NHL analyst believes Toronto Maple Leafs would reach Stanley Cup Finals, beating $1.4 billion rival

It's all sunshine and lollipops right now for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Leafs Nation is feeling real good, up 2-0 in their second-round series against the defending Stanley Cup champions, with the opportunity to take a 3-0 stranglehold in Florida on Friday night.

Many around the hockey world were skeptical about the Maple Leafs' chances of taking down the powerhouse Florida Panthers, worth $1.4 billion per Forbes. However, through two games, Toronto has proven all the doubters wrong, looking like they could be in for a deep run.

TSN hockey analyst James Duthie appeared on "First Up" on Friday morning and provided his take on the Maple Leafs' path to the Stanley Cup Final. First Up shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).

"I just think it's okay. Look, they may not. A lot of things could go wrong. There could be injuries. The Panthers could come alive. Of course, they could still lose the series or lose the next one. Because, you know, the problem if they win this one is that I think they'll instantly become the favorites and, you know, kind of like the situation a couple years ago when they played Florida in the second round, and everybody started to look at, you know, the conference final or the Stanley Cup final," Duthie said.

"Carolina. I think that Toronto will be better than whoever comes out of Carolina, Washington if Toronto beats Florida, but that doesn't mean they're going to win, but I think it's okay to say that this team looks good enough to go to the Stanley Cup final right now, and everybody feels it. Just, I think a lot of people are afraid to say it out loud." Duthie added.

After entering the second round in a tie for the longest odds to win the Stanley Cup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have jumped up to the fourth shortest odds of the eight teams remaining at +550, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Maple Leafs face a pivotal Game 3 on Friday night

Game 3 on Friday night could shift the balance of this second-round series one way or the other.

They say you aren't out of a series until you lose on home ice, and that has yet to happen between the Maple Leafs and Panthers. However, Toronto has the opportunity to change that on Friday night with a road win in Florida.

On the flip side, a Panthers win to cut the deficit in half heading into Game 4 at home could change everything.

The Maple Leafs look to put the Panthers on the brink of elimination with a Game 3 win on Friday night in Florida. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Amerant Bank Arena.