3 Keys: Maple Leafs at Panthers, Game 3 of Eastern 2nd Round

(WC2) Panthers vs. (2A) Maple Leafs

Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 3

Florida leads best-of-7 series 2-0

6:30 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, SN, TVAS

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers can take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round with a victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena in Game 3.

It would be the Panthers' sixth straight win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, extending the longest postseason streak in their history. They host the Maple Leafs after winning the first two games of the series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

"In the playoffs, there's lots of highs and lows," Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "It's a bit of a rollercoaster. I think we've found peace with our game plan, and I think that's what we're doing, trying to stick with it through the highs and lows, through anything."'

RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Panthers series coverage]

The Maple Leafs are confident they can bounce back. They're 3-0 on the road in the postseason, but there is a tremendous amount of pressure to not go down 3-0 against the Panthers.

"The challenge is the challenge and it's pretty obvious, of course, but the group feels good and remains confident and optimistic," coach Sheldon Keefe said.

So what do the Maple Leafs expect out of themselves?

"The best performance of the year," forward Alex Kerfoot said. "It's a must-win for us. I think that our group has responded very well throughout the course of the year to situations like this. Tonight's going to be no different."

Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-7 playoff series are 343-55 (.862) and 85-21 (.802) when they begin on the road. The odds get even better (199-4, .980) for the Panthers if they go up 3-0.

Here are 3 keys for Game 3:

1. More from the Leafs stars

The Maple Leafs have scoring aplenty among their forwards with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares each getting at least 80 points in the regular season. But Toronto has struggled for offense the first two games of the series with two goals in Game 1 and two more in Game 2. None of them are from that quartet, with the goals scored by Matthew Knies, Michael Bunting, Kerfoot and Ryan O'Reilly.

Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares have combined for only three assists, two by Matthews and one by Marner. It's time for the offensive stars to be stars.

2. Using the rest

Getting two straight days off in a playoff series can be a rarity, but the Panthers and Maple Leafs got two before Game 3 and will get another two afterwards. With the physical style the Panthers play, that can be a boost for a team that played five games in nine days and went to Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.

"I finally woke up this morning feeling pretty good about my body and everything," Verhaeghe said. "I think a lot of guys are banged up. It's a grind playing so many games, every other day. Guys are bound to get nicks and bruises. Having the two days is huge, for sure."

The rest is especially important for a player like Sergei Bobrovsky, a goalie that can get worn down easily with a combination of his slight build (6-foot-2, 182 pounds) and age (34).

3. Pressure on Samsonov

Though Bobrovsky comes into Game 3 with 58 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience, it's not quite the same for Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov, a 26-year-old who's played 16 NHL postseason games.

Samsonov has allowed seven goals in two games and at least three in all but two of the eight playoff games he's played this season. The Maple Leafs need to limit the Panthers' chances and also need more from their goalie.

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Alexander Kerfoot -- Auston Matthews -- William Nylander

Calle Jarnkrok -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner

Michael Bunting -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Noel Acciari

David Kampf -- Sam Lafferty

Jake McCabe -- TJ Brodie

Mark Giordano -- Timothy Liljegren

Morgan Rielly -- Luke Schenn

Erik Gustafsson

Ilya Samsonov

Joseph Woll

Scratched:Conor Timmins, Wayne Simmonds, Zach Aston-Reese, Justin Holl

Injured:Matthew Knies (concussion), Jake Muzzin (neck), Victor Mete (upper body), Nicholas Robertson (shoulder), Carl Dahlstrom (shoulder), Matt Murray (head)

Panthers projected lineup

Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Anthony Duclair

Nick Cousins -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Sam Reinhart

Zac Dalpe -- Eric Staal -- Colin White

Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad

Marc Staal -- Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura -- Radko Gudas

Sergei Bobrovsky

Alex Lyon

Scratched:Givani Smith, Mike Benning, Casey Fitzgerald, Evan Fitzpatrick, Lucas Carlsson

Injured:Patric Hornqvist (concussion), Ryan Lomberg (upper body)

Status report

The Maple Leafs did not have a morning skate. Keefe would not disclose the lineup, but Gustafsson worked on the power play during practice Saturday, suggesting Toronto could go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. ... Aston-Reese skated on a line with Kampf and Lafferty at practice. ... The Panthers had an optional skate Saturday and Sunday, and coach Paul Maurice said the plan was to stick with the same lineup as Game 1 and Game 2.