{"id":468255,"date":"2025-05-07T09:23:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=468255"},"modified":"2025-05-07T09:23:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:23:59","slug":"nhl-predictions-game-2-florida-panthers-vs-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/07\/nhl-predictions-game-2-florida-panthers-vs-toronto-maple-leafs\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Game 2 Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at\u00a0<em>Last Word on Hockey<\/em>\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/30\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-vs-florida\/\" target=\"_self\">Florida Panthers<\/a>\u00a0taking on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/02\/after-thrilling-playoff-series-toronto-maple-leafs-close-out-ottawa-senators-in-6-games\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> in this critical Game 2 of their second-round series. Don\u2019t forget to check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/06\/nhl-predictions-game-1-carolina-hurricanes-vs-washington-capitals\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n<h3>Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs<\/h3>\n<h4>Series Head-to-Head: Panthers 0-1 Leafs<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> CBC; Sportsnet; TVAS; ESPN<\/p>\n<p>We open up NHL predictions with <a  href=\"http:\/\/thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/30956\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">our featured game<\/a> between the Panthers and Maple Leafs. Florida will go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bobrose01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> as its rally fell just a bit short in a 5-4 Game 1 loss in Toronto. The Panthers fell behind early, but made things very interesting in the third period. Florida has spread the scoring around this post-season with six players tied for the team-lead in points with six apiece. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bennesa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Bennett<\/a> leads the team in goals with four so far for the Panthers.<\/p>\n<p>Goaltending could be a massive question for for the Maple Leafs in Game 2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stolaan01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Stolarz<\/a> was playing well in the series-opener, but had to leave the game. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wolljo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joseph Woll<\/a> came in and is listed as the expected starter. However, check social media to get confirmation of who gets the start for Toronto. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nylanwi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">William Nylander<\/a> leads the team in points with 12 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marnemi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Marner<\/a> has nine so far this playoff campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Toronto struggled with Woll in net and Florida is solid at bouncing back.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Panthers win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Dallas Stars vs Winnipeg Jets<\/h3>\n<h4>Season Head-to-Head: Stars 1-3 Stars<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> CBC; Sportsnet; TVAS; ESPN<\/p>\n<p>The last game of this round of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/07\/dallas-stars-winnipeg-jets-second-round-2025-stanley-cup-playoffs-series-preview\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Stars<\/a> visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/05\/the-miracle-of-manitoba-the-winnipeg-jets-rally-and-win-game-7\/\" target=\"_self\">Winnipeg Jets<\/a> in Game 1 of their series. Dallas is coming off an emotional first-round series against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/04\/dallas-stars-vs-colorado-avalanche-stanley-cup-playoff-series-has-wild-finish\/\" target=\"_self\">Colorado Avalanche<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oettija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Oettinger<\/a> is the probable starter for the Stars. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a> got the last laugh on his former team in a total of 12 points in seven games. The Stars may also get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/roberja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Robertson<\/a> back at some point in this series.<\/p>\n<p>Winnipeg managed to outlast the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/06\/st-louis-blues-provide-injury-update-on-dylan-holloway\/\" target=\"_self\">St Louis Blues<\/a> in seven games to make the second round. Captain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lowryad01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Lowry<\/a> got the double-overtime winner to send the Jets to round two. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/helleco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> is the starter, but is going to have to play a lot better in order for Winnipeg to reach the conference final. There were times that he struggled massively against the Blues. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/connoky01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Connor<\/a> is looking to keep things going with 12 points in seven games.<\/p>\n<p>Both are solid teams, but the Jets are dealing with injuries and uncertainty in between the pipes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Stars win 3-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We round out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s go back to our featured game for some props. The over\/under for this game is 5.5 and we like the over in this one.<\/p>\n<p>For individual props, take Bennett to collect a goal in this one for the Panthers. On the Maple Leafs end of things, go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/matthau01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Auston Matthews<\/a> to get the over on 0.5 points.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Please play responsibly. Check your local rules and age restrictions. Some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0Florida Panthers\u00a0taking on the\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":468256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4547,4548,4524,18],"tags":[8133,6124,6255,6062,6110],"class_list":["post-468255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-panthers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","category-leafs","tag-2025-stanley-cup-playoffs","tag-dallas-stars-predictions","tag-florida-panthers-predictions","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-predictions","tag-winnipeg-jets-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468255"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":468258,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468255\/revisions\/468258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}