The Florida Panthers are in a must-win situation as they look to turn the tide in their second-round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Matthew Tkachuk leading the way, the defending champions will need to embrace head coach Paul Maurice’s message and find their strength in Game 3.
Playing at home could be a key factor for the Panthers as they try to come back from a 0-2 deficit in the series against the Maple Leafs. However, for Maurice, that alone won’t be enough. The Florida head coach wasn’t satisfied with the team’s performance.
The Panthers have more than enough potential to put up a fight, which is why the Maple Leafs can’t afford to get comfortable. Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and even Sam Bennett are some of the names expected to make an impact on the ice and shift the momentum. At the same time, Maurice emphasized the importance of playing at home.
Maurice’s clear message to Panthers
“Well, we’ve been a good home team this year for sure. You get the positive feedback of good things that you do. We had a 2-on-1 with Matthew Tkachuk early in (Game 2) and he almost finds a hole, so you get a completely different review. You start feeling better about yourself and better about your game just on that, so it will be good to get home,” Maurice said, according to NHL.com.
Regarding the defensive issues, the Panthers’ head coach said they’ve tried everything. “If there was, we would have said it two games ago, so we’re not holding back any gems and that’s probably the most important thing you realize. We went on the road and lost two one-goal games, our game is not perfect, neither is theirs so you are looking for an adjustment to foundation rather than an adjustment to something unusual,” Maurice said.
Can the Panthers reverse the series?
The stats don’t offer much optimism for the Panthers. The Florida franchise has a 0-5 record when trailing 2-0 in a series. Tkachuk and the rest of the team’s stars will have to do something unprecedented, while also dealing with the team’s defensive issues. In the two games against the Maple Leafs, they’ve allowed nine goals. This problem had already shown up in the previous round, when they gave up 12 goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs, including an empty-netter.