The Maple Leafs and Panthers held practices at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are starting December four points outside a playoff spot, but Brad Marchand still views them as “a very good contending team.”

The Panthers winger believes it’s too early to make any judgements about a team’s playoff prospects. He is, however, well aware that the concern level is high in Toronto.

“Obviously with the media attention and the fan support that they have in Toronto, you know, things get blown way out of proportion up there,” Marchand said. “What are they, four points out of a playoff spot? If people are thinking they’re out of a playoff spot for the season they got to find a new job.”

Marchand sees a simple reason for why the Leafs, who finished first in the Atlantic Division last year, are currently sitting in 15th place in the Eastern Conference.

“They’re battling some injuries, stuff like that, which affects your overall game and your consistency and just how comfortable you are with with your linemates and everything,” Marchand said.

Only four Leafs players (centre John Tavares, winger Bobby McMann, defenceman Jake McCabe and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson) have suited up in all 25 games this season.

The Leafs pushed the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers to seven games during the playoffs last season. What does Marchand remember most about the second-round series?

“They were one goal away from from beating us, essentially,” he said.

Toronto led the best-of-seven series 2-0 and had chances to take a stranglehold lead in overtime of Game 3 before Marchand scored the winning goal.

“They compete very hard,” Marchand recalled. “They’re very deep. Their defensive structure is way better now than it was in the past.”

After the series ended, Marchand expressed sympathy for Leafs players.

“When you see the pressure Toronto faces … they just beat the pressure into this team,” he said.

“When you see the pressure Toronto faces… they just beat the pressure into this team.”

Brad Marchand says the Toronto fans and media put extra pressure on the team. pic.twitter.com/rX5SHyNytm

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 19, 2025

Marchand: People doubting Leafs playoff chances ‘got to find a new job’ The Maple Leafs and Panthers sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, tied at 25 points heading into a playoff rematch on Tuesday. Brad Marchand is confident both teams will work through their issues, and said if you think your playoff dreams are done 25 games into a season then you have bigger problems.

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Florida is tied with Toronto with 25 points this season, although the Panthers have played one fewer game and have four more regulation wins (11-7).

“We’re going through the same thing,” said Marchand. “We’re both trying to find our game.”

The search continues on Tuesday night when the Leafs and Panthers faceoff for the first time since Florida’s decisive 6-1 win at Scotiabank Arena in Game 7.

Head coach Craig Berube doesn’t plan on bringing up the Game 7 beatdown when it comes to preparing his group, but there’s no doubt that it is a motivating factor for some of his players.

“I think it’s good to use that,” said Ekman-Larsson, who won the Cup with Florida in 2024. “You always want to learn from games and your experience, so I think it’s great to have that in the back of your head.”

“I think you use it as motivation,” agreed Leafs captain Auston Matthews. “At the same time, it’s a divisional game. Looking at where we’re at in the standings and just how important these games are, especially against your own division, I don’t think there’s really any extra motivation needed.”

The Leafs have won two of three games to start this season-long five-game road trip. The Panthers have lost three straight at home and three of four overall.

“There’s going to be a lot of juice in the building for both teams,” predicted Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad. “These are always emotional matches against teams that we play in the playoffs and they bring it just as much as we do. So, it’s always a fun game for the fans and a fun game for us to find our mojo again.”

“It’s going to very emotional,” said Panthers forward A.J. Greer. “It was a hard-fought series. A series that goes to seven games, for one team it is a great accomplishment and for the other it is a hard pill to swallow. I think the intensity is going to be very, very high and just expecting us to come out, play a playoff game, do the simple things right and set the tone early.”

Extra energy expected as Leafs-Panthers renew rivalry in playoff rematch The Maple Leafs and Panthers meet on Tuesday in a playoff rematch, and both teams come in hungry for a win as they try to overcome some early season struggles. Florida expects extra intensity for the matchup, and the Leafs will use that playoff heartbreak as motivation in the rematch.

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The Leafs are coming off their most lopsided win of the season. Seven different players scored during Saturday’s 7-2 rout over the Pittsburgh Penguins, including Matthews. It was the centre’s first goal since since returning from a five-game injury absence.

“It feels good,” Matthews said. “The first couple games getting back, you just want to try to find your rhythm and get back to, you know, just your momentum and your feel and touch out there. So it always feels good to put one in the net. And obviously getting a win like that just does a lot for our confidence. We just want to continue to push the pedal to the ground.”

Saturday’s goal by Matthews was a classic snipe from 42 feet out.

