May 18th, 2025, 8am
For the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, it all comes down to this. Sunday’s match marked the conclusion of the series’ wild roller coaster, which included two wins to start in Toronto, then recorded a three-game win in Florida, then offered another matchup in Game 6 in Toronto.
Who will face the Carolina Hurricane in the Eastern Conference Finals? Who starts their offseason vacation a little earlier than they wanted?
Read the game preview, including statistical insights from ESPN Research, roundtable discussions with key players with key players in Game 7, final score picks, what went down in Saturday’s game, and a 3 star summary from ArdaÖcal on Saturday.
Matchup Notes
Florida Panthers of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 7 | 7:30pm ET | TNT
Maple Leaf lost Game 7 six times in a row in Game 7, 12-15 in Game 7. The Panthers are 3-1 in Game 7, including their victory in last year’s Stanley Cup final.
Auston Matthews’ first goal in 11 career postseason games with the Panthers came at a critical time. Technically he was the winner of Game 6.
Editor’s Pick
2 Related
Teammate Mitch Marner is the second player in Toronto franchise history with 50 playoff assists, supporting Matthews’ goals. Doug Gilmore is 60.
Joseph Wal made his first career playoff shutout as he became the first Leafs goaltender to register for a shutout when he faced an elimination since Curtis Joseph in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals.
Florida’s Brad Marchand will appear in his 13th career game 7. He was the fifth benchmark to hit that benchmark, joining Scott Stevens (13), Patrick Roy (13), and his former Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron (14) and Zden Chara (14).
Sergei Bobrovsky has a 2-0 career record in Game 7, including a victory at Edmonton in last year’s Cup final. He wants to join a group of eight goaltenders who won their first three games seven.
Who is the only important player you are looking for?
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Joseph Wal. There are several reasons here. It starts with something obvious. Can he replicate what he did in Game 6, or at least bring some of the elements of that performance into Game 7. We’re used to seeing teams have one major option in the net. However, this postseason shows the value of having at least two (if not three) if you can trust. Woll will further highlight that reality by getting a Game 7 victory.
Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: William Nylander. The most productive player in this playoff run, Nylander has been a scoresheet in the past week. After posting six goals and nine assists through nine games against Ottawa and Florida, Toronto’s most dynamic performer all-regular season posted eggs in three straights.
If one of the coolest cucumbers in the game can rifle past Bobrovsky in a relaxed mood, he will give him a great opportunity to clear hurdles that Leafs fans have not enjoyed over the years.
ArdaÖcal, NHL broadcaster: Auston Matthews. The Leafs captain scored his first career playoff goal with the Panthers in Game 6. This was also his first career goal beyond the first round of the playoffs. We hear it all the time: superstars need to show up and show when it matters most. He accomplished it in Game 6. Can he do the same thing on Sunday when the winner takes everything?
Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Mitch Marner. Matthews pulled the monkey off his back with that crucial goal in Game 6, so it’s time for Marner to make the moment to decide the series in Game 7 his own. Marner scored four points in his first three games against Florida, but he has since registered only one assist. And after that unfortunate Spin O’Rama’s departure campaign, Marner was drawn into a Game 5 fiasco. This is also an opportunity for a little redemption on home ice cream.
Marner, like Matthews, is one of the most criticized players in the league because of poor postseason performance when it matters most. Well, the stakes are higher than ever. It is now or never that Marner will place his mark on this.
NHL reporter Greg Wysinski: Brad Merchand. Even in moments of pure uplifting, even in Game 6 where the two most vicious players combine for a winning goal – the general idea among Maple Leafs fans is whether this is simply a mechanism that ultimately brings the greatest anguish. It will be the biggest pain that Merchand is powering the Panthers in Game 7 victory at Toronto’s home ice.
It must be the Merchand to twist the dagger. He has a 4-0 record against Toronto in Game 7 and, all along with the Boston Bruins, can be the first player to defeat the same opponent in all games of at least five winners. The Leafs wanted to trade for Merchand before choosing Florida as their deadline destination, but now they speak of a sarcastic level of pain. Brad Merchan, the reason the Panthers win this Game 7, has solidified his position as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest suffering – perhaps only for themselves.
The final score is _____.
Clark: OT’s 4-3 Panther. Consider this current iteration of the Panthers actually began to make that mark. It was a Game 7 victory against the Boston Bruins in 2023 that set the stage for the Panthers to become one of the NHL’s outstanding powers.
