Maple Leafs Show Grit, Force Florida Panthers Into Game 7

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers could have taken a couple of days off, instead, they will be flying to Toronto later today for yet another game against the Maple Leafs.

A Game 7, mind you.

Those words — Game Seven — may be the sweetest in all of sports.

Forgive the Panthers if that does not exactly ring true in this situation.

Friday night, the Panthers could have put the Maple Leafs to bed in Game 6, only Toronto came out with, as Paul Maurice likes to say, their “hair on fire.’’

After being embarrassed on home ice against the Panthers on Wednesday night in a 6-1 loss that Maurice maintains was much, much, closer than the final score, the Leafs came correct in Sunrise.

No goals were scored in the first two periods before Auston Matthews got his first in 11 playoff games against the Panthers to make it 1-0.

The way Joseph Wall was playing — and, how the Leafs were playing in front of him — that was enough.

Toronto blocked 31 shots with the Panthers putting up 81 shot attempts, only 22 made it on goal.

“We launched it a bunch of times,” Maurice said after Toronto’s 2-0 win. “I thought we were late with the puck. … There’s not much offense, and these are two pretty good offensive teams. Yet there was not much to be had out there. They played hard, we played hard, and it was tight.”

Max Pacioretty’s breakaway goal later in the third was more icing on a cake Toronto would like to pack up and take home with them.

It is a fight to the finish.

Now, both teams will be flying out of FLL today with a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday night.

It’s all on the line now.

This will be the Panthers third Game 7 in the past three ‘golden’ playoff era.

Florida is 2-0 in those games, winning at Boston in 2023 and again against Edmonton back on June 26.

“You gain experience through the runs, the years,’’ Matthew Tkachuk said.

“Seems like we always play in a big Game 7 every year. Maybe this is that game.”

Perhaps.

If not, the Panthers will see you in September for the first of eight preseason games against the Lightning (five of which will be postponed because of tropical storms/hurricanes).

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW / FLORIDA PANTHERS

• We’re going back to Toronto, eh.
• The Toronto media was ready for a funeral on Friday night, but the Leafs have life.
• The Maple Leafs did not stop believing.
• Florida just could not find a way to the net on Friday.
• John Leonard gets a late shorty — and the Charlotte Checkers have a 1-0 lead on Hersey in their playoff series.
• The Panthers were getting scoring from all over the place. Except, of course, on Friday.
• Did the Panthers break the Maple Leafs? Nope.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to the FHN YouTube channel to watch video interviews with the Florida Panthers throughout the postseason. On Friday, Maurice, Brad Marchand, Nate Schmidt, and Tkachuk — as well as Craig Berube, Matthews, and Woll. More today before the flight back north.

NHL LINKS / NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

• The Dallas Stars try and keep the home cooking going tonight in Game 6 against the Jets — a team that has yet to win away from Winnipeg this postseason.
• Connor Hellebuyck needs to be better outside of Manitoba.
• The Bruins deserve much more next season says Jeremy Swayman.
• Keeping an eye on the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching search.
• The Philadelphia Flyers welcome back Rick Tocchet.
• A summer shopping list for the Montreal Canadiens.
• The Vegas Golden Knights search for answers after exit interviews.

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: GAME 7

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 

Best-of-7 Series tied 3-3

• When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
• National TV: TNT/truTV
• National Streaming: MAX
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1: @Toronto 5, Florida 4; Game 2: @Toronto 4, Panthers 3; Game 3: @Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT); Game 4: @Florida 2, Toronto 0; Game 5: Florida 6, @Toronto 1; Game 6: Toronto 2, @Florida 0; Game 7: Sunday @Toronto 7:30 (TNT/truTV).
• How They Got Here: Toronto d. Ottawa 4-2; Florida d. Tampa Bay 4-1
• All-time Postseason: Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS)
• Up Next: Winner vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M2), 2025 Eastern Conference final