FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Before every series, Florida coach Paul Maurice talks to his team about what they need to do along the way to get ready for Game 7.
The reason: If a series goes the distance — like this NHL second-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs has — he doesn’t want his club to be surprised.
“You want to win in four. You do, 100%,” Maurice said Saturday. “But the Game 7s, you’ll remember. Those are the ones. There’s not a lot of them. The further into the playoffs, the more intense they are. But there’s a freedom in Game 7 that’s not anywhere else.”
Welcome to freedom. Game 7 awaits.
A spot in the NHL’s final four is at stake Sunday night in Toronto, when the Panthers and Maple Leafs play the deciding game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The winner will face Carolina in the East final; the loser goes into the offseason.
“It’s an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “We enjoy these games and we enjoy these moments.”
And why wouldn’t they? The last time the Panthers played a Game 7, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman handed Florida captain Aleksander Barkov the Stanley Cup. There’s no Cup at stake on Sunday, just a chance to move one round closer to winning hockey’s greatest prize.
“When I was growing up and all the people that I knew growing up, they always dreamed about a Game 7,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “They’re big games obviously, and a lot on the line. I mean, everything’s on the line.”
Florida is trying to get to the conference finals for a third consecutive season. Toronto is trying to get there for the first time since 2002.
For the Panthers, Sunday represents a chance to continue defense of the title. For the Leafs, it’s a chance to avoid heading into another summer with the “same old Leafs” tag that has dogged the franchise in plenty of playoff flameouts over the years.
“Yes, we feel the pressure, obviously,” Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “But the motivation, the pride that you have coming to the rink … it’s second to none. It’s a full body tingling experience when you get off the ice for the first time.”
The back-and-forth of this series and similarities within the matchup are truly something to behold:
— The Maple Leafs won Games 1 and 2 at home. The Panthers won Games 3 and 4 at home.
— Florida went on the road to win Game 5. Toronto went on the road to win Game 6.
— Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky had a 2-0 shutout win to tie the series at 2-2. Toronto’s Joseph Woll had a 2-0 shutout win to tie the series at 3-3.
— Florida’s leading scorer in the series is Sam Bennett with three goals. Toronto’s leading scorer in the series is William Nylander with three goals.
— Bobrovsky’s save percentage so far: .895. Woll’s save percentage so far: .893.
“The job’s only going to get harder,” Toronto forward Mitch Marner said.
Woll was on the Toronto bench to start its first-round series against Boston last year, then went 2-1 in Games 4-6 to help the Leafs get into Game 7. But he got hurt in that Game 6 win, couldn’t go in Game 7 and the Bruins wound up beating Toronto and Ilya Samsonov 2-1 in overtime.
“It sucked not being able to play last year, for sure,” Woll said. “And I think this is just a pretty special opportunity for our team.”
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT/truTV/Max)
Series: Tied, 3-3.
A breakdown of key Game 7 stats and notes:
— All-time record: Florida 3-1 (2-0 road), Toronto 12-15 (7-3 home)
— The Marchand effect: Florida’s Brad Marchand has played in 12 Game 7s, his Boston teams going 7-5 in those games and 4-0 against Toronto.
— The Leafs drought: Toronto hasn’t won a Game 7 since 2004. The Leafs are 0-6 in ultimate games since then, the worst record in the league over that span. Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander have played in five previous Game 7s together and never won.
— The coaches: Maurice is 5-0 in Game 7s. Berube is 2-1. Both have one Stanley Cup, and both had to win a Game 7 in the title series to get those championships (Berube with St. Louis in 2019, Maurice with Florida last year).
— This year: It’s the third Game 7 of this year’s playoffs. Winnipeg beat St. Louis and Dallas beat Colorado in Round 1.