Panthers showed exactly why they’re an incredibly difficult team to beat

For the third year in a row, the Florida Panthers are on their way to the Eastern Conference Final.

Thanks to a 6-1 waxing of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Atlantic Division Final, the defending Stanley Cup champions are four wins away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season.

The win not only marked the team’s strong success over the past few years but also how deep this team is and how their experience is paying off. Despite falling behind 2-0 to the Maple Leafs and nearly facing elimination had it not been for Brad Marchand’s overtime winner in Game 3, Florida rallied and gave Toronto more than it could handle.

Whether it be the big guns stepping up, or some unheralded players like Seth Jones and Eeth Luostarainen rising to the occasion, the Panthers have the tools to take home back-to-back championships.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss what makes these Cats so ferocious.

Tyler Yaremchuk: They are just so deep, so strong, so well-polished

Frank Seravalli: They’re not phased by any which way you want to play the game. You want to play with speed? Great. Skill? Awesome. Toughness? Sure. We can play that way, too. As the series went on, Sergei Bobrovsky got better and better. You mentioned the depth and different pieces that continue to step up. Full marks to Bill Zito, their general manager, for the moves that he’s made. He’s been as aggressive as anyone. You add Seth Jones and Brad Marchand in one trade deadline period without really giving up a whole ton of stuff from your roster. … Florida…they’re going to be an incredibly difficult out for anyone. Whether it’s the Carolina Hurricanes – who I think is a really interesting third-round matchup, two teams that play a very similar style – but tell me that the Panthers aren’t the favorite right now.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…