Early look The full preview opens on Monday 29 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers: game preview

Puck drop1 Apr · 7:00 PM ET
VenueAmerant Bank Arena
All-time meetings126 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. Florida finished 25th on 84, and the 2025-26 season series went TOR 2-2-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 127

Across 126 completed games, Toronto lead the head-to-head 64-49-13.

All-time record64-49-13Toronto's record in the series
Meetings played126This is number 127
2025-26 seriesTOR 2-2-0
Last 53-2Florida
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
11 Apr 2026FLA 6 – TOR 2——FLA
26 Feb 2026TOR 1 – FLA 5——FLA
6 Jan 2026FLA 1 – TOR 4——TOR
2 Dec 2025TOR 4 – FLA 1——TOR
18 May 2025FLA 6 – TOR 1——FLA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateTorontoFlorida
2 Dec 202512-11-3 · 27 pts23rd12-12-1 · 25 pts28th
6 Jan 202620-15-7 · 47 pts17th22-17-3 · 47 pts16th
26 Feb 202624-19-9 · 57 pts18th28-20-3 · 59 pts14th
11 Apr 202632-34-14 · 78 pts28th38-38-4 · 80 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 2 Dec 2025, Toronto were 23rd in the league and Florida 28th. By 11 Apr 2026 it was 28th and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Toronto 261 to 212

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Toronto Maple Leafs

212 att · 103 on goal · 11 G · 10.7%
Crease19 att · 2 G
Slot78 att · 8 G
Wing71 att · 0 G
Point38 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Florida Panthers

261 att · 120 on goal · 13 G · 10.8%
Crease12 att · 0 G
Slot95 att · 7 G
Wing110 att · 4 G
Point29 att · 0 G
Neutral zone15 att · 2 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Florida have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

TorontoFlorida
3.40xG for per game3.01
3.21xG against per game2.34
51.4%xG share56.3%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.4

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 4 for Florida. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Florida

Small sample
Power play · 2026-274.3%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229
Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 30 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 30 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 29 Mar

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 29 Mar

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

11 Apr 20268 · FLA 6–2 TOR
26 Feb 20266 · TOR 1–5 FLA
6 Jan 20265 · FLA 1–4 TOR
2 Dec 20255 · TOR 4–1 FLA
18 May 20257 · FLA 6–1 TOR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Toronto2.752.753.093.65
Florida2.002.003.063.37

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
Full draft

Updated after every final