Panthers try to punch ticket to third straight Eastern Conference Final
TORONTO – Win or go home.
With a spot in the Eastern Conference Final on the line, the Florida Panthers will face-off against the Toronto Maple Leasf in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.
Florida owns a 3-1 record in Game 7’s, while Toronto has gone 12-15.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “It’s the stuff you dream about as a kid. I know everyone says that, but you really do. Our game is built for this type of game. We talk about it all year. We talk about it at training camp. What are you going to do to build your game for a Game 7? We get to show that off tonight. It’s finally here.”
After winning three straight games to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the series, the Panthers missed out on their first opportunity to eliminate the Maple Leafs on Friday.
Following two scoreless periods, the Maple Leafs broke the ice in the third period on goals from Auston Matthews and Max Pacioretty to secure a 2-0 win in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Despite leading 81-42 in shot attempts, the Panthers only recorded 22 shots on goal.
In Game 7, the plan is to get more pucks on net.
While the Panthers didn’t get the job done at home, life on the road isn’t so bad.
In six games away from home this postseason, the defending Staney Cup champions have posted a 4-2 record while outscoring their opponents 27-15. Very strong on special teams, they’ve converted on 38.9% of their power plays and are sitting at 86.4% on the penalty kill on the road.
Tied for first in the playoffs, Eetu Luostarinen has racked up eight points on the road.
Also comfortable in big-game situations, it was less than a year ago that the Panthers held on for a 2-1 win in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers to win their first-ever Stanley Cup.
“Our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series, over the course of a game,” Tkachuk said of the team’s mentality. “It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in overtime or late in the third. Our game is built for Game 7. We’ve done six games of hopefully hard work and physicality that’ll pay off tonight.”
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.
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky has gone 2-0 with a .933 save percentage in his two Game 7’s.
Set to appear in his 13th career Game 7, Brad Marchand also knows what it takes to win.
“You can look at it as a pressure situation, or you can look at it as an incredible opportunity to be a hero or to accomplish big things as a group,” said Marchand, who’s gone a perfect 4-0 in his career against the Maple Leafs in Game 7’s. “Whichever one you kind of latch on to, that’s usually the direction you go. If you embrace it and are excited about it and know you have the ability to do big things in big moments, that’s where big memories are created.”
Last appearing in a Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators all the way back in 2004, the Maple Leafs have lost six straight Game 7’s, but are feeling good after a big win in Game 6.
Playing one of their best games of the series, the Maple Leafs held the Panthers to zero goals and just 1.63 expected goals at 5-on-5. As it has been all series, they clogged up every shooting lane they could, racking up 31 blocked shots to increase their series total to 142.
Still looking to win the big game, William Nylander, Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly have all gone 0-5 in their career in Game 7’s, while John Tavares is 0-4.
In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Pacioretty is 3-1 in Game 7’s.
Expected to man the crease, Joseph Woll has never played in a Game 7.
After suffering an injury in Game 4, Evan Rodrigues skated again this morning and is “feeling pretty good,” but it remains unclear whether or not he’ll suit up for Florida.
When asked about possible lineup changes, head coach Paul Maurice slyly said “maybe.”
With that, we’ll have to wait until warmups for anything definitive.
Speaking of Maurice, Florida’s head coach is 5-0 in Game 7’s, including 2-0 with the Panthers.
That being said, the future Hall of Fame coach doesn’t believe there’s a secret.
“The puck’s going to drop and away we go. That’s all I know about Game 7,” he smiled.
THEY SAID IT
“The more times you’ve been in a situation, the more comfortable you’re going to be. 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.” – Sam Reinhart on Game 7
“It’s freeing having been in this situation and knowing how to handle it. 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.” – Aaron Ekblad on Game 7
“The difference between winning and losing sometimes doesn’t even come down to how you play. It can be a bounce or a call. You obviously want to prepare to put your best game on the ice and take care of every detail because one detail is enough to win or lose a game.” – Brad Marchand on Game 7
FIVE CATS STATS
– The Panthers have out-hit the Maple Leafs 304-239.
– This is the third consecutive postseason the Panthers have played a Game 7.
– Carter Verhaeghe has scored a goal in each of his last two Game 7’s.
– Anton Lundell has dished out three assists in his two career Game 7’s.
– The Panthers have gone 18/20 (90%) on the penalty kill in this series.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Jesper Boqvist – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
– April 25: F Jesse Puljujarvi assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Watch Party: Funky Buddha Brewery
