Here's when Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers schedule expected to start

After the Toronto Maple Leafs knocked off the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, there was a collective exhale across the fanbase.

Avoiding turning a 3-0 series lead into another epic collapse, Toronto fans generally had one question once things had calmed down a little bit: when's the next game?

By beating Ottawa, Toronto has earned the right to play the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs, a rematch of a 2023 series the Leafs dropped in five games.

And as the Atlantic Division winners, they'll get home-ice advantage in the series, hosting up to four games in comparison to Florida's three.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun stated on Thursday that the NHL has seven different schedule combinations ready to go, dependent on the result of the Western Conference series.

For those wondering on Panthers-Leafs series, there are currently 7 different schedule scenarios in play. So much depends on what happens in Western Conference still. Florida-Toronto could start Saturday, Sunday or Monday, lots of balls up in the air still to figure out.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 2, 2025

On Friday morning, fellow insider Chris Johnston said the expectation is that the Leafs will host Game 1 this coming Monday.

Not 100% confirmed yet, so don't go making (or breaking) any important plans, but the expectation seems to be that Game 1 of the Leafs-Panthers series will go Monday night in Toronto.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 2, 2025

With the Winnipeg Jets-St. Louis Blues series potentially stretching to Sunday (and the Colorado Avalanche-Dallas Stars series ending Saturday in a winner-take-all Game 7), Toronto might have to wait a few days before their schedule begins. If there's only one series left to be sorted out, the NHL may release a schedule late Friday night, should the Jets advance with a Game 6 victory.

In Toronto, the only thing on the Scotiabank Arena calendar is a Rema concert on Sunday, May 11. With the Leafs hosting Games 1, 2, and a possible 5 or 7, they aren't expected to be home that weekend.

At the Amerant Bank Arena, where the Panthers play, there is a show on the Billy Idol/Joan Jett & the Blackhearts tour on May 13, and Vybz Kartel on May 17. Otherwise, the Panthers' arena is free for most of the next two weeks.

As schedules go, that gives the NHL quite a bit of flexibility to plan things out. Whenever possible, the league generally tries to maximize series with as many weekend games as they can fit in, while also having series-clinching Game 7s slated for the weekend.

Working backwards with all the info we have so far, here's a possible framework if the Leafs start their schedule on Monday, May 5, and the NHL doesn't add any extra days of rest into the schedule.

Game 1: Florida at Toronto, Monday, May 5
Game 2: Florida at Toronto, Wednesday, May  7
Game 3: Toronto at Florida, Friday, May 9
Game 4: Toronto at Florida, Sunday, May 11
Game 5: Florida at Toronto, Tuesday, May 13
Game 6: Toronto at Florida, Thursday, May 15
Game 7:  Florida at Toronto, Saturday, May 17

Pushing all the dates a day later, here's an alternate configuration should the games get underway this coming Tuesday:

Game 1: Florida at Toronto, Tuesday, May 6
Game 2: Florida at Toronto, Thursday, May  8
Game 3: Toronto at Florida, Saturday, May 10
Game 4: Toronto at Florida, Monday, May 12
Game 5: Florida at Toronto, Wednesday, May 14
Game 6: Toronto at Florida, Friday, May 16
Game 7:  Florida at Toronto, Sunday, May 18

In any case, the league's announcement will come in due time, with what's sure to be an action-packed second round just around the corner.