Maple Leafs vs. Panthers Game Day Preview: Round 2 Game 7 – Hockey Writer – Toronto Maple Leaf
Toronto maple leaves have done it. They silenced the noise, processed the pressure and won the knockout round. After leading 2-0, the series dropped 3-2, with only one goal away from 3-0, which the team could have folded. After Game 5 brutality, it looks like they might. But in Game 6, they showed up. From the start of the jump, they are ready and displayed on both sides of the puck.
After 40 minutes of scoring, Auston Matthews broke through and scored his biggest goal in his playoff career. A few minutes later, veteran Max Pacioretty buried another, giving the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead. Joseph Woll and the rest of the team remained strong for the last five minutes of the game and shut down any push from the Florida Panthers. This ensured Wall’s first professional playoff suspension and, more importantly, it was Game 7.
Can Maple Leafs play their role as they did in Game 6 and ultimately come up with the idea that this team can’t perform under pressure? Or will they get stuck at the weight of Game 7 and consolidate their position in the history of the city’s history where noise cannot be handled? We found out tonight. So it’s possible to enjoy a game day preview before the puck drops for the last time this season. If you’re lucky, we’ll have more games next week.
Maple Leaf News:
Unfortunately, Matthew Knies was injured in Game 6, which obviously affected his game. He stayed in the game and had some shifts, but it looked painful after the first stage. Head coach Craig Berube confirmed this morning that the Cavaliers will play in Game 7. There is no latest news on the severity of the injury or whether he is playing through something worse, but for now, he expects he will continue to be ranked No. 1.
Related: 3 key points for Maple Leaf to beat the Panthers 2-0 – Game 6
As for Anthony Stolarz, he won’t be on the bench tonight. There is no new information about his identity, except for finding him on the ice earlier this week before practice. Hopefully, if the Maple Leafs enter the finals, Stolarz will be healthy enough to rejoin the team.
Toronto maple leaves
Playoff record: 7-5
Series records: 3-3
Top 5 scorers:
- William Nylander: 6 g, 9 a, 15 p
- Mitch Marner: 2 g, 11 a, 13 p
- Auston Matthews: 3 g, 8 a, 11 p
- Mac Pacioretty: 3 g, 5 a, 8 p
- John Tavares: 5 g, 2 a, 7 p
Goalkeeper statistics:
- Anthony Stolarz: 4-2, 2.19 GAA, .901 SV%
- Joseph Woll: 3-3, 3.28 GAA, .893 SV%
- Matt Murray: 0-0, 4.41 GAA, .857 SV%
Florida Black Panther
Playoff record: 7-4
Series records: 3-3
Top 5 scorers:
- Sam Reinhart: 3 G, 7 A, 10 P
- Sam Bennett: 6 g, 3 a, 9 p
- Matthew Tkachuk: 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
- Anton Lundell: 3 g, 6 a, 9 p
- Brad Marchand: 2 G, 7 A, 9 P
Goalkeeper statistics:
- Sergei Bobrovsky: 7-4, 2.43 GAA, .898 SV%
Projection lineup
Only predictions are made that these lineups may change before the puck drops.
Toronto maple leaves:
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Pontus Holmberg – John Tavares – William Nylander
Bobby McMann – Max Domi
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Wall
Matt Murray
Scratches: Dakotas, Philippe Myers, Nicholas Robertson, Dennis Hildeby, David Kampf, Ryan Reves
Injuried: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (unpublished)
Florida Black Panthers:
Jesper Boqvist -Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew
Eetu Luostarinen -Anton Lundell -Brad Marchand
AJ Greer -Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Eckbrad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratches: Jaycob Megna, Uvis Balinskis, Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm
Injuried: Evan Rodrigues (Unpublished)
Puck Drop will be set tonight at 7:30. The Maple Leafs bounced back in Game 6 with a 2-0 knockout round – now is the time for this core to kill the Devils and win Game 7 to advance to the final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
They had a real chance to wipe the slate and show this fan base how bad they wanted. A game. Sixty minutes. That’s it. Do your best and win – and win the 2002 rematch.
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