The Stanley Cup Playoffs have reached the conference final round following a decisive Game 7 confrontation between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers, aiming to secure the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year, achieved a commanding 6-1 victory over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. With this win, Florida has set the stage to face the Carolina Hurricanes for a chance to compete in the Stanley Cup Final.

The upcoming playoff schedule includes Eastern Conference matchups starting with Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, May 20, at 8 p.m. ET. Following that, Game 2 will also see Florida visiting Carolina on the same date. The series will then shift to Florida for Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24, respectively. Game 5 will take place on May 26 in Carolina, with Games 6 and 7, if necessary, scheduled for May 30 and June 1.

In Game 7, both teams remained scoreless after the first period, although the Panthers displayed early aggression, launching 20 shot attempts compared to the Maple Leafs' zero. Toronto's William Nylander had a notable opportunity to score early, but Florida's goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made a critical save to maintain the tie. The atmosphere heightened when referee Chris Rooney left the game after an accidental injury from a high stick. The scoring commenced in the second period when Seth Jones netted the first goal for Florida, capitalizing on a pass from Evan Rodrigues. Shortly after, Florida extended the lead to 2-0 with a rebound goal from Anton Lundell, followed by a third goal from Jonah Gadjovich. Despite Max Domi's brief hope for Toronto by cutting the deficit to 3-1 early in the third, Eetu Luostarinen quickly restored Florida's three-goal advantage. The Panthers continued to dominate, with Sam Reinhart scoring off a face-off and Brad Marchand sealing the game with an empty-net goal, concluding the match with a final score of 6-1. As the Panthers prepare to transition to the next round, the Maple Leafs reflect on their quest for their first appearance in the conference final since 2002.