Things have been topsy-turvy so far. While the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the NHL playoff series with two dominating wins, the Florida Panthers didn’t take a moment to calm down but proved their power with three back-to-back wins! But with the momentum in Florida’s favor, the Maple Leafs knew what they had to do to keep the playoff hopes alive. And boom—game 6 was was the great equalizer yet again. To say that the NHL playoff clash between the two now turned into an absolute rollercoaster would be an understatement. But even though it may seem like game 6 was a missed opportunity for the Panthers, alternate Matthew Tkachuk, believes it’s all part of the plan.
Now that the series is leveled and the stage is set for a high-stakes game 7, Tkachuk has sent a bold warning directly to the Maple Leafs: “Our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series, over the course of a game. It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in an overtime or late in the third,” said Tkachuk, as reported by NHL insider Chris Johnston on X! Well, it looks like things have started to take an interesting turn even before the puck drop.
Matthew Tkachuk says the Panthers are “built” for Game 7:
“Our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series, over the course of a game. It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in an overtime or late in the third.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 18, 2025
And, honestly, to the rest of the NHL world too, this message came like a thunderstrike, making it very clear that Florida’s strategy is to outlast and overpower. Recall last year’s Stanley Cup finals and Florida’s incredible staying power. Doesn’t this signal the Panthers’ confidence and intent to bring it down to the final buzzer?
This is a developing story…
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