The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs second-round matchup has high respect. Both teams respect one another, especially Panthers head coach Paul Maurice.

In the regular season, Toronto cracked the Top-10 for power play effectiveness. In the 2025 NHL playoffs, they have ascended to third. Mostly due to the duo of Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.

As a result, Maurice broke down via George Richards of NHL.com why the Maple Leafs' power play is so effective.

“It allows for interchangeability you don’t see on power plays with a defined defenseman up top that rotates very much,” he said. “He moves side to side, maybe gets down on the flank, but there won’t be a lot of change that happens.

“There’s more [of that] with the five-forward power play. You could start at the top, end up at the net. They have enough experience doing those things. There will be quite a bit more movement in their power play.”

Toronto can change their lineup frequently during a power play. They can have a defenseman step up and lead the charge. That can force pressure on the opposition of choosing who to defend.

Then, Marner and Matthews are left alone to dissect the opponent.

Panthers' Paul Maurice knows the challenge of the Maple Leafs

Their power play has been exceptional during the NHL playoffs. Still, the Panthers have Stanley Cup Final experience. They might not be the flashiest team, but they know how to get the job done.

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Along with Maurice, forward Sam Reinhart sees the Maple Leafs' confidence and skill being a lethal mix.

“They are confident in it right now and they have a tremendous amount of skill, so that’s no surprise,” Reinhart said. “We just have to make them as uncomfortable as possible out there. Certainly, discipline is part of that factor as well.’’

Reinhart also knows the power play capabilities, as he excels on special teams. Also, Reinhart led Florida with 30 power-play points and five short-handed goals in the regular season.

It will likely be a blood bath in Toronto to open the series. Both teams will go on the offensive and try to exploit any proverbial mismatch that they can.

Marner and Matthews make a tough duo to stop. Meanwhile, Matthew Tkachuk and Reinhart have that experience, with the latter being a power-play savant.

Either way, Florida and Toronto will prove to be a test of two of the league's top options in the power-play. If one teams gets an advantage, it'll be worth noting who capitalizes first.