Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Game 1: Preview, lines, predictions, 2023 NHL Playoffs

Modified May 02, 2023 16:44 GMT

Welcome to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a special welcome to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have not reached this point in 19 years.

The Leafs finally overcame their curse, knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the second round. While the victory was not an upset, it certainly feels like one when looking at the Leafs' struggles in the postseason.

The Florida Panthers, on the other hand, are coming off a massive upset, no matter how you look at it.

Florida scratched and clawed to get into the postseason as the second Eastern Wild Card in the final days of the regular season. Their reward was a first-round matchup with the 65-win Boston Bruins.

Against all odds, the Panthers overcame a 3-1 deficit and knocked off the Bruins in Game 7 to send the President’s Trophy winners home early.

There is little doubt that these two teams have faced more adversity than any other remaining playoff club. How will that affect this series? Well, they should both be ready to go in Game 1.

The Panthers seem content to stick with veteran Sergei Bobrovsky after he took the crease and won three straight games against the Bruins. Bobrovsky's numbers are far from elite but the 34-year-old has found a way to win. He is 3-1 with a 3.94 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in the postseason.

Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov overcame a horrific start to lead Toronto to a six-game series victory against Tampa. After a .793 save percentage in a blowout Game 1 loss, Samsonov went 4-1 with a .918 save percentage. In Game 7, Samsonov stopped 31 of 32 Lightning shots (.969%).