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Former Panther Brandon Montour says Florida will be ready to respond in Game 3
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Dylan Nazareth
May 9, 2025, 14:15 EDTUpdated: May 9, 2025, 13:35 EDT
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Things aren’t looking too bad for the Toronto Maple Leafs right now.
Up 2-0 over the Florida Panthers, it’s the first time they’ve won both opening matches in the second round since 1987. Now with the series shifting back to Sunrise for Game 3 Friday night, the Leafs will look to keep up the momentum and try to steal a win or two on the road.
But by no means is Florida going to make that easy.
Ahead of Game 3 on Friday, Brandon Montour joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Leafs Morning Take. A member of the Panthers organization through their back-to-back Stanley Cup finals appearances, including their victory last season, Montour is all too familiar with the resilience this group has shown, warning that Florida will be ready for the challenge Friday.
“I know that building is gonna be rocking,” Montour said. “[Maurice] is gonna go in and have a crazy speech that’s gonna get those guys jacked up. The experience too, they’ve been there, they’ve had many games in this situation. We were down against Boston 3-1, so I know that room is not nervous, more excited about the challenge and opportunity of coming in and getting wins at home.”
Asked about what the Panthers will bring from the jump, his answer was simple, though the Ontario native noted that Toronto knows how to give it right back.
“Energy, I think they’re gonna wanna play with pace, get on the forecheck, that’s huge for them,” Montour said. “But that’s a thing I think Toronto has done well, doing the same thing back to them and making it hard on them.”
Expanding on how the Leafs have seen success so far this series, Montour credited their “brand of playoff hockey” that they’ve built, giving kudos to head coach Craig Berube as a driving force behind bringing that in. Now a member of the Seattle Kraken, Montour missed both games against the Leafs this season, but regardless said it’s clear that Toronto has a stacked group this year.
“Look up and down their roster, obviously they’re deeper,” Montour said. “Defensively they’ve picked up a couple of pieces that are huge, protecting the net, bigger. Obviously up front, the depth’s huge. You’ve got your big guys who are scoring big goals, but you also need four lines, good matchups. A dangerous thing we had in Florida is we could play all four lines, all six D, no matter who was out there … I think Toronto has more of that this year.”
The Maple Leafs will look to bring all that and more tonight, as the Florida Panthers are sure to come out aggressive on home ice for Game 3. You can watch Montour’s full interview on Leafs Morning Take below.
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