Diehard Maple Leafs superfan Justin Bieber sends a message ahead of Round 2 clash against Florida Panthers

The second round of NHL playoffs begins on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Toronto is fresh off defeating the Ottawa Senators in six games, while Florida advanced by winning over the Tampa Bay Lightning in five.

Ahead of Monday's matchup, Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber shared a message on Instagram, posting photos of the Leafs logo.

“New series starts tonight. This the yearski,” Bieber captioned.

Bieber has supported Toronto for a long time and often shares his love for the team online.

The Maple Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division this season, ahead of the Panthers by 10 points. It’s their second trip to Round 2 in three years and also their first playoff run under Craig Berube.

Florida enters this round as the defending Stanley Cup champions. It reached the final two years in a row, losing in 2023 and winning in 2024. At the trade deadline, the Panthers added Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins, joining Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett to give the team a tough edge.

Toronto will look to match Florida’s physical play, with Chris Tanev, Bobby McMann and Max Pacioretty all ready for the challenge. Game 2 will also be in Toronto on Wednesday, while Games 3 and 4 will be played in Florida on Friday and Sunday.

Justin Bieber went live with Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews

On April 20, Justin Bieber went live on Instagram with Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, and many fans tuned. Bieber and Matthews are close friends and often hang out at hockey games.

"If I could be any other human being, I would want to be you," Bieber said.

In February, at the LA Strong event, Bieber played hockey and talked about Matthews and Mitch Marner.

“I love those guys man, let’s go baby, let’s go Leafs!” Bieber said.

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Bieber also practices with the Leafs sometimes. In February 2024, NHL insider Luke Fox shared a clip of Bieber practicing with Matthews and Marner. The singer also helped lead Team Matthews at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez