“We don’t mind it,” the Florida Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues claimed after learning that the Cats would start their Round 2 campaign against the Leafs on the road. However, so far, it seems like Rodrigues’ confidence was misplaced. Toronto has trounced the reigning Stanley Cup champs in both of the first two games of Round 2 at Scotiabank Arena. With the shambolic display on the ice, the Florida Panthers have many pundits convinced: their title defense ends here.

In 2025, the Panthers met arch-rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight time. The Battle of Florida heated up, and the Miami team emerged victorious with a sonorous 4-1 series win over the in-state foes. However, seeing how things are panning out in the Atlantic Division postseason final, NHL experts don’t see a similar result panning out this time.

Just hours ago, the Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by 3-1 at the Capital One Arena. After a pitiful performance last Thursday against the Canes in the first game of Round 2, Alex Ovechkin & Co. are finally on level terms. However, despite the scoreline, the Caps didn’t impress the NHL community, and Spittin’ Chiclets’ Ryan Whitney took to X on May 8 to explain why whoever wins the Caps-Canes series has a storm brewing for them in the Atlantic Division.

“The Capitals look horrible. 19 shots in 4 periods of this series. Toronto gonna smoke whoever wins this series,” Whitney wrote in his social media post, underscoring that he predicts the Leafs to trample over the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven series. The Capitals blitzed into the second stage of the postseason by ousting the Canadiens from Cup contention in the first. However, fans were left fuming after the team squandered an early lead in Game 1 against the Hurricanes. But Whitney thinks none of the Metropolitan Division teams could hold a candle to Toronto.

The Leafs themselves made it to Round 2 by winning the Battle of Ontario against the Ottawa Senators. However, considering Toronto fell to the Florida Panthers in their four regular-season meetings, the Cats community was hopeful that a similar result would unfold in the postseason as well. Moreover, with Leafs’ netminder Anthony Stolarz taking a major hit from Florida’s Sam Bannett in Game 1, Toronto’s defense was also running thin for Game 2. And yet, the Maple Leafs proved they’re perfectly capable of holding the fort, and will go into Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead.

“Playing against Toronto in Canada, it’s probably one of the best atmospheres to play in. Capital of the hockey. It’s going to be a good challenge,” the Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky said before the Round 2 campaign began. While Bobrovsky & Co.’s enthusiasm has taken a massive hit, with stars like Matthew Tkachuk in the offensive line and Seth Jones in the blue line, the Miami squad can still turn things around.

The Florida Panthers’ hopes of evening the odds are at hand

After losing the first two games, the Panthers will finally have something to feel good about. Game 3 of Round 2 will see the Leafs travelling to the Amerant Arena. Naturally, the Florida locker room can’t wait to have the fans rallying behind them as they begin their quest to get back on level terms. “It’s going to be awesome to get home,” said Anton Lundell, underscoring how the team will be looking forward to using the energy from the fans in their favor to bring Toronto’s winning streak to an end.

On top of that, despite the last two losses, goalie Bobrovsky has been in excellent form. In Round 1, the netminder allowed the Bolts to score only 11 goals in five games. While letting the puck go past him nine times in the first two games against the Leafs has somewhat dampened the Florida Panthers’ star’s momentum, his teammates are confident that Sergei can find it in himself to bounce back from the rough patch. After all, in 2023, Paul Maurice’s boys ousted the Leafs from the Stanley Cup contention, and Bobrovsky played a key role in that.

With a .943 save percentage, the goalie allowed only 10 goals from 174 shots. But could that stellar statistic be repeated again? Can the defending champs reach deep and find their footing? The fans believe that the Panthers’ stacked lineup would make their postseason run a massive success, despite what many experts claim. Are you also one of the believers of Florida? Tell us how you think the rest of the series will pan out in a comment!