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Craig Berube, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Maple Leafs Back Up Words With Disciplined, Complete Effort in Game 2

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Corey Abbott | Last updated May 8, 2025 12:25 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 2 by a 4-3 score, taking a 2-0 series lead in the second round. The Maple Leafs delivered the perfect response to a chaotic, emotionally-charged opener versus the Panthers on Monday (May 5), where starting netminder Anthony Stolarz sustained an injury after receiving a sneaky, dirty elbow or forearm to the head from ex-teammate Sam Bennett.

The Maple Leafs didn’t unravel after Stolarz left the game, holding on for a 5-4 victory to claim Game 1. The team has been comfortable in bend but don’t break scenarios in the 2024-25 regular season, and that has carried over into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto has also showcased an admirable ability to bounce back when momentum appears to be shifting.

Players and Coaches Preach Composure

The Maple Leafs remained composed in the aftermath of Game 1. It started with head coach Craig Berube, who called the headshot for what it was before shifting his focus to getting his team ready for the next game. Berube preached the need to stay physical but to remain disciplined. “There’s an opportunity to take the body, take it, I don’t care who it is, you go through them,” said Berube on Tuesday (May 6). “But if you think you’re going to get back at Bennett (for the sake of retribution), you end up in the penalty box” (from ‘Walk the line, don’t cross it coach Craig Berube reminds Maple Leafs,’ The Toronto Sun, May 6, 2025).

Jake McCabe echoed that message: “Team discipline will continue to be a huge thing. Special teams are big in the postseason. Winning that penalty advantage, they got one, and we didn’t last game, that’s it right there” (from ‘Walk the line, don’t cross it coach Craig Berube reminds Maple Leafs,’ The Toronto Sun, May 6, 2025). The Maple Leafs didn’t score on five power-play chances in Game 1, but the Panthers tallied a goal on three opportunities. The goal Florida got came after one of the softer cross-check calls you will ever see because Brad Marchand baited Max Domi into taking a penalty.

Max Pacioretty told reporters on Tuesday that the team has “to play with emotions, but we also have to be smart about it. This group has stuck together and stood up for one another and played for one another all year, and this is going to be another example of that.” The players have bought into a great mindset, and Berube deserves plenty of credit for steering his squad in the right direction.

Seeking Retribution Would’ve Done More Harm Than Good

Once the league made the controversial but unsurprisingly disappointing decision not to hand out any supplemental discipline to Bennett, it was time to move on and prepare for Game 2. Focusing on getting revenge or making that the focal point of the series would have been the wrong way to go about the situation.

After all, an eye-for-eye attitude got Toronto into problems in past playoff runs, notably when heart-and-soul forward Nazem Kadri stuck up for his teammates with hits that resulted in costly suspensions. Retaliatory plays are far more likely to attract attention, and the Maple Leafs were wise to avoid that. For example, a drastic change in philosophy, like dressing Ryan Reaves for a game, sends the wrong message. It would’ve put the 38-year-old enforcer under a microscope, and it probably wouldn’t have taken much for referees to usher him to the penalty box. It also wouldn’t have been a good decision because it would have weakened a lineup that has performed much better without him in the fold. While he can provide energy, it introduces an unnecessary sideshow that distracts from the task at hand of advancing further in the postseason.

Maple Leafs Stayed True to Their Identity

For the most part, the Maple Leafs didn’t take the bait in Game 1, skating away from the Panthers’ attempts to stir the pot after the whistle. However, that didn’t stop Toronto from competing hard when the play clock was ticking, and that mentality carried over into Game 2. The players defended with structure and answered the bell with physical play. The Maple Leafs did a tremendous job pressuring the Panthers all over the ice in Wednesday’s victory.

The Maple Leafs have done plenty of offensive damage off the rush through two games of Round 2, but the power play needs improvement. It is the ultimate deterrent to keeping some of the chippy plays down. The first combination has generated chances but hasn’t scored yet. Still, the club got a big goal with the man advantage from the second unit in Game 2 when Pacioretty deflected a point shot by Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs need more from the power play as the series shifts to Sunrise for Games 3 (May 9) and 4 (May 11).

Hurting Them Where It Counts

Scott Laughton said it best after Toronto’s morning skate ahead of Game 2. “To win. That’s how you get them. Play them the same way, physical. Play their top guys hard. At the end of the day, it’s about winning and punishing them that way.” The Maple Leafs had an opportunity to place plenty of pressure on the defending Stanley Cup champions by taking both games on home ice, and Toronto accomplished that goal.

The players and coaches said all the right things and made the right moves going into what could’ve been a combustible Game 2. They backed up their words with a disciplined, resilient performance that is becoming the theme of Toronto’s playoff run. However, the job is far from finished.