The Florida Panthers return home to Amerant Bank Arena for Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET on Friday, May 9. Toronto leads the series 2-0 after back-to-back one-goal wins on home ice.
Toronto won Game 1 by a score of 5-4 and followed it up with a 4-3 win in Game 2. Both games were decided in the third period, with the Leafs showing strong finishes. Florida now needs a win on home ice to avoid going down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Panthers Preview – Looking to Spark the Stars
The Panthers have had a slow start to the series. They have allowed nine goals in two games after giving up just 11 in five games against Tampa Bay in Round 1. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed eight of those goals at even strength and is struggling to match his early playoff form.
Florida’s top players are quiet so far. Sam Reinhart, their regular season points leader, has no points in the series. Matthew Tkachuk has one assist, Aleksander Barkov has one goal, and Gustav Forsling has no points. The third line has carried the scoring with Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Eetu Luostarinen each contributing a goal and two assists.
Florida finished the regular season 47-31-4 and went 26-13-2 at home. They’ll need better defense to stop Toronto’s rush chances. The Panthers have trended to the under in the third period, cashing it in 45 of their last 107 games.
Maple Leafs Preview – Can the Leafs Keep Rolling?
Toronto has won the first two games with different styles. In Game 1, they led most of the way and held off a late push. In Game 2, they came from behind and won it late on a Mitch Marner goal. Joseph Woll took over in net after Anthony Stolarz left Game 1 with a head injury and did not travel for Game 3.
William Nylander has been the top performer with three goals and one assist in the series. He has six goals and seven assists across eight playoff games. Auston Matthews and John Tavares have been quiet so far, combining for just one assist and no goals in this series. That could change at any time, but so far the scoring depth has stepped up.
The Leafs were 52-26-2-2 in the regular season and lead the Atlantic Division. Toronto has won four straight playoff games with Woll in net. They’ve also hit the moneyline in 52 of their last 77 games and have shown the ability to win in both high and low-scoring games.
Betting Prediction
Florida is favored at home, but the betting public is leaning toward the Leafs. Toronto’s momentum and strong goaltending give them a shot to take control of the series. Florida needs its stars to show up and Bobrovsky to bounce back in net.
The total is set at 6.0 or 6.5 depending on the book. Both games in the series have gone over that number. With scoring depth on both sides and inconsistent goaltending from Florida, the over is in play again. The Leafs are worth a look as underdogs to grab another win.
Pick: Maple Leafs +120
