Maple Leafs lineup tonight: Toronto’s projected lineup for Game 7 against the Florida Panthers | Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 2, May 18, 2025

Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs will collide with the Florida Panthers in a highly anticipated Game 7 to decide who will be advancing to the conference finals to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes, who eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games.

Toronto and Florida have battled back and forth throughout this series, with the Maple Leafs jumping out to a 2-0 lead at home, and the reigning Stanley Cup champs fighting back to even things up in Games 3 & 4.

While Florida had a chance to close things out in Game 6, Toronto secured a massive shutout victory to force a Game 7, setting the stage for tonight's highly anticipated showdown at Scotiabank Arena.

If the team is able to pull off a win, it would be just its first conference finals appearance since 2002, and the second since 2000.

Toronto Maple Leafs projected lines

Note: Lines subject to change, * indicates player is questionable

Forwards

Matthew Knies* - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Pontus Holmberg - John Tavares - William Nylander
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok
Bobby McMann - Max Domi - Max Pacioretty

Defense

Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit - Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Goalies

Joseph Woll
Matt Murray

Powerplay

Matthew Knies*, John Tavares, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews
Max Pacioretty, Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Penalty Kill

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev
Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo

Looking at the latest surrounding Anthony Stolarz and Matthew Knies ahead of Panthers-Maple Leafs Game 7

Heading into a pivotal Game 7 tonight, Toronto is once again expected to be without netminder Anthony Stolarz, who exited Game 1 with a concussion and was reportedly taken to the hospital via ambulance before the end of regulation.

Since then, Stolarz has yet to return to action, with coach Craig Berube starting Joseph Woll in his place. While the loss of Stolarz has been a significant one for Toronto, Woll has proven in recent years that he shines brightest when up against elimination.

Throughout his career, he's gone 5-0 in the playoffs when faced with an elimination scenario, with a 96.2% save percentage through five games.

In the case of Matthew Knies, the forward suffered an injury in the first period after a collision with Niko Mikkola. While he played the remainder of the game, he logged just 13:01 of ice time, considerably less than usual, especially compared to his linemates.

While the Maple Leafs are preparing to play without Stolarz, it sounds like the hope right now is that Knies is good to go for tonight.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman