Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers: Game 3 preview, prediction, and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2, May 9, 2025

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the road to play the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of their second-round playoff matchup on Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m. ET.

Toronto won both games at home to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Maple Leafs vs Panthers: Head-to-head & key stats

Toronto went 1-3 against Florida this season, but is 2-0 in the playoffs
The Maple Leafs are 25-13-3 on the road
The Panthers averaged 3 goals per game this season
Toronto averaged 3.25 goals per game
Florida allowed 2.71 goals per game
The Maple Leafs allowed 2.79 goals per game
The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers: Preview

Toronto is up 2-0 in the series, winning both games at home and silencing a lot of doubters. In Game 2, the Maple Leafs were led by Max Domi and Max Pacioretty who each had a goal and an assist, while Mitch Marner and William Nylander both scored.

The Maple Leafs will start Joseph Woll again due to the injury to Anthony Stolarz. Woll went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and a .909 SV%. In his career against Florida, he's 1-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .940 SV%. In the playoffs, Woll is 2-0 with a 4.01 GAA and a .875 SV%.

Florida, meanwhile, has struggled in both games, in large part due to the play of Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky went 33-19-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .906 SV%. In his career against Toronto, he's 16-9-1 with a 2.66 GAA and a .907 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 4-3 with a 2.90 GAA and a .876 SV%.

In Game 2, the Panthers were led by Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Aleksandar Barkov, who all scored. But, the Panthers need better performances from their top players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett.

Maple Leafs vs Panthers: Odds & Prediction

Toronto is a +195 underdog while Florida is a -238 favorite and the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.

The Maple Leafs have surprised many so far by winning both games, but Florida has had their moments. Game 3 is practically a do-or-die for the Panthers, so expect Florida to play much better, while Bobrovsky will likely be on his A-game.

Expect the Panthers to get out to an early lead and play better defensively, backed by a good Bobrovsky performance to get the win.

Prediction: Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 2.

Maple Leafs vs Panthers: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Florida -1.5 (+120)

Tip 2: Over 5.5 goals (-125)

Tip 3: Sam Bennett 3+ shots on goal (-150)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton