{"id":468792,"date":"2025-05-18T08:27:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T12:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=468792"},"modified":"2025-05-18T08:27:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T12:27:54","slug":"nhl-predictions-game-7-florida-panthers-vs-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/18\/nhl-predictions-game-7-florida-panthers-vs-toronto-maple-leafs\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Game 7 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\/05\/10\/toronto-maple-leafs-florida-panthers-mid-playoff-series-recap-playoffs-game-3\/\" target=\"_self\">Florida Panthers<\/a>\u00a0taking on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/14\/nhl-predictions-game-5-florida-panthers-vs-toronto-maple-leafs\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> in this winner-take-all Game 7 of their second-round series. Don\u2019t forget to check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/17\/nhl-predictions-game-6-winnipeg-jets-vs-dallas-stars\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions<\/a>,\u00a0as 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 3-3 Maple Leafs<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:\u00a0<\/strong>7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> CBC; Sportsnet; TVAS; TNT, TruTV; Max<\/p>\n<p>Tonight&#8217;s edition of NHL predictions is a going to be a good one. There are no better words to hear <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/30961\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">than Game 7.<\/a> This matchup between the Panthers and Maple Leafs is setting up to be a big one. The winner of this game will get the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/16\/carolina-hurricanes-alexander-nikishin-debuts-as-andrei-svechnikov-puts-series-versus-washington-capitals-to-bed\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> in the Eastern Conference Final on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Many had written off Toronto after Florida reeled off three straight victories. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wolljo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joseph Woll<\/a> got the shutout and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/matthau01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Auston Matthews<\/a> finally found the scoresheet. That win sets up a winner-take-all matchup at Scotiabank Arena.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at the stats and storylines heading into this latest edition of NHL predictions.<\/p>\n<h4>The Panthers Story<\/h4>\n<p>Florida had all the momentum going into a potentially series-clinching Game 6. However, Woll played one of his best games of his career with 22 saves. It seemed that the Panthers weren&#8217;t able to crack the Leaf&#8217;s defence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bobrose01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> gets the start for Florida, but he&#8217;s been inconsistent at times in this series. He can turn into &#8220;Playoff Bob&#8221; and make spectacular saves. However, he can also have games where we struggles.<\/p>\n<p>One thing Florida has going for it is depth-scoring. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/reinhsa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Reinhart<\/a> leads the team in points with 10, but eight players in total have at least eight points for the Panthers.<\/p>\n<h4>The Maple Leafs Story<\/h4>\n<p>Woll played great in Game 6, but there is going to be the question of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stolaan01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Stolarz<\/a> and his availability. Stolarz didn&#8217;t travel with the team for Game 6, but has been on the ice as of late.<\/p>\n<p>Matthews quieted his critics for a little while at least with his goal. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pacioma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Pacioretty<\/a> also tallied a big insurance goal for the Maple Leafs to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nylanwi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">William Nylander<\/a> leads the team in points with 15 while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marnemi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Marner<\/a> has notched 13 this post-season. However, depth scoring may be the difference in the outcome of this series.<\/p>\n<h3>Prediction<\/h3>\n<p>Toronto has had<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nhl\/ask\/maple-leafs-record-in-game-7s\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> plenty of heartbreak<\/a> in Game 7s in recent memory. However, this is a Game 7 that will be played home. The Leafs did lose a Game 7 against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/12\/analyzing-the-montreal-canadiens-upcoming-rfas\/\" target=\"_self\">Montreal Canadiens<\/a> the last time there was one at home.<\/p>\n<p>Panthers Head Coach is also 5-0 in Game 7s in his career. It seems that all of these trends add up to Florida breaking Toronto fan&#8217;s hearts again.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Panthers win 3-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We wrap up NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. The over\/under for this game is 5.5 and we like the under in this game.<\/p>\n<p>As for individual props, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bennesa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Bennett<\/a> to score a goal for the Panthers. (If you&#8217;re feeling adventurous, go with an OT winner.) On the Maple Leafs end of things, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tavarjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-05-18_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Tavares<\/a> to get a point.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Sam Navarro-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":468795,"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":[8133,228,6255,1092,1727,352,6062],"class_list":["post-468792","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-auston-matthews","tag-florida-panthers-predictions","tag-joseph-woll","tag-sam-bennett","tag-sergei-bobrovsky","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468792","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=468792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":468796,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468792\/revisions\/468796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}