Panthers have gone 3-1 in Game 7's in their history
FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers know this situation all too well.
For the third straight postseason, they’ll have to find a way to win a Game 7.
After clawing back from an initial 2-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Second Round, the Panthers will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a win-or-go-home contest at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.
“You’ve got to bring all your emotion, intensity and focus to that game,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “We’ve obviously done it before. Just draw on those experiences.”
Essentially kicking off their current golden era, the Panthers put themselves on the map with a stunning upset of the top-seeded Boston Bruins in Game 7 of Round 1 in 2023.
A year later, they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
“The more times you’ve been in a situation, the more comfortable you’re going to be,” said forward Sam Reinhart, who famously scored the Cup-winning goal against Edmonton. “From going through it together countless times, it’s comforting. You know what you’re going to expect out of the guy next to you, and that’s his best at a time like this.”
Overall, the Panthers are 3-1 in Game 7s, including 2-0 on the road.
There are 18 different players on Florida’s playoff roster that have appeared in at least one Game 7, including 13 players who were part of last season’s Stanley Cup-winning squad.
Coming up in the clutch, Carter Verhaeghe, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues have scored in a Game 7, with Verhaeghe also posting a team-high four points.
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky has gone 2-0 with a .933 save percentage in his two Game 7’s.
A key addition at the trade deadline, Brad Marchand is set to appear in his first Game 7 with the Panthers and 13th overall, which is the most Game 7’s among active players in the NHL.
This will also mark his fifth Game 7 against the Mape Leafs.
“It’s freeing having been in this situation and knowing how to handle it,” Ekblad said. “The messages, chemistry, intensity and how we prepare for it is all the same. Nothing changes. It’s getting our bodies ready and feeling the best we can coming into it.”
Across the ice, the Maple Leafs have had more experience but less success in Game 7’s.
Last appearing in a Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators all the way back in 2004, the Maple Leafs own a 12-15 record in Game 7’s in their history, including losing six straight.
Yet to win a Game 7, Toronto’s core of William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly have all gone 0-5 in their career, while John Tavares is sitting at 0-4.
In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Max Pacioretty is 3-1 in Game 7’s.
Expected to man the crease, Joseph Woll has never played in a Game 7.
“At the end of the day, we were down 2-0 in this series, so we would’ve loved a Game 7 and this opportunity,” Tkachuk said. “We’re not going to sit here and pout about it. It’s an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again. We enjoy these games and enjoy these moments.”
Behind the bench, both Paul Maurice and Craig Berube have won a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final.
As you’d expect, both teams will be prepared when the puck drops.
“Both these teams have earned it,” Maurice said. “They’ve earned the right to go flat-out as hard as they can and enjoy the process of it. … We’re down 0-2, they’re down 3-2 [in the series], both teams have battled hard, both teams have earned the right to enjoy this.”

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