Florida Dominates Toronto In Game Seven, Advances To ECF

In another pivotal Game Seven, the Florida Panthers righted their wrongs from Game Six and thrashed the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-1 repeat of Game Five, advancing to their third-straight Eastern Conference Final. It seems like Florida averages one seven-game series in every playoff run. Thankfully, this one ended up being stress-free after the second period.

They were back to their old ways, playing a brutal style of defense that capitalized on the numerous mistakes Toronto made tonight. While it was a clean game on both sides penalty-wise, any turnover the Leafs committed was met with scoring opportunities.

With their backs against the wall, the Florida Panthers adjusted to Toronto's performance in Game Six and had themselves a repeat of Game Five. 🐈

Now they go from one team looking for 2023 postseason revenge to ANOTHER in Carolina in the ECF. 🏒#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/0AbUQU9nB0

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) May 19, 2025

From the moment the puck dropped, it was clear Florida turned the page on their lack of offense in Game Six. They hammered Toronto’s net, registering 20 shots to the Leafs’ zero to begin the game. Toronto should be grateful no one scored in the first period, but grace can only go so far.

Getting Deja Vu Again?

In the second, the hockey gods blessed Florida with favorable angles and perfect positioning for their goal scorers. Seth Jones turned in his reasoning for why he deserves to be the MVP of the series with a nasty wrister that flew by Woll. Toronto’s goaltender had a solid series, but the wall cracked after the initial score.

Four minutes later, Anton Lundell doubled up Florida’s lead. He rushed to the net following a blocked shot from Eetu Luostarinen, catching a wide-open net in the process. No one has featured more defenseman scoring in the postseason than Florida, emphasizing the depth this team has.

Anton Lundell was in the right place at the right time for the second goal of the game for Florida. 🐈

The Cats continue to prove that having defensemen that excel in scoring goals is an absolute cheat code in the playoffs. 🏒pic.twitter.com/dKV0PSRsEV

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) May 19, 2025

Just like in game five, Florida never took their foot off the gas offensively. They just about doubled the time spent in the offensive zone in the second period. As a result, you get a tired defense that can only do so much for Toronto.

As the Leafs try to clear, Jones yoinks the puck, waits to tap it in as the Cats sub out, avoiding the offsides call, and sets up Jonah Gadjovich for goal #3 of the night – another rebound off a shot from AJ Greer.

Where Momentum Goes To Die

Under head coach Paul Maurice, Florida entered this game with an absurd 26-0 record when leading after any period in the postseason. In other words, the Grim Reaper came to collect in the third.

Toronto thought they had a late rally in the works as Max Domi went five-hole on Sergei Bobrovsky, his only blunder of the night. The stadium was bumping, and Maple Leaf Square felt a bit of hope… all for it to come crashing down. 47 seconds later, Loustarinen tipped in a shot from Brad Marchand right in front of Woll to turn the ScotiaBank Arena back into a library.

Florida's fourth goal of the game may have been the most important, as it came less than a minute after Toronto scored their first goal, canceling any momentum and turning Scotiabank Arena in a library. 🐈🏒#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/Q1foKNIRbI

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) May 19, 2025

If you blinked, you missed the fifth goal of the night for Florida. TNT certainly did, as we found out that Sam Reinhart scored a goal right off a faceoff AFTER IT HAPPENED. Regardless, things got ugly after this in the arena.

Fans were already booing the home team at the end of the second period. But now, jerseys were being tossed on the ice, a horrific (and expensive) sign of the times for Toronto.

Speaking of Marchand, he now had the second-most points against Toronto in the postseason in NHL history, only behind Gordie Howe. The mayor of Toronto recorded two assists tonight and an empty-netter to boot. Considering what he’s done to that city as a Bruin, it was only fitting he called the game.

So that’s it. Toronto hasn’t won a Game Seven since 2003, and Florida is now 6-0 in Game Sevens under Coach Maurice. And they have an Eastern Conference Final rematch against the Crolima Hurricanes. They’ll certainly be looking for revenge after being swept by Florida in 2023.

There’s no rest for the wicked. Game One is in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday, May 20th at 8pm.