“It was good to see,” said Berube. “What was good about it for me is [that it’s a] distance shot. You know what I mean? He’s scored a lot of goals that way in his career, and it’s good to see that one go in because his shot can beat goalies from distance.”

Matthews has scored 10 goals in 20 games this season, but only four via a wrist shot.

Last year, Matthews potted a career-low 33 while suiting up in 67 games. An upper-body injury plagued Matthews throughout the campaign.

In the 2023-24 season, Matthews claimed his third Rocket Richard Trophy by scoring 69 goals. Marchand believes it may actually be a good thing that Matthews isn’t posting eye-popping goal totals any more.

“He’s focusing more on a 200-foot game,” Marchand observed. “He’s playing more physical defensively. I think that’s one of the things I really noticed about him last year. He was much more reliable, much tougher to play against in his end of the ice than in years past.

“Good for him. He easily could have worried about cheating and scoring goals and and chasing 60-plus goals every year … He’s gonna have to sacrifice scoring maybe the way he did in the past and that’s what you have to do to win, and that’s part of why they were such a good team last year.”

Your humble correspondent relayed Marchand’s comment to Matthews, who agreed with the sentiment.

“I always want to be the best player that I can be and produce and do all these things,” the 28-year-old said. “But, in the end, the most important thing to me is winning with this group here. And so, whatever the sacrifice needs to be, I mean, I’m willing to make it.

“You look at the teams that win, you know, the Barkovs, Bergerons, Crosbys, all those guys, Toews, Kopitar, all the guys that win playing that centre position, I mean, they do it on both ends of the ice, so I definitely want to be that kind of player.”

Matthews is tied for the team lead at plus-nine this season. He leads all Leafs forwards in blocked shots.

Marchand sees Matthews sacrificing offence to play winning hockey Panthers star Brad Marchand compliments Auston Matthews for improving his 200-foot game and says the Leafs’ captain is much tougher to play against now than he was in year’s past. Matthews says it’s all about winning and he’s willing to make any sacrifice necessary in order to make that happen in Toronto.

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Matthews may be sacrificing some offence for defence, but that doesn’t explain why he’s struggling to score on the power play. Matthews has just one goal and two points on the man advantage this season.

Matthews potted 10 power-play goals and produced 25 power-play points last season. Toronto’s power play finished tied for eighth overall last year (24.8 per cent) thanks to a five-forward alignment with Mitch Marner at the quarterback spot.

With Toronto’s power play ranking 25th (15.9 per cent) so far this season, the team has decided to go back to the five-forward look with Matthews replacing defenceman Morgan Rielly at the top.

“It’s a pretty big adjustment,” said Matthews. “I was telling Mo, it’s definitely not as easy as it looks up there, but I think it’s come along all right. I thought we had some better looks [Saturday], and it was nice to be able to practice it out here.”

“He’s got an opportunity to shoot a lot of pucks from there,” said Berube. “The puck is on his stick a lot, which we like right now.”

The Leafs unveiled the new alignment on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets without having completed any practice reps with that formation. Toronto worked on it at practice on Thursday and again on Monday.

Berube whistled Monday’s practice over, but Matthews asked for additional reps.

“For me, I want to still be aggressive,” Matthews said. “But knowing that I’m kind of that last man back, I can’t get sucked in too far into the O-zone there. So, just trying to move it and create some space for other guys, and shooting the puck when I can and just trying to find some openings.”

Toronto’s top unit surrendered a 3-on-1 chance during a power play in Columbus and allowed a breakaway on Saturday in Pittsburgh. On both occasions the team’s goalie bailed out the top unit.

The Leafs scored on one of their three power plays on Saturday. The lone goal was scored by Nicolas Roy as part of a second-unit shift.

Matthews looks to build momentum after first post-injury goal; PP QB role a work in progress Auston Matthews scored his first goal in three games since returning from an injury absence, and hopes to carry that momentum forward as the Maple Leafs continue their road trip in Florida. Craig Berube explained why he moved Matthews to the point on the power play, a spot which Matthews admits isn’t as easy as it looks.

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The Panthers have played the entire season without captain and top-line centre Aleksander Barkov and alternate captain and top-six winger Matthew Tkachuk. In the absence of those key players, and several other regulars, Marchand is leading the way.

“He’s [got] the team on his back right now,” said Ekblad. “He’s incredible. His ability to hold on to pucks and make plays, but also play that simple game, and be aggressive and get under the other team’s skin is second to none.”

