Panthers Must Control High-Danger Areas Against Maple Leafs

The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs meet in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Atlantic Division rivals are in store for an epic series. The Panthers aim to continue their quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups, while the Leafs seek their first Stanley Cup since the 1960s.

The Panthers found success in the opening round by getting to the dirty areas of the offensive zone. They dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games by dominating the high-danger areas, and they must continue that trend to eliminate the Maple Leafs.

According to NHL EDGE, the Panthers scored 12 of their 19 first-round goals in the high-danger areas. Florida's greasy forward group, led by Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand, are able to create chaos and the offense emerges from there like the griffin rising out of the ashes.

For Maple Leafs starting goalie Anthony Stolarz, that presents an issue. Stolarz was superb in the opening round against the Ottawa Senators, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.21 goals-against average. There is one area where he's struggled in the postseason, however, and it works perfectly in the Panthers' favor.

Stolarz struggles with high-danger shot opportunities. He's surrendered seven goals on 35 high-danger shots against, giving him a .800 save percentage on those scoring chances. Contrarily, he's recorded a .913 save percentage against mid-range scoring chances and a .926 save percentage on long-range chances.

It makes sense for goalies to have a lower save percentage as the opposing offense gets closer to the net. The issue in this series is that the Panthers excel at getting to those areas, and their offensive system succeeds when they are winning body position down low.

If the Panthers get to that style of offense and enforce their will on the Leafs, the series will shift in their favor quickly. The Maple Leafs must counter with a stout defensive presence, especially in the middle of the ice. The battle for the high-danger area will commence in Game 1.