leafs panthers game 1

Florida Panthers are trying to keep Toronto Maple Leafs fans out of playoff games

The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers in the second round of the NHL playoffs, but snowbirds looking to score seats for an away game might be out of luck.

The Panthers will host Games 3, 4, and a potential Game 6 at FLA Live Arena in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.

Sensing the potential for the team's home arena to be swamped by visiting Leafs fans, the Panthers appear to have pre-emptively clamped down on Canadian buyers by limiting ticket sales to credit cards with U.S. billing addresses.

The move may be limited in its impact on the breakdown of fans in the crowd. Several comments question the point of such a policy in an era of third-party ticket sellers.

Fans determined to get into the stadium will likely have plenty of options.

Others just think the policy isn't in the spirit of the sport.

Leafs fans proved a minor thorn in the side of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the Buds' six-game series win, appearing in numbers at Amalie Arena and cutting into the Lightning's home-ice advantage.

Granted, this year's playoffs are somewhat of an anomaly, where visiting teams have claimed a disproportionate share of wins for an overall playoff record of 31-18 through 49 games.

Lead photo by

Florida Panthers/Toronto Maple Leafs


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