One of the NHL’s newest rivalries heats up again as the Toronto Maple Leafs head to Sunrise to face the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. The Leafs are coming off a grueling postseason series against Florida, pushing the Panthers to their limits in the closest matchup of their consecutive championship runs. Since then, both teams have undergone significant changes. 

Toronto lost superstar winger Mitch Marner, opening the door for 23-year-old Matthew Knies to take on a larger role. Meanwhile, Florida has faced major setbacks, with captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk sidelined by long-term injuries. However, veteran Brad Marchand, has stepped up in a big way, tallying a surprising 27 points in 23 games. This matchup promises a thrilling showdown as the Maple Leafs aiming to prove they can still compete with the league’s elite despite a slow start, and the Panthers determined to assert their dominance once more. 

If you’re new to the Pad Stack challenge, here’s the deal: start with $10 and grow it through smart, research-driven bets. Our hottest streak this season peaked at $411.47 before a late Florida Panthers empty-net goal crushed our Vancouver spread and ended the run. Tonight, it’s time to bounce back, sharpen our focus, and chase a new climb with a confident pick in the marquee matchup, a play we believe can kick-start momentum and set the tone for the rest of the week. 

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.

Underlying Numbers Show Boston's Jeremy Swayman As Sleeper Vezina Contender Jeremy Swayman has quietly emerged as a Vezina contender, posting strong numbers for the Bruins including league-leading metrics in goals saved above expected and wins above replacement.

Picks: Leafs +2.5 & Matthew Knies Over 0.5 Points (-114)

The Leafs have lost four of their last five regular season contests against the Panthers with four straight road losses. Toronto will try to end the skid as well as their recent losing streak with just three wins over their last 11 games. 

During that span, they've got the eighth-worst defense in the league, averaging 3.55 goals against per game. The Panthers have looked more human as of late but their offense has been red hot with 32 goals over their last eight games.

If the Maple Leafs want to stay alive in this one it'll need to be with their offense and should be able to with the efforts of the red hot Matthew Knies, who has a goal and three assists over their last three games and has two goals and two assists over his last five games versus the Panthers. 

 A $10 wager on this same-game parlay would return $8.80, giving us a total of $18.80 to work with heading into the rest of the week.  

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.