Maple Leafs and Panthers Set For High-Stakes Battle With Big Implications Tonight
As the Maple Leafs and Panthers face off, they will have some serious implications for the playoffs are going to turn out for Toronto if they can pull off a win.
It's going to be a bit of a tough task for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night as they take on the Florida Panthers, they are going to have the same lineup that dominated the Blue Jackets which is good news for a team looking to win the Atlantic Division with only a handful of games left.
Though every game is important, and there are no guarantees when it comes to the playoffs; if Toronto wants to give themselves the best possible chance, they need to win against Florida.
If Toronto can muster a regulation victory they will be able to lock up that critical home-ice advantage when it comes to the first round, something that could end up making or breaking the team come playoffs.
Home Ice Could Mean The Difference Between A Series Win Or Loss
The advantage isn't just in terms of crowd atmosphere (though that's been a bit of a sore spot for the team this season) but it gives them the ever dangerous final line change so they can match up their players accordingly and give them at least some hope for a mismatch.
Florida will most likely have Matthew Tkachuk back in for Round One at some point, and Aaron Ekblad's suspension should be over by Game Two; so it's critical that the team ensures it secures every little advantage they can get.
The Panthers have seemingly been throwing in the towel recently and tanking against some weaker teams, however they seem to be throwing most of their top guns out there against Toronto. Is it a sign of fear from Paul Maurice? Or is it just a case of resting his stars?
We'll have to see how the game plays out. If Florida looks stagnant and not a team looking to press the Maple Leafs, it may be a very good sign that Maurice wants to matchup with Toronto, but if they end up trying to fight tooth and nail; it's just a quick little refresh for the Panthers.
Tuesday's game has a lot of implications for how the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will turn out.
Let's just hope for the sake of the Maple Leafs, they head into that first matchup with Scotiabank Arena as the difference maker.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 8 | 339 ANSWERS Maple Leafs and Panthers Set For High-Stakes Battle With Big Implications Tonight Do you think Toronto needs home-ice advantage to get through the first round? | ||
| Yes | 243 | 71.7 % |
| No | 96 | 28.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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