Panthers stay focused with series lead ahead of Game 2 against the Leafs

TORONTO — The Florida Panthers are in a position that they haven’t been in for years, decades actually. For the first time since 1997, Florida leads a playoff series 1-0. They are also doing that while being on the road. 

For years the Panthers have been chasing teams in a series and for years it didn’t amount to any success. Before last year against the Washington Capitals, Florida hadn’t advanced past the first-round since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996. They also had to chase the Caps in that series after dropping Game 1 at home. 

This year’s first-round was similar to that of 2022. Florida dropped Game 1 in Boston, and ended up in a 3-1 series hole before taking three straight from the Bruins to knock out the Presidents’ Trophy winners. 

On Tuesday night in Toronto, Florida walked out of the arena in a position this roster hasn’t been in before – they led the series after Game 1.

Panthers’ defenseman Gustav Forsling has made the playoffs in all of three seasons with the team. While Forsling and the Cats lead early in the series, they still go into Game 2 with the same mentality that they’ve had all playoffs. 

“We want to have the same mindset always, but we are still hunting here,” said Forsling on Thursday. “We want to get two wins here and go home to Florida.”

Road teams have dominated so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Florida is no different. The Panthers won four of their five games on the road entering Thursday night, with those four coming consecutively.

“We like it, we like to be the underdogs and starting on the road is not a bad thing for us, it seems like,” Forsling added. 

Ever since the Panthers started their miraculous turnaround in Toronto last month to sneak into the playoffs, the team has been playing freely and it’s probably because nobody thought they’d be in this position. 

“You look at a year like last year, [it was] so easy for so long, then you look at a year like this year, [we were] really trying for so long,  I think we’ve grown a lot,” said Sam Reinhart. “The pressure isn’t really there for us, we’re just showing up and playing and we’re loving doing it beside one another.”

“Every night’s a Game 7 for us and it really has been that for a while.”

Every game being a Game 7 has been echoed throughout the Panthers room, at least to the media, since they were down 3-1 to Boston. The players and the coaching staff have been saying that a lot, even with the Panthers holding an early series lead in Toronto. 

“We’re trying to get to Game 7 in every series we can,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said in Toronto on Thursday. “This isn’t a marathon for us, we’re not here for two months, we’re here for tonight.” 

The Panthers will try to take a 2-0 series lead tonight in Toronto before they head back to Sunrise for their home stand for Games 3&4. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. ET.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Bet on NHL player props on Prize Picks. New users use code: “five” to match your initial deposit for up to $100.