Game 7. It’s a familiar situation for both the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, but one with very different results.
The Panthers have enjoyed success, the host Maple Leafs not so much. The former will look to keep that going while the latter will aim to turn their tortuous fortune around when the two face off on Sunday with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“They’re fun,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said of Game 7s. “… Everything’s on the line. We gotta come out in Game 7 and do the same things we did (in Game 6). It’s not fancy. It’s just competing. It’s direct. It’s simple hockey.”
Toronto forced the decisive contest after taking a 2-0 win in Game 6 in Florida. Captain Auston Matthews scored his first goal of the series just over six minutes into the third period before Max Pacioretty added another late.
“Everyone will probably want to talk about the goal and the points, but at the end (Matthews and Mitch Marner) were making plays … and winning puck battles to seal that win,” Pacioretty said.
Recent Game 7 history hasn’t been kind to the Maple Leafs, who have lost each of their past six and are 0-5 with the core of Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly. They haven’t won one since defeating the Ottawa Senators in the first round in 2004.
Toronto’s overall Game 7 history isn’t quite as star-crossed. The Maple Leafs are 12-15 overall, including a 7-3 mark on home ice.
The Panthers are 3-1 all-time in their four Game 7 appearances, with two of those wins coming on the road. Most notably, they claimed their first Stanley Cup last season with a Game 7 victory at home against the Edmonton Oilers.
“The more times you’ve been in a situation, the more comfortable you’re going to be,” said Florida forward Sam Reinhart. “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.”
The Panthers have 18 players on their roster with at least one Game 7 appearance in their career, including 13 who were a part of last season’s group. Reinhart is one of four Florida players to have scored in such outings and his was a big one — the game-winning goal against the Oilers.
This year’s group includes winger Brad Marchand, who will appear in his 13th career Game 7 — most among active NHL players. It will also be his fifth Game 7 against the Maple Leafs and he’s 4-0 against them, though those all came with the Boston Bruins.
“It’s freeing having been in this situation and knowing how to handle it,” said Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad. “The messages, chemistry, intensity and how we prepare for it is all the same. Nothing changes.”
It’s unknown whether Toronto forward Matthew Knies will be available. The 22-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury after he hit Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola late in the first period. He finished the game but played just 13 minutes, well below his 20-minute average.
Berube did not have an update Saturday.
“He touches every part of the game, that’s for sure, and has scored some big goals for us,” Berube said. “He’s a very important piece.”