:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72236744/1486673233.0.jpg "2023 NHL playoff bracket: Who will Panthers face in the second round?")
The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime in Game 7 on Sunday night to win the best-of-7 series 4-3 in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers upset the Bruins in this series after going down 3-1, eliminating the team that set a NHL record for points. Here's a look at who the Panthers are facing in the next round.
Who will Panthers play in second round?
The Panthers will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, which marked their first playoff series victory since 2004.
This will be back-to-back appearances for Florida in the second round. The Panthers have slowly been building something over the last four years. They lost in the qualifying round in 2019-20, the first round in 2020-21 and the second round last year. Can they make it to the conference finals this time around as natural progression, or will the Maple Leafs take them out?