On the back of an outstanding performance by goaltender Anthony Stolarz, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it to the playoffs for the ninth straight season. With a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, the Leafs officially secured their spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their streak of playoff appearances is the longest active one in the NHL.
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz was excellent in the win, stopping 29 shots. As per Jonas Siegel, after 75 games, Stolarz had a .920 save percentage and 0.77 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (30 games). Joseph Woll has a .906 save percentage and 0.35 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (39 games). The Leafs are in good shape when it comes to their goaltending. Stolarz said after the contest, “We just played our game from the start.”
Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies were key contributors in the matchup. Marner and Knies each had a goal and an assist, while Tavares scored his 36th of the season. Tavares has 14 goals in his last 16 games and has been red hot since the 4 Nations break.
The Leafs now have a three-point cushion over the Panthers in the standings as they continue their pursuit of the division title.
Maple Leafs with an Important Statement Win
While the Panthers didn’t have Aleksander Barkov or Matthew Tkachuk in the lineup, this was still an important statement win for Toronto. Tavares called it a really good test, and coach Craig Berube said it was about winning battles.
