Full Round 2 Schedule Released for Panthers vs. Maple Leafs with Surprising Twist

Monday night kicks off the second round between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, a series that is going to have all eyes focused towards it, and leading to many questions especially since their first go round in the playoffs left a lot to be desired for Leafs fans.

But this is a new team and things certainly feel different, though we can only see what happens once they actually take the ice. With the first game Monday, it seems like we'll have games every alternating day.

That has since been confirmed, and in doing so will create a bizarre situation that feels very out of place in a Maple Leafs season: They aren't playing on a Saturday night at all.

Toronto is the team that is synonymous with playing on Saturday night, and having a series without them is going to cause a bit of a stir, as fans are already getting a bit peeved with the schedule.

Some even think the NHL is trying to play favorites with the Panthers and try to give them as much of a break as possible.

The last time the Maple Leafs didn't play on a Saturday was earlier this season, something that even caught head coach Craig Berube off guard. This was also an issue in 2023 when Florida was given the exact same treatment; it's a blatant show of favouritism from the NHL, and sadly, something not out of the ordinary.

Although Hockey Night in Canada is nowhere near the iconic television event that fans swarmed the glow of their TV sets for, it still has an integral part in not only hockey, but Canadian culture as a whole. The theme song might be different, there might not be a Don Cherry, but it's still a part of all of us.

The Toronto Maple Leafs deserve to play on a Saturday night. Anything else is frankly, blasphemous.