PREVIEW: Panthers take another crack at eliminating Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- The Panthers will get another crack at closing out their second-round playoff series when face off against the Maple Leafs in Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

Finding success away from home, Florida is 5-1 on the road in the playoffs.

"There's something nice in the playoffs about being on the road," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "You get a kind of cocooned feeling. Everybody else in the building isn't cheering for you, so it's just [your team]. Also, there's a simplicity to your game. Just play the game."

Leading the best-of-7 series 3-1, the Panthers are looking to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1996. If they advance, they'll face the Hurricanes, who just wrapped up their own series with a 3-2 overtime win over the Devils in Game 5 on Thursday.

Missing out of a chance to complete their first playoff sweep in franchise history, the Panthers came up just short in a 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 4 at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday.

Finding the back of the net for the fifth time in his last seven games, Sam Reinhart scored the lone goal for the Panthers, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 of 25 shots. Surrendering just two goals in each game against Toronto, Bobrovsky owns a .934 save percentage in the series.

With a flukey goal from William Nylander tilting the scales in Toronto's favor early, the margin between winning and losing was razor thin in Game 4. The Panthers led 57-45 in shot attempts and 28-21 in scoring chances, while also finishing with a slight edge in expected goals (2.48-2.39).

"I think we've just got to stick to what we're doing well," Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. "Clean up a little bit of things from last game. Obviously that could've went either way, a 2-1 game, tight game. They're all tight games. Bring a little bit more energy. I thought we were a little loose. Obviously they're a desperate team, but we've got to be just as desperate tonight."

In order to find more success, the Panthers want to do a better job of making life difficult for rookie goaltender Joseph Woll. Starting in relief of Ilya Samsonov, who is out with an upper-body injury, the 24-year-old made 24 saves, but only faced eight high-danger shots in Game 4.

"We could've had more guys at the net to make his game a little tougher," said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who has two goals and five assists over his last seven games. "It's all right. We'll watch some video, we'll learn. We've learned a lot. Every game we learn something new."

During their five-game road winning streak, the Panthers have outscored the opposition 21-13.

"We've had success the first few [road] games," Panthers forward Nick Cousins said. "At the same time, it doesn't mean anything. It kind of seems like it's been like that in the playoffs all around the league. Everybody's finding success on the road. I don't know what it is. I think it's going to be a fun atmosphere. It's going to be really exciting for us to try and get the job done."

THEY SAID IT

"He has a phenomenal feel for what we have in our locker room and what he needs to do to push our buttons to make us play at our best." - Eric Staal on Paul Maurice

"Every day is the best day of our life. This is why we play hockey. We want to be in the playoffs and we want to go as far as possible with this group of guys. Nothing's better than that. We've had an amazing crowd every game and a lot of support for us." - Aleksander Barkov on enjoying the playoffs

"Personally, they blocked a few a mine. Maybe just a little bit quicker plays and get the feet going a little bit more. Like I said, they're a desperate team. They showed it last game and they did a good job." - Brandon Montour on breaking through Toronto's defense in Game 5

PLAYOFF LEADERS

Panthers

Goals:Montour (6), Reinhart (6)

Assists:Tkachuk (11)

Points: Tkachuk (16)

Maple Leafs

Goals:Matthews (5)

Assists: Marner (11)

Points:Marner (14)

PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards

Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair

Nick Cousins - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart

Colin White - Eric Staal - Zac Dalpe

Defensemen

Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad

Marc Staal - Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura - Radko Gudas

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky

Alex Lyon

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

- May 8: F Mackie Samoskevich agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract

- May 7: F Connor Bunnaman, F Grigori Denisenko, F Aleksi Heponiemi, F Patrick Giles, D Matt Kiersted, D John Ludvig, D Santtu Kinnunen, D Calle Sjalin and G Mack Guzda recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

- May 6:D Lucas Carlsson and G Evan Fitzpatrick recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

HOW TO WATCH

When:Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. ET

Where:Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON

TV & Streaming:TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS

Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Streaming Channel 932; NHL App

Watch Party: Backyard FTL

PREGAME LISTEN

Hear from Carter Verhaeghe on this week's episode of Territory Talk.