I have a feeling that round 2 for Toronto and Florida is going to be brutal. I have to think the Panthers are the favorite, based on them being the defending champs and the Leafs penchant for coming up short. I do think though that they are very evenly matched this time, at least on paper.
- Falon
It's imperative that the Leafs win game 1. If they fall behind, they lose. Look at Tampa that had home ice and lost it right out of the gate. They were playing catch-up the rest of the way. It's important for the Leafs to neutralize Tkachuk and Bennett. A large dose of heavy forechecking might accomplish that. It's going to be a grinding series with a lot of physical play. The Panthers aren't as quick as Ottawa, but they have a devastating forecheck. The Leafs need to play in Florida's end way more than they did against Ottawa. I'm interested to see how the Leafs coaching staff addresses this.
