With just 11 games left to play, the Panthers sit at 36-28-7 and enter tonight's matchup just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Despite having their seven-game point streak snapped with a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on the second half of a back-to-back in their last outing on Tuesday, the Panthers have made a habit out of rebounding from losses in a big way during their climb back into the playoff race.
Since Jan. 1, Florida has gone 11-1-1 in games following losses.
"As much as people talk about going on a run at this time of the year, the key piece is getting off the mat when you lose," Maurice said. "It's leaving it there. That's the same mindset as playoff hockey. You're not winning every game. You've got to suffer losses and get back on your horse."
Missing both Sam Bennett and Anthony Duclair in Philadelphia, the Panthers are expected to have Duclair, who sat out with a non-COVID illness, back in the lineup against Toronto. As for Bennett, who exited the game with an undisclosed injury, he'll be out just a little bit longer.
Maurice said the team is "optimistic" that Bennett, who leads Florida's forwards with 150 hits, won't be out long term after he joined his teammates for this morning's skate in a regular jersey.
"He wasn't wearing [a no-contact jersey] and he was on the ice, so hopefully [he's back] sooner rather than later," Maurice said of Bennett, who's posted 16 goals and 24 assists this season.
Getting a needed breather against the Flyers after making a whopping 13 straight starts, Sergei Bobrovsky will resume his grind and man the crease against the Maple Leafs. Over his last 17 appearances, the veteran workhorse owns a 12-4-1 record on top of a .915 save percentage.
Leading the Panthers and ranking fourth in the NHL in scoring with 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists), Matthew Tkachuk, who is starting to garner buzz around the league as a potential finalist for the Hart Trophy, will hit the ice for the 500th game of his young career tonight.
Carrying a six-game point streak into the matchup, the 25-year-old winger has accumulated 15 points (six goals, nine assists) during that stellar stretch, including posting four games with at least three points to match the franchise record for most multi-point games in a season with 31.
"It's a little bit cooler than the 400 [games] that I hit last year," Tkachuk said of the milestone. "It feels like I just started playing. Everybody's right when they say it flies by. I'm just enjoying every minute of it."
Second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 42-19-9, the Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back from a 7-2 beatdown at the hands of the New York Islanders on Tuesday. After Mitch Marner cut the deficit to 3-2 in the second period, Toronto gave up four straight goals.
On a seven-game point streak, Marner leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 90 points (27 goals, 63 assists). William Nylander is second with 79 points (35 goals, 44 assists), while Auston Matthews, last year's Hart Trophy winner, is third with 71 points (32 goals, 39 assists).
Playing in just eight games with Toronto after being acquired from the St. Louis Blues prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, Ryan O'Reilly remains out of the lineup and on LTIR after breaking a finger on March 4. Prior to the injury, he'd tallied three goals and two assists as a member of the Maple Leafs.
Ilya Samsonov, who was on the wrong end of that aforementioned loss to the Islanders, and Matt Murray have both seen time in net for Toronto as of late. Samsonov has gone 24-9-3 with a .914 save percentage, while Murray has posted a 13-7-2 record with a .905 save percentage.
Set to face off three times between now and April 10, the Panthers and Maple Leafs have gone toe to toe just once this season. Back on Jan. 17, Nylander scored 1:53 into overtime to lead the Maple Leafs to a 5-4 win. Victimized by penalties, Florida had led 4-2 during the second period.
Finding lots of success against Toronto in their own barn, the Panthers own a 6-1-0 record against the Maple Leafs in their last seven matchups played at FLA Live Arena.
"I think we've got to try to just have a tight gap early on," Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. "Try to force them to dump the puck and make sure to take time and space from them."
