Three players, who remember past glory donning a Panthers jersey, could be a huge edge for the Maple Leafs as they prepare to face the Florida Panthers for a second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Acquired by the Leafs this offseason, the defense core included Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who helped Florida finally win the Stanley Cup last season. He knows firsthand about their playing style, their strategy, their locker room culture — now he has to fight them in a complete role reversal.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Prepares Leafs for Florida’s Heavy Style
“When you get that experience, you try to help your teammates,” Ekman-Larsson said.
That goes beyond only informing them who matches up where, but being prepared for the mentality of the challenging, physical playoff identity of Florida. He’s assisting the younger players, figuring out the little pixie dust, the little habits and the little systems that made Florida successful towards their Cup run.
The impact has been felt shortly in the opening round against Ottawa, where he has scored twice, which shows that he is able to contribute both tangibly and intangibly. Additionally, it’s the familiarity with the Panthers that makes it an additional component of strategy for the Leafs.
He’s not alone in this. The Leafs also have fellow former Panthers in their lineup as Anthony Stolarz and Steven Lorentz. Even if the teams are not the same as last year, Morgan Rielly believes Toronto’s insight, which they have through the playoffs over the past year, gives them a leg up. “We have differences on both teams,” Rielly said. “But we’ll take any edge we can get.”
Florida’s newest playoff opponent of Ekman-Larsson, isn’t unfamiliar with playoff pressure — or the Florida Panthers.
Last year, the veteran defenseman was instrumental in Florida winning the Stanley Cup. Six years after helping Tampa Bay clinch an Eastern Conference title, he’s changed sides, laced up for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a shot at beating his former team in Round 2.
Asked what to expect in the series, Ekman-Larsson said, “It’s just going to be a hard, heavy series.”
One of the biggest challenges ahead? And among Panthers’ star forward Matthew Tkachuk, a scorer who also can ruffle the feathers of his opponents. Asked if he knows a way to frustrate Tkachuk, Ekman-Larsson just smirked and replied: ‘We’ll see.”