After the Florida Panthers tied the series with two wins in Sunrise, the Toronto Maple Leafs are coming home hungry to take the lead once again.
On Tuesday, legendary NHL coach Scotty Bowman joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Leafs Morning Take to discuss the series so far and preview Game 5. Asked his prediction for who will emerge from this Atlantic Division battle, Bowman had a measured but optimistic take for the Maple Leafs.
“I have a feeling that Toronto, this would be their biggest opportunity they’ve had since I’ve been watching the playoffs,” Bowman said. “They’re not kids anymore. They’re not 20, 21, 22. This team is probably as good a team as they’ll have going forward. This is as good a chance as they’ll have.”
"They're not kids anymore. They're not 20, 21, & 22. This team is probably as good a team as they'll have going forward."
– Scotty Bowman #LeafsForever | #TimeToHunt @thegoldenmuzzy | @Jay_D_Rosehill
Presented by @CharmDiamonds pic.twitter.com/sxReTX5Yqy
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) May 13, 2025
Bowman also noted the rising salary cap as a potential boost for Toronto in the coming years, though it will also help bolster some already fierce rosters across the league. Still, his take on this series will come as welcome words for anxious Leafs fans, as he assessed them a “60-40 chance” of going through. Should they make it to the next round, there’s no reason to believe they couldn’t go on to the Cup finals, provided they play up to their abilities.
No stranger to postseason success, Bowman has nine Stanley Cups to his name as a head coach, with 28 total playoff appearances between five teams. Speaking on the specific challenges of the modern day playoffs, Bowman noted the increased pace and offensive prowess of top teams makes a strong blue line a virtue.
“The ability to defend is not easy now in the NHL,” Bowman said. “That’s the biggest difference, can you hold the other team from scoring three or four goals? I mean that’s pretty difficult, if you’re gonna have to score four or five goals in the playoffs … the ability to really turn the switch when you’re in the lead position, and you’re not taking a lot of penalties. You gotta get a commitment from everybody.”
Toronto’s depth on the blue line has been one of their strongest improvements this season, but specifically credit has to be given to their goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. Stolarz was the breakout star for the Leafs in between the pipes this year, earning the starter’s position for the playoffs. When he went down, Woll had to step right in, and after a mildly shaky start, he played his best game of the postseason on Sunday.
“You couldn’t get much better goaltending than they got the other night,” Bowman said. “The Leafs this year, there’s not much finger pointing at the type of goaltending they’re getting. What you hope is that your offence can click in without losing some defence.”
With their defensive game clicking better than it has in years, and their top offensive talent reaching their prime, it’s clear that now is the time to strike for the Maple Leafs. The question for Game 5 is, can their star attackers rise to occasion in front of a home crowd once again?