The Florida Panthers are gearing up for a crucial Game 7 in their Second Round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2024-25 NHL season. Ahead of an electric showdown at Scotiabank Arena, Matthew Tkachuk voiced a firm message to the locker room, including Brad Marchand.
The Panthers cannot hang their heads after a deflating 2-0 defeat on home ice in Game 6, which pushed the series to a winner-takes-all Game 7 back in Toronto. Florida must answer the bell from the get-go, as the Maple Leafs will charge out of the tunnel like a team shot out of a cannon.
Toronto will be determined to set the pace early and make amends to their home fans, many of whom headed for the exits well before the final horn in their disastrous Game 5 showing.
Tkachuk and the Panthers were held off the scoreboard in Game 6 and will now look to get back on track with their backs against the wall in their visit to Toronto. With both teams’ seasons on the line, they’re staring each other down like cowboys in a Western duel—hands hovering over the holster, knowing that if they miss, the counter will be deadly.
It’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs—tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. But pressure is a privilege, and Tkachuk embraces it, urging Marchand and the rest of the Panthers to do the same. This is where legends are born, and Tkachuk isn’t about to let that chance slip through his fingers. He made sure to deliver a firm message to his teammates.
“It’s what you dream about. If you’re going to play tentative, you probably don’t belong in these games,” Matthew Tkachuk commented, via insider Jameson Olive on X.
Been there, done that
Marchand didn’t need no reminder about what’s at stake in a Game 7 during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he’s been in plenty of them and especially against the Leafs. Ahead of the pivotal meeting, he offered his own two cents to the team.
“The difference between winning and losing sometimes doesn’t even come down to how you play,” Marchand stated. “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.”
Game 7 records
When the Maple Leafs and Panthers face off in Game 7, several personal records will be on the line. Paul Maurice is currently 5-0 in Game 7s throughout his NHL coaching career, with two of them being with the Florida Panthers, including last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers are 3-1 in winner-takes-all matchups in the postseason, with a 2-0 record on the road. Meanwhile, Toronto is 12-15, with a 7-3 record when playing on home-ice. However, they are currently dragging a 0-6 losing streak, in which Brad Marchand played a huge role.
Marchand is 7-5 throughout his career in Game 7s, including a 4-0 record against the Maple Leafs in these do-or-die showdowns. Marchand will look to extend its unbeaten record against Toronto, though this year will be the first time he takes them on without the Spoked B on his chest.
“These are the ones you live for. You get excited about it,” Marchand told Miami Herald. “They’re the ones you don’t really worry about the pressure. You just worry about enjoying it and having fun.
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“Whether you win or lose, they’re incredible moments, and you want to give yourself the best opportunity and to do that, you have to be in the moment all night and just be excited about it.“