It took Brad Marchand just two games to realize these aren't the same-old Toronto Maple Leafs.
Once a thorn in the Maple Leafs' side as a member of the Boston Bruins, the now Florida Panthers forward finds his team trailing the Maple Leafs 2-0 in the second round after a 4-3 Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
Marchand was asked after the game if the 2024-25 version of the Leafs feels different than the teams he played in the past with Boston.
"Yeah, absolutely," Marchand responded. "They're continuing to get better and grow as a group. They brought in a lot of good pieces in at the deadline and the off-season to kind of address their back end. They're heavy back there. Obviously, their coaching has changed, and their structure is very, very good right now, especially in the D-zone."
Despite being down 2-0, Marchand has continued his strong play against Toronto. Through the first two games, when Marchand is on the ice with linemates Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, the Panthers are outscoring the Leafs 4-1.
But the Panthers trail 9-7 on the scoreboard that matters, and Marchand knows his new team has its work cut out for it heading back home.
"We knew it was going to be a really tough series, we didn't expect to roll over them by any means," Marchand said. "... Their top guys are capitalizing on any opportunity it seems."
The Panthers will try to get their first win of the series in Game 3 on Friday. You can watch the game live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
