The Panthers were all over the Maple Leafs from the get-go, swarming the home side in the opening 20 minutes. The defending Stanley Cup champions outshot the Leafs 13-6 in the first period, with Aaron Ekblad scoring his second goal of the playoffs.

After the Florida Panthers topped the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7, the conference finals are officially set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the next two weeks, four teams will battle it out to see who will get the opportunity to play for the NHL's ultimate prize this postseason.

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the postseason primed for something special, but they didn't get much help from their newest faces.

The Maple Leafs (52-26-4) finished first in the Atlantic Division with 108 points, six ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and eight of the Panthers. Toronto then won only its second postseason series in 21 years by eliminating the Ottawa Senators in six games in the first round.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs cleaned out their dressing room and had their exit interviews on Tuesday, pending free agent Mitch Marner was to talk about his future. Game 7 and Toronto’s elimination were still too fresh,