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  • ESPN News Services

May 11, 2025, 11:51 PM ET

SUNRISE, Fla. — It’s a formula the Florida Panthers keep using in the playoffs: take a lead after two periods, then let Sergei Bobrovsky and the defense do the rest. And it worked again.

Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots for his fifth career playoff shutout, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett scored and the Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 on Sunday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Florida has won 25 consecutive playoff games when leading after two periods, a streak that goes back to May 5, 2022. And in helping to tie the series, Bobrovsky officially put a slow start to rest. In Games 1 and 2 last week in Toronto, he allowed nine goals en route to two losses. He returned to Amerant Bank Arena on Friday night for Game 3, and allowed four more.

“It’s a series,” Bobrovsky said. “The bigger games are ahead, so we’re excited about them. The series comes down to a best-of-three, so it’s a big game, next one.”

Home-ice advantage has held, and Toronto will hope that trend continues in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The Leafs won Games 1 and 2 at home, then dropped Games 3 and 4 in Sunrise.

“We had looks,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “They’re doing a good job of swarming us with numbers, obviously. … It’s a battle out there. This is what it is. They don’t give you a lot.”

Verhaeghe scored on a power play — Florida’s fourth of the game — in the first period, Bennett added the insurance score with 7:50 left and Bobrovsky did the rest for his second shutout of this postseason.

Joseph Woll stopped 35 shots for the Maple Leafs.

“He was great,” Berube said of his netminder. “He played an excellent game.”

Verhaeghe’s goal came after Matthew Tkachuk, along the left-wing boards, threaded a pass through the slot and past two defenders. It found Verhaeghe — who slammed a one-timer past Woll.

That was part of an early spree for Florida. The Panthers took 21 of the game’s first 26 shots on net, controlling play for long stretches and keeping all the action in front of Woll. He held firm, time and again, keeping Toronto in it.

Bennett said enough. He came in from Woll’s left, with Verhaeghe opposite him, looking for a passing lane. When none appeared, Bennett went to the front of the net, watched Woll commit, then pushed the puck into the net before punching the air.

“That was more like the type of Panthers playoff hockey that we’re used to,” Bennett said.

It got chippy late, as games this late in a series tend to do. Oliver Ekman-Larsson — part of the Florida team that won the Stanley Cup last season — delivered a shot to the head and neck area of Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues about five minutes into the third period. It was originally called a major, then downgraded to a minor after review.

Rodrigues will need further evaluation Monday, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

And four players — Toronto’s Max Domi for boarding Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov; and Toronto’s Bobby McMann, Florida’s Aaron Ekblad and Panthers forward Brad Marchand on his 37th birthday — all got 10-minute misconducts as time expired.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff?

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August 22, 2025

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Who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff?

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2025 preseason College Football Playoff predictions

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August 22, 2025

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2025 preseason College Football Playoff predictions

It’s August and no games have been played, but that’s not keeping ESPN’s college football reporters from predicting the 12 schools that will make up the College Football Playoff beginning in December.

Ohio State won the inaugural 12-team bracket last season, despite starting as the No. 8 seed, demonstrating that the playoff truly gives new life to any team that gains entry.

There’s a slight alteration to the format this year. The tournament will still comprise the top five conference champions and seven at-large schools. But the top four seeds — and the first-round bye that comes with each of those seeds — will no longer go to the four highest-ranked conference champions (last season that was Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State). This season the committee has moved to a straight seeding model, so the four highest-ranked schools in the committee’s final top 12 will get the top four seeds.

Ahead of Week 0, here are the slates our reporters picked. Let the chase begin:

Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson 2. Penn State 3. Texas 4. LSU 5. Georgia 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Miami 9. Alabama 10. Iowa State 11. Nebraska 12. Boise State

Kyle Bonagura: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Ohio State 4. Clemson 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. LSU 10. Arizona State 11. Miami 12. Boise State

Bill Connelly: 1. Penn State 2. Alabama 3. Texas 4. Ohio State 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Texas A&M 8. Clemson 9. Oregon 10. Boise State 11. Miami 12. Kansas State

Heather Dinich: 1. Penn State, 2. Clemson, 3. Texas 4. LSU 5. Georgia 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Alabama 9. Miami 10. Oregon 11. Kansas State 12. Boise State

David Hale: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas 3. Clemson 4. Penn State 5. Notre Dame 6. Georgia 7. Oregon 8. LSU 9. Texas A&M 10. Kansas State 11. Miami 12. Toledo

Eli Lederman: 1. Penn State 2. Texas 3. Clemson 4. Ohio State 5. Notre Dame 6. Alabama 7. Oregon 8. Georgia 9. Arizona State 10. LSU 11. Miami 12. Boise State

Max Olson: 1. Texas. 2. Penn State. 3. Notre Dame. 4. Clemson. 5. Alabama. 6. Oregon. 7. Georgia. 8. Ohio State. 9. Texas Tech. 10. LSU. 11. Utah. 12. Boise State

Adam Rittenberg: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Clemson 4. Georgia 5. Alabama 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. Iowa State 11. Boise State 12. Illinois

Mark Schlabach: 1. Texas 2. Clemson 3. Penn State 4. Georgia 5. Ohio State 6. Alabama 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. LSU 11. Arizona State 12. Boise State

Jake Trotter: 1. Texas, 2. Clemson, 3. Penn State, 4. LSU, 5. Ohio State, 6. Notre Dame, 7. Georgia, 8. Oregon, 9. Illinois, 10. South Carolina, 11. Texas Tech, 12. Tulane

Paolo Uggetti: 1. Ohio State, 2. Georgia, 3. Texas 4. Penn State 5. Notre Dame 6. Clemson 7. Oregon 8. LSU 9. Arizona State 10. Miami 11. South Carolina 12. Boise State

Dave Wilson: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Clemson 4. Ohio State 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. LSU 10. Arizona State 11. Miami 12. Boise State

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Tide RB Miller expected back for UGA showdown

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August 22, 2025

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Tide RB Miller expected back for UGA showdown

  • Chris LowAug 22, 2025, 12:11 PM ET

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    • College football reporter
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
    • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said he expects starting running back Jam Miller to return in time for the SEC opener against Georgia on Sept. 27.

Miller dislocated his collarbone in the Tide’s scrimmage last Saturday and will miss the opener against Florida State on Aug. 30. He’s doubtful to play in the next two games against ULM and Wisconsin. Alabama has a bye the week before its visit to Georgia.

“He’s a leader for us, a quiet leader, but somebody the players all respect,” DeBoer told ESPN. “Having that bye week, I feel good that he will be back out there. He does so many things for us at that position.”

Miller, a senior, chiseled his body this offseason and added muscle. He was having his best preseason camp after leading Alabama with 668 rushing yards last season.

“He’s was a clear No. 1 for us with everything he did, from protection to getting the tough yards,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “I told Jam that the running back room needs him more than ever now.”

Grubb said Daniel Hill and Richard Young add the most experience in stepping in for Miller and that Dre Washington adds a little different tempo out of the backfield. The running back that has been “creeping up” the last week, according to Grubb, is redshirt freshman Kevin Riley. Grubb said Riley is undersized but is physical and fast.

“It’s going to be a little bit by committee until Jam gets back, and there’s going to be a proving ground — who can take care of the ball, who can advance the ball, take on the game plan and help us protect?” Grubb said. “I’m excited to see who’s going to come out here these next few days and take over.”

Alabama ranked sixth in the SEC last season in rushing, and quarterback Jalen Milroe was a central figure in the running game. With Ty Simpson taking over at quarterback, Grubb said this offense will be geared more toward the pass to help balance out things.

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