Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies battles for the puck with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in game two of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, on May 7.Nick Turchiaro/Reuters
The Maple Leafs may have the defending champions down, but they are still a long way from out.
That was the prevailing feeling after Toronto’s seesaw 4-3 victory Wednesday against the Florida Panthers, who now head home to Sunrise, Fla., trailing 2-0 in a series for the first time since the 2023 Stanley Cup final.
“We knew that they were going to play a very, very intense game, and we were able to match that intensity, and it feels really good, but at the same…