The Florida Panthers are in quite a tough spot right now. So, after their Round 1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1), they’re now in a bit of a tough spot, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs who have taken a 2-0 lead in the series. They definitely need to bounce back! It seems like coach Paul Maurice might be facing even more challenges ahead. Luke Fox shared on X that “Paul Maurice says he has some game-time lineup decisions due to health.”

This could mean a lot of things, but not all of them are looking too good for the Florida Panthers as they gear up to make a comeback in Game 3. Looks like a few players on the Panthers roster are facing some health issues that might impact whether they can play in the upcoming game. Maurice hasn’t locked in the lineup just yet since he wants to check on the players’ conditions right before the game starts. Some players might be feeling pretty good, but there’s still a bit of uncertainty.

The coaching staff prefers to hold off on making a final decision until after warm-ups or those last-minute evaluations. You know, this kind of thing happens a lot as we get deeper into the playoffs or during those late-season games. Players are usually pushing through some minor injuries at that point. Maurice’s choice of words suggests he’s open to making changes — if a player isn’t feeling 100%, he might have to tweak his line combinations or defensive pairings based on who’s available to play and who’s not.

It looks like the Panthers are aiming to keep their opponents on their toes. By holding back specific lineup details until game time, they make it harder for the other team to tweak their strategies too soon.

Yeah, the Panthers have definitely faced these issues in the past. Why is that? So, a bunch of their key players got hurt right before the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Matthew Tkachuk made his comeback in Game 1 of the playoffs after being out for 25 games because of a lower-body injury he picked up during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

In his return, he really made a splash by netting two power-play goals and chipping in an assist during a 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also, Aleksander Barkov, the captain of the Panthers, got an upper-body injury during Game 2 of the series against the Lightning. His status for Game 3 was up in the air, and Maurice mentioned that they’ll decide on the lineup as the game time approaches. Did you know that, besides concentrating on his own team, Maurice has also shown support for other NHL teams in the past?

Paul Maurice cares about other teams

If you caught last year’s Stanley Cup Final, you probably remember what Paul Maurice had to say. “I just want to get on, it was, it was… So if I could have one thing more, it would be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup,” the Panthers coach said. He really connects with the Jets, especially from his time as their head coach between 2013 and 2021.

But the Jets weren’t the only team he’s backed, as he shared in a chat with Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer, saying, “There was no good result in the Dallas Edmonton Series for me last year. I wanted you to win. I couldn’t mentally understand. I’m cheering for you but I don’t want to play you. But I didn’t want you to lose. It really mixed emotions and I couldn’t get a handle on it.” Maurice talked about the tough emotions he went through during the 2024 Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers.

The Panthers coach truly appreciates his friendship with DeBoer and holds him in high regard, so it makes sense that he wants to see his friend succeed. Maurice was really cheering for DeBoer and the Stars to pull off the win while he was watching the series. He was really excited to see them go head-to-head in the Stanley Cup Final, but the Oilers ended up beating the Stars back then.