Marchand is leading the Panthers in goals (15), points (27) and penalties drawn (12).

“He scores every game pretty much,” marvelled winger Carter Verhaeghe. “This is crazy. To be doing that at this point in his career is absolutely insane. I hope I can be half that at that age. So, yeah, he’s been our leader in driving every game.”

The 37-year-old is simply picking up where he left off last season when Marchand finished as runner-up for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

“He looks like he did in the playoffs and has that same kind of energy every day and we need that right now,” said coach Paul Maurice. “He’s been really, really important to us.”

Marchand downplayed his contribution this season and actually took the blame for the most recent loss to the Calgary Flames.

“It’s just unacceptable,” he said of Florida’s sloppy play. “We’re better than that. It starts with me last game. I turn a puck over when we’re up 2-0. We’re in control and the momentum changes. It’s just understanding that a single play is enough to impact the game in a negative way or positive way and just doing our job. I think that’s why we’ve been really good, and why we’ve had success as a group is because we value the little details that most teams don’t, and most players don’t, and especially down the stretch in the playoffs.”

‘Team’s on his back right now’: Marchand helps Panthers stay afloat amid injuries Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have yet to play a game for Florida this season, and Brad Marchand has stepped up in their absence with 15 goals and 27 points in 23 games. The Panthers are happy to have Marchand on their side and note how vital the 37-year-old has been to keeping the team afloat amid their injuries.

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Brandon Carlo returned to practice on Thursday in Washington and the hope was the injured defenceman would skate again with the team on Monday. But Carlo, who has not played since Nov. 13, did not hit the ice in Florida. Instead, he travelled back home to Toronto to meet with a doctor.

Berube confirmed Carlo suffered a setback in his recovery.

“We’ll know something probably in the next 24 hours on him,” the coach.

When Carlo missed practice on Nov. 14 it was described as simply a “maintenance day” by the team. When he missed the game on Nov. 15 the timeline cited by Berube was “day-to-day.” Now, the 29-year-old is out for the foreseebale future.

Fellow right-shot defenceman Chris Tanev is also sidelined with no timeline for his return from an upper-body injury sustained on Nov. 1.

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Down a couple right-shot rearguards, the Leafs have leaned on waiver wire pick-up Troy Stecher.

“He plays with pace,” said Berube. “I think that’s one of the biggest things I noticed. He closes on people quick and moves his feet really well. And just, he’s simple with the puck, right? He makes the first pass or makes a hard play when he has to, and he’s been defending well. He’s been defending hard at our net and things like that.”

Stecher is plus-two while averaging 17:27 of ice time in six games with the Leafs. On Saturday in Pittsburgh, with Simon Benoit absent for personal reasons, Stecher moved up to the second pair beside Jake McCabe and led the team in ice time (23:52).

Even with Benoit back at Monday’s practice, Stecher remained beside McCabe.

“I met Jake this summer, actually, skating in the off-season, so just kind of that little familiarity definitely helps,” said Stecher, who played two Stanley Cup Final games against the Panthers while with the Edmonton Oilers last season. “I thought we were vocal together, and we tried to put our best foot forward. But the onus is on us to do it again tomorrow night.”

McCabe had been playing on the right side on a pairing with Benoit.

“I do like McCabe on the left,” Berube said. “He was a lot better on the left that game. Not that he hasn’t done a good job on the right, but I’d rather him on the left as much as possible. And him and Stecher were good together the other night.”

Benoit partnered with Philippe Myers on the third pair at practice while Dakota Mermis rotated in as the seventh defenceman.

Leafs Ice Chips: Carlo suffers setback; Stecher stays with McCabe Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo has suffered a setback and was sent back to Toronto for further testing. Troy Stecher, who was claimed off waivers a few weeks ago, remains on a pairing with Jake McCabe. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on the defensive adjustments Craig Berube is making on Toronto’s banged-up blueline.

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With righties Stecher and Myers in the top six on defence, there’s only one player being forced to line up on their weak side, but it certainly doesn’t seem to bother Ekman-Larsson. The team’s oldest defenceman carries a nine-game point streak into Tuesday’s tilt.

If Ekman-Larsson hits the scoresheet in Florida, he will tie Tom Kurvers (10 games in 1989-90) for the longest point streak by a defenceman in Leafs history.

“I didn’t know that,” Ekman-Larsson said with a laugh. “Thanks for telling me. No pressure.”

Did TSN just jinx OEL? Probably not.

