The Florida Panthers will encounter some familiar faces when they head to Toronto for Game 1 of their playoff series.
Three players currently on the Toronto Maple Leafs — Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz — were all part of the Florida Panthers team that made a deep run to the Stanley Cup Final just last season.
Now, wearing the blue and white colors of their new team, they are set to face their former club as the two Atlantic Division rivals meet in the second round of the playoffs.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice expressed his happiness for his former players.
Maurice stated, “Those guys were a big part of it. That story endures in our locker room for the men who played, so they are still a big part of that history, and I`m happy they`ve been able to find a place where their opportunity and contribution to the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs is truly significant.”
Stolarz`s role has significantly changed; he was Sergei Bobrovsky`s backup and appeared in only one game during the Panthers` push for the Cup, but he started all six games for the Maple Leafs in their first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators.
The 31-year-old goaltender had a career-best season with the Leafs, starting 34 regular-season games and recording an impressive .926 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average.
Stolarz has mentioned learning from Bobrovsky during their time together in the playoffs.
Bobrovsky commented on his former teammate: “We had a good relationship, that’s true. It was a good partnership last year as well. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be fun. He’s a good goalie.”
Similar to Stolarz and Lorentz, Ekman-Larsson spent only one season in Sunrise, Florida. However, unlike them, the veteran defenseman played a significant role on the Panthers` blueline, participating in all 24 playoff contests last year and contributing two goals and four assists.
The veteran Swedish blueliner has already scored two goals in his initial playoff appearance with the Maple Leafs.
Lorentz, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, and a lifelong Maple Leafs enthusiast, played in 16 playoff games for the Panthers, registering one goal and two assists.
He did not register any points in the series against the Senators.
Maurice added, “Oliver Ekman-Larsson had established his career long before he came to us and was a big part of our success last year. But both those men, Lorentz and Stolarz, are at a new level, a new opportunity for them with Toronto, and they`ve made the most of it. They`ve played very, very well.”
The team that wins this series will advance to face the winner of the Metropolitan Division bracket, either the Carolina Hurricanes or Washington Capitals, in the Eastern Conference Final.
Tristan Blackwood