They showed comfort in playing in Game 7. This was the case last season when the team won the first Stanley Cup in their history. Utilizing that experience in Game 7 could be a difference between appearances in the third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, or the fact that they start the offseason earlier than they want.
Breaking news from Emily Kaplan
Download the ESPN app, enable Emily Kaplan news alerts and receive push notifications for the latest updates. Tap the alert bell in the top right corner to opt in. Click here for more information.
Matthiash: 4-2 Maple Leafs. Don’t worry about Leafs’ overwhelming loss record with the Game 7s where Core Four is running. Ignore the perfect history of all contests of Paul Maurice’s carbon copy essential winners. The only losers are the losers until they win.
If Toronto adheres to the Berube system, takes advantage of its advantage at speed, counter the physicality of Florida properly enough and commits absurd violations – stupid penalties, stupid giveaways, they can ultimately turn the script into what is the tired, pessimistic story of a town that has been craving too long. This victory is essential if the central crew of this authentic star wants to unite the elite bands years ahead. Marner acquires and seals the empty netter.
Öcal: 3-1 leaf. Here’s how I see it: Toronto scores the first goal in the first period from Marner, then blows the onslaught of the second cat. Marchand scored early in Florida in the third, with John Tavares quick response followed by Oston Matthews Pot Home the Empty Netter. The Leafs will be heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002. 300,000 people will then celebrate this two-round victory at Nathan Phillips Square.
Shilton: OT’s 3-2 leaf. If not now… when? Toronto knows exactly what to do to close Florida. It’s not easy. Paul Maurice is 5-0 in Game 7. The Panthers know how to win big games. But the blueprint to break them is also for the leaves to be executed.
Joseph Wal was in his best condition in Game 6. Toronto’s top line rolled. The leaves look defensively sturdy, and there is a collective effort that was previously lacking. This chance to reach the conference final for the first time since the early 2000s was too good to escape, and once Toronto would not allow it. And the final appearance in 2002 saw a Game 7 victory over Ottawa. I had the chance to play Carolina. A coincidence? Probably not!
Wyshynski: 2-1 Panthers. Auston Matthews was eliminated eight times from the playoffs. Three of the past four exclusions were one goal, with two games working overtime. This means that even if they are lacking, these leaves don’t usually go out with effort like Game 5 embarrassment at home.
But they’ll go out. There are too many people in Florida who have done this before. Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart were huge in Game 7. Sergei Bobrovsky is 2-0. Another team may rattle by wasting the opportunity to close the opponent. Florida wasted it three times in the Stanley Cup final against Conor McDavid last season, and still put it together to win the Cup in Game 7.
3 stars in Öcal on Saturday
Upon hearing the unexpected death of Winnipeg forward forward Mark Shayfele’s father, the star’s fan base was mobilized online and launched a campaign to donate $55 (Shayfele’s jersey number) to a veteran-backed charity. Add that to your list of reasons why hockey fans are the best.
Overtime hero sending Dallas to the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive year – a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers starting in 2024. Harley became the fourth defensive in franchise history, winning the OT winner in the playoffs, joining John Klingberg (2019), Matthias Norstrom (2008) and Paul Cavalini (1994).
Scheifele had an incredible game, including an opening goal, hours after learning that his father had passed away. This was Seafele’s first road playoff goal in the last 13 games.
play
0:34
Mark Schiefelle strikes first for Winnipeg
Mark Schiefelle scores the opening goal for the Winnipeg match the day after his father’s death.
Saturday Summary
Dallas Star 2, Winnipeg Jets 1 (OT)
Dal wins 4-2 and plays EDM in the conference final
Multiple games in this series ended with a multi-goal victory. That wasn’t the case on Saturday as these two heavyweights played tight contests that ultimately went to OT. Winnipeg’s Mark Siefele recorded the opening goal of the game in the second term (the day after his father unexpectedly died), followed by an equalizer by Dallas Samsteel. That’s where the score remains until the regulations end. It didn’t take long in OT for Thomas Harley to thrill Dallas fans and send his team to the Western Conference Finals for a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers. Complete summary.
play
0:24
Jake Oettinger makes amazing saves to maintain score level
Jake Oztinger is making his best attempt at acrobatics in the crease, lighting out the stars in the third season.
