FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers have no plans for a team watch party Thursday.
But most of them will be tuned in when the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs play Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, NESN, TBS, MAX).
Boston has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series, the winner getting the Panthers in the next round.
Florida coach Paul Maurice plans to take the usual spot on the couch in his Fort Lauderdale home and take it all in.
“I won’t be doing anything else. I’ll even watch the commercials,” Maurice said following practice Thursday. “We have cats, so we all have spots on the couch we’re allowed to take. We watch hockey every single night, or at least, it’s on every night. Sometimes I don’t like it very much and I’ll ignore it.’’
Maurice said he would try to enjoy the spectacle as much as possible.
On Friday, he plans on watching the game again as part of his preparation for what comes next.
“I will watch it casually,’’ Maurice said. “I usually pick the team that is leading the series and really focus on them, but I will watch it tomorrow morning early on my computer and cut pieces of the game, get video. And I have two full-time video guys -- one has Boston, one has Toronto. And they are doing the same for us, right?’’
As for the players, several said they plan on tuning in for obvious reasons.
Forward Evan Rodrigues says it is hard for him to watch a game on a school night, but once his kids head off to bed, his focus will turn toward Toronto.
“I am going to be on Dad duty as usual,’’ Rodrigues said. “This is our opponent in the next round, so it will be fun to watch and see who we are going to play. As a hockey player, you are always picking things up from watching a game. I watch them very carefully. A game is never just on for me. I am dialed in on it.”
Forward Kyle Okposo, who is in his first postseason since 2016 with the New York Islanders, said he is excited to tune in.
“It makes it a little bit different when you know that is who you will playing in the next round,” Okposo said. “I think you watch the game a little differently, less as a fan and more about preparation, but I have been watching every night. But this will be a different viewing experience than Dallas and Vegas last night.”
Of course, with all the games Florida has played against Toronto and Boston over the past couple of seasons -- in the regular season and the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs -- there probably is not much the Panthers can learn from watching Game 6.
That does not mean they will not be paying attention, anyway.
“I know I will start watching the game, but I do not know if I will be able to make it to the end,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “Depends on how my son is tonight, but this is a game I would watch more closely than another. We are very familiar with both teams. There will not be any surprises.”
In the first round last season, Florida upset Boston in seven games. The Panthers then played the Maple Leafs in the second round, winning in five.
Forward Ryan Lomberg says he has no interest in spending his night watching those two play.
“I have seen enough of those two teams,” Lomberg said. “I am sure it is going to be an entertaining game, but I am not going to get anything out of it. The plan is to have a nice dinner with the family, get to bed early and get some good rest. Have to get ready for whomever it is.”
