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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 2-0 series lead in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1987. The Leafs defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 2 at Scotiabank Arena with backup goaltender Joseph Woll between the pipes — and that's likely going to be the case when the series shifts to Sunrise this weekend.
“Leafs coach Craig Berube doesn’t think Anthony Stolarz will travel to Florida. Or at least not right away,” reported The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday morning. “No new update on him otherwise today from the coach.”
Stolarz was elbowed by Panthers forward Sam Bennett during a 5-4 victory in Game 1. He left the arena on a stretcher and was hospitalized; Bennett controversially avoided both a penalty on the play and a suspension afterwards.
Woll was solid in Game 2, making 25 saves on 28 shots in his first taste of Stanley Cup Playoff action in 2025.
“It’s something I had to focus on and come up with a plan to stay ready as well as I can,” Woll said afterwards, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy. “It’s a different challenge than playing every night but a challenge nonetheless. I think I’ve done what I needed to do to prepare to be in this spot.”
Woll's last start came on April 17 after Stolarz established himself as the starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs down the stretch. But with the 31-year-old likely out for at least Game 3 on Friday night — if not longer — Woll will once again be manning the crease in South Florida.
“Very calm and cool in net I thought, and made saves,” Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Woll, per McCarthy. “Pucks are coming to the net all the time playing Florida, so he was on his toes and fighting through traffic making the saves that were needed. Very impressed with him tonight.”
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Leafs flipping the script on Panthers in 2025
Two years ago, the Maple Leafs and Panthers met in the second round of the postseason. Toronto had home-ice advantage for that series as well, but dropped Games 1 and 2 at home after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in Round 1. They ended up losing Game 3 and eventually bowing out in five games.
This time around, it's the Leafs who have won the first two contests, and the Panthers will need to secure a victory in Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena or be facing down an insurmountable 0-3 series hole — just as Toronto did back in 2023.
Florida ended up advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year, eventually losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. But they were finally able to capture Lord Stanley last season after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling Game 7.
The Panthers are now facing some adversity, which hasn't happened too much for the franchise after winning eight of nine playoff series dating back to the first round of the 2023 postseason.
The Leafs deserve a ton of credit for the way they've played against a powerhouse Panthers team — especially considering they lost a terrific starting goaltender in Stolarz — but the series is far from over. They'll look to take a stranglehold and get one step closer to the Eastern Conference Final when puck drops on Game 3 on Friday night.
