The conference final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is now established following a decisive Game 7 matchup between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers continued their quest to secure the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year by emerging victorious with a 6-1 scoreline at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. This win sets the stage for Florida as they prepare to face the Carolina Hurricanes, with a place in the Stanley Cup Final on the line.

In the playoff schedule for the Eastern Conference, Game 1 is set for Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Game 2 on the same date, a later Game 3 on Thursday, May 22 at Florida, and subsequent games following that pattern based on series progression. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers will visit the Dallas Stars for their series, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday, May 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

In the Game 7 encounter, both the Panthers and Maple Leafs remained scoreless throughout the first period, despite the Panthers showcasing early aggression with 20 shot attempts within the first six minutes, leaving the Maple Leafs without a shot on goal during that stretch. William Nylander had an opportunity to score for Toronto, but Panthers' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky successfully thwarted his attempt. The second period saw Seth Jones score the opening goal after receiving a pass from Evan Rodrigues. As the Panthers built momentum, Anton Lundell capitalized on a rebound to extend the lead, followed by Jonah Gadjovich scoring, resulting in a commanding 3-0 advantage. Although Max Domi managed to put Toronto on the board early in the third period, the Panthers swiftly regained their three-goal cushion through Eetu Luostarinen’s redirection. Sam Reinhart added another for Florida after a face-off, and Brad Marchand netted an empty-net goal, culminating in a comprehensive 6-1 victory for the Panthers. With this outcome, Florida advances to face the Hurricanes, while the Maple Leafs continue their pursuit of their first conference final appearance since 2002.