Core’s Legacy

The Toronto Maple Leafs face a critical test in Game 5 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, as the club hopes to turn the tide after Florida evened the series with a pair of home victories last weekend, but more than just determining the result of the series, the next two to three games will define the legacy of the club’s core group that has been together since 2016.

William Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies have had their individual moments. Nylander scored five goals in three consecutive wins over Ottawa and Florida and leads the club with six goals. Tavares had goals in three of the first four games against the Senators and a pair of markers in Game 3’s overtime loss and has five tallies. Knies has been arguably the Leafs most dangerous forward offensively in the playoffs and is tied with Tavares with five.

Morgan Rielly, whose scoring totals dipped in 2024-25, has even been a surprising source of goal production with four, but through 10 playoff games, Leafs team captain Auston Matthews and leading scorer Mitch Marner each have two goals.

The issues for both players are different. Matthews has been able to score in the postseason (25 goals in 65 career playoff games), but his scoring totals have been down this season, and his wild shooting inaccuracy in the playoffs is indicative of someone playing through an injury. To his credit, Matthews has been excellent defensively and very good on face-offs, but the Leafs need a momentary blip from the guy who scored 69 goals. Marner is always relegated to being a peripheral player in the playoffs. His high in playoff goals is three in 2023 (when the Leafs last got to the second round and lost to the Panthers).

It is unfair to expect Marner to all of a sudden drive the net or go into the dirty areas, that is not his game, but Toronto needs to see a higher level of intensity and performance if they are to win this series. Fair or unfair, the legacy of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Shanahan era is a team that retreats and folds when it comes time to step up. If they do it once again, that will only serve as an exclamation point and potentially the final chapter of an era of failure. The only way to change that narrative is for the Leafs to rise to the challenge against the Stanley Cup Champions.

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There will be lineup changes for Game 5. Florida head coach Paul Maurice said on Wednesday that forward Evan Rodrigues will not play. Rodrigues left Sunday’s 2-0 loss early in the third period after a check from Toronto’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Maurice indicated that Jesper Boqvist will replace him in the lineup.

As for the Leafs, Berube is playing things close to the vest regarding his lineup, but it seems likely that he will shake things up for the pivotal Game 5.

“Game-time decisions, it was an optional skate this morning, and we have some decisions to make,” Berube said.

Speculation is that Nick Robertson (who has not played since Game 2 of the Ottawa series) will be inserted and reunited with linemates Bobby McMann and Max Domi, and that David Kampf (who has not played since April 2^nd) will play on the fourth line.