“He’s extremely poised,” said Ekblad. “Nothing ever bothers him. He’s a gamer.”

With 20 points (only three on the power play) in 25 games, Ekman-Larsson is on pace for his most productive season ever at age 34.

“He’s done it before,” said Matthews, an Arizona native. “I’ve been watching him since I was a young kid when he was [with] the Coyotes. He’s always been great offensively with the puck. He plays with a little edge to him as well. You’re just seeing him jumping up in plays, being available. He’s got a good shot. He can get pucks through, and, you know, it’s finding him right now.”

After leaving Saturday’s game in the third period due to an upper-body injury, Ekman-Larsson participated fully in practice on Monday.

“Nothing major,” the Swede said with a shrug. “Yeah, I’m not giving much [information], but I’m fine. I’m feeling good. So just, yeah, taking care of the body and making sure that it was all good.”

“He’s not afraid to get hit and roll off hits,” noted Ekblad. “I think the guys that stick around a long time know how to do that and do that well and do it under pressure and protect themselves as well.”

‘Nothing ever bothers him’: Ekman-Larsson ready to chase Leafs record after injury scare Oliver Ekman-Larsson has four goals and 20 points in 25 games this season and heads to Florida riding a career-best nine-game point streak, tied for second longest by a defenceman in Maple Leafs history. As OEL chases down records, the Leafs and his former Panthers teammates spoke about what makes him so effective.

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There were a few injury scares at Monday’s practice.

William Nylander fell awkwardly after being tripped up by the stick of Myers during a drill. He went to the bench, sat down and spoke briefly with assistant athletic therapist John-Paul Laciak before continuing on.

Nylander was the first player off the ice at practice. The star winger usually stays out late for some extra work.

Nylander missed Thursday’s practice for maintenance and missed three games earlier this season due to a lower-body issue.

Through it all, Nylander continues to produce. He has only been held off the scoresheet in two of his 21 games. He leads the team in assists (21) and points (32).

Nylander scored the overtime winner in Columbus on Wednesday. During the third period of that game, he had a conversation with Berube on the bench, which garnered a lot of media attention. On Monday, Berube was asked about it and said he had no memory of that interaction.

Berube did say that Nylander is very good at dealing with criticism.

“Takes it really well,” Berube said. “I mean, there’s different guys I’ve had over the years that they could take it better than others. He’s very good at it.”

The coach stressed that his relationship with Nylander is in a good spot.

“It’s tricky,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a good relationship. I always say that. I never know what I’m going to get from Willy. It keeps me on my toes about things. But, no, I think our relationship is good. I mean, we obviously have our opinions about things and certain things but, for the most part, I think we communicate really well together. For me, personally, I really enjoyed the challenge of coaching him.”

Berube on relationship with Nylander: ‘I never know what I’m going to get’ Leafs head coach Craig Berube explains how his relationship with William Nylander has evolved in his second year behind the bench in Toronto and credits the dynamic winger for taking criticism well.

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Berube accidentally bumped into McCabe during a drill late in practice.

“I asked him if he was all right,” Berube said with a grin. “I was doing the same drill a few years ago in St. Louis, and David Perron ran me right over. Like, I didn’t see him, you know, I was a little too close and involved. I went down and I cracked a rib. We were laughing. So, the next day, the boys drew an outline of me on the ice. They got a good chuckle out of that.”

Earlier in Monday’s practice, Matthews knocked over assistant coach Derek Lalonde.

“He got rocked,” Berube cracked. “I didn’t go down.”

Will Lalonde be ready to coach on Tuesday night?

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Berube said with a smile.

Leafs coaching staff gets in on the physicality at Monday’s practice It was a physical practice for the Maple Leafs on Monday but it wasn’t just the players who were throwing the body around. Head coach Craig Berube put the body on Jake McCabe and was asked about it afterwards. In a separate incident, Auston Matthews dropped assistant coach Derek Lalonde to the ice after a collision. Everyone involved was unharmed.

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Lines at Monday’s practice:

Knies – Matthews – Domi

Cowan – Tavares – Nylander

Joshua – Roy – McMann

Lorentz – Laughton – Robertson

Jarnkrok, Maccelli

Rielly – Ekman-Larsson

McCabe – Stecher

Benoit – Myers

Mermis

Woll

Hildeby

Power play units at Monday’s practice:

QB: Matthews

Flanks: Nylander, Cowan

Middle: Tavares

Net front: Knies

QB: Ekman-Larsson

Flanks: Rielly, Domi

Middle: McMann

Net front: Roy