Your Toronto Maple Leafs bandwagon guide for Round 2 versus Florida

Hop on the Toronto Maple Leafs bandwagon everyone, because we're into the second round starting on Monday night.

The Leafs got past the Ottawa Senators to capture the "Battle of Ontario" last week. Next up: The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers — Game 1 is at Scotiabank Arena at 8 p.m. ET.

So, it's time to catch up the top storylines with CBC Toronto's Adam Carter, our resident Leafs diehard whose blood pressure we all worry about at this time of year.  

The Leafs made it past Ottawa. Adam, how loud were the alarm bells in your head there?

It just wouldn't be the Leafs if they didn't make you panic a little bit. After cruising to three impressive wins against the Senators and dropping a close Game 4, all of those demons came roaring back for the fanbase after a classic Toronto playoff no-show in Game 5 (I, for one, could feel the hope starting to evaporate from my body).

But to the team's credit, they got things done in a very close Game 6. A decent section of the fanbase would have been apoplectic had Ottawa forced a series-deciding Game 7.

Take one minute to be optimistic. What looked good in that series?

There were plenty of positives. The defence corps looked very solid on the whole, scoring much more than it had in the regular season on top of providing markedly better defence than fans are used to seeing in the playoffs. The addition of Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline really helped everyone slot into their proper spots on the back end.

And though they didn't fully take over the series, Toronto's best players all contributed and got the job done. Those efforts were bolstered by key goals at crucial times from depth players — like Max Pacioretty's series-clinching wrister, or overtime winners from Max Domi and Simon Benoit.

The Leafs have been desperate for playoff goals in big moments like that for years.

Couple that with stable goaltending and a power play that actually scored at a solid clip in the postseason for a change, and fans should be feeling good (if you can divorce yourself from the preceding years of heartbreak and the behemoth to come, that is).

And now the Panthers, who defeated Tampa 4-1 in their opening series. They're good, right?

"Good" is underselling the Florida Panthers. 

They finished ten points back of the Leafs this season, but they're the defending champs for a reason. That team is well-coached, knows its identity, and seems specifically built for playoff hockey.