5 h. ago Maple Leafs survive loss of Stolarz, beat Panthers in Game 1

The Maple Leafs persevered on Monday night. In doing so, they beat the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the second round. After building an early lead and enduring the loss of starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz, the gutsy Leafs hung on and won 5-4 at Scotiabank Arena. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series goes on […]

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5 h. ago WARMINGTON: ‘Incredible’ crowd at The Vault deeply invested in Leafs playoff run

It was one of those starts where even though you needed earplugs, no one wanted them because everybody wanted to savour every second of it. The Vault has never been louder. It started with the first goal of this NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between Toronto and the Florida Panthers as William Nylander lit the […]

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16 h. ago Leafs and Panthers: NHL playoff series has plenty of story lines, and hatred

The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to defeat a Florida Panthers club that has won five straight playoff series and has been to consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances.

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34 h. ago SIMMONS: Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube not intimidated by Cup champion Florida Panthers

Craig Berube has been scratching, clawing and fighting his way through the many levels of professional hockey for most of the past 38 years, so you can excuse him if he’s not intimidated by the Florida Panthers. When asked how his Maple Leafs will fare in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against […]

Sport

34 h. ago Maple Leafs’ Matthews on eve of second round: ‘We’re ready to go’

Let the second-round games begin. After a day off, an optional practice and a full practice, the Maple Leafs are eager for the opening faceoff of Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena. “We’re prepared, we’re ready to go,” Leafs captain Auston Matthews said on Sunday. “There’s a lot of […]

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40 h. ago Mitch Marner becomes a dad, absent from Maple Leafs practice

Mitch Marner had the best excuse for missing Maple Leafs practice on Sunday. Marner’s wife, Stephanie, gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday morning, the Leafs said. The birth comes a day before Mitch’s 28th birthday and Game 1 of the Leafs’ second-round series against the Florida Panthers. The Leafs were on the ice […]

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44 h. ago SIMMONS: Leafs GM Brad Treliving made studying Panthers an early priority

When Brad Treliving was hired by the Maple Leafs, just 19 days after they were eliminated in the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, one of the first things he did as general manager was this: He re-watched the five games the Leafs played Florida. He watched them closely. He studied his roster, what he had […]

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55 h. ago Florida Panthers’ Paul Maurice wonders if a coach belongs in a handshake line

Paul Maurice has been through something like 25 playoff series handshake lines as an NHL coach, four of them last season in winning the Stanley Cup with Florida. It’s everything he loves – and sometimes detests – in hockey’s book of unwritten rules. He said the signs of respect were genuine on Wednesday as he […]

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61 h. ago Composure, defence against Florida forecheck critical for Maple Leafs

Keep your emotions in check. The term is bandied about all the time in professional sports, for excellent reason. Regarding the Maple Leafs in the second round against the Florida Panthers, the ability to keep composure presumably will be a significant factor in whether Toronto continues to slay Stanley Cup playoff demons and advances to […]

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3 d. ago Leafs in tough against defending Stanley Cup champions, warns NHL scout

There are no shortcuts to beating the Florida Panthers. “They get after it, and they get after you, all the time,” said a veteran NHL scout who watches the Panthers regularly. “They have everything you need to succeed. They have depth up front. They have unselfish players. They play with incredible passion. They move the […]

Sport

3 d. ago Are this year’s Toronto Maple Leafs built to beat the Florida Panthers?

WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of Off The Post, Toronto SUN Sports Columnist Steve Simmons, Postmedia Hockey Columnist Bruce Garrioch, and Postmedia’s Rob Wong wrap up the Battle of Ontario between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. They discuss the killer instinct the Maple Leafs showed in Game 6, how the Senators should […]

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3 d. ago Florida’s Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli named Selke Trophy finalists

Forwards Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers and Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lightning were named the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy on Friday. Voting for the award — presented annually to the league’s top defensive forward — was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Barkov, Florida’s captain, […]

Sport

3 d. ago Plenty of evidence Florida Panthers will go for the jugular against Maple Leafs

Scenes the Maple Leafs should sear into memory before their next series against the Florida Panthers: * Brad Marchand in handshake line, after besting Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning, with plastic rats strewn on the ice. * Aaron Ekblad at the Panthers bench after his shot on Brandon Hagel’s chin, with […]

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4 d. ago SIMMONS: Huge team victory for Maple Leafs, but no time to celebrate with Florida up next

When they shook hands after the final buzzer had sounded, Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving, there were no giant hugs, emotional shrieks or high-fives: Really, this was just a moment to exhale. For the beleaguered club president. For the second-year GM. For the Core Four who have been around forever and the rest of the […]

Culture

4 d. ago MAPLE LEAFS NOTES: Teammates inspire teammates, rolling Panthers await

The message was sinking in, apparently. Or specifically, how the message was being worded in the Maple Leafs dressing room before Game 6 Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. A day after Leafs coach Craig Berube said the only pressure his players have is from their own teammates, captain Auston Matthews carried a similar tune on […]

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5 d. ago RICK VAIVE: Time for Craig Berube to make himself heard in the room

It’s time to interrupt this program for a message from Craig Berube. While I understand the coach doesn’t want to share his thoughts in the media as he said Wednesday, let’s hope he’s making a point behind closed doors. I was floored the Leafs played as badly against Ottawa as they did in Game 5, whether it […]

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5 d. ago Core Four talk doesn’t change as Maple Leafs again will try to eliminate Senators

The broken record is getting a workout. Craig Berube hasn’t been on the job as Maple Leafs coach for a full year and he sounds like he has had his fill. We’re talking about the Leafs’ core, of course, and its annual inability to find a way to make a difference in the Stanley Cup […]

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5 d. ago SIMMONS: Same old, same old Maple Leafs in lacking Stanley Cup desperation

Toronto fails to finish off Sens -- again -- as series heads back to Ottawa

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6 d. ago Coach Craig Berube has set the pace, Maple Leafs happy to pick it up

Follow the leader. Having a coach who has experienced just about everything there is to experience in the National Hockey League has been key for the Maple Leafs in their desire to go on a long playoff run. Craig Berube, winner of the Stanley Cup in St. Louis six years ago and with more than […]

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8 d. ago SIMMONS: Nylander the one Leaf you can’t take your eyes off of in Battle of Ontario

When trying to explain what it was about William Nylander that so enticed the Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL draft, Dave Poulin, then a Leafs assistant, now an Ottawa Senators executive, was rather clear. “He was the only player in the draft who could stickhandle in a phone booth,” said Poulin. This is 11 […]

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