The Toronto Maple Leafs forced a Game 7 against the defending champion Florida Panthers, and it will be a battle from the beginning to the end. The Panthers are 2-0 on the road in Game 7s, and they also won Game 7 at home last season against the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup.
Matthew Tkachuk knows what it's going to take for the Panthers to continue their chance at winning another championship, and he believes that they have the team to do so.
“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,” Tkachuk said via Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
History might be on the Panthers' side, as the Maple Leafs are on a six-game losing streak in Game 7s, which is the second-longest active streak behind the Colorado Avalanche. The Maple Leafs have lost their last two Game 7s at home and haven't been to the conference finals since 2002.




The Panthers were down in the series at one point, and some people had already counted them out, but they were able to find a groove and get back into it.
“At the end of the day, we were down 2-0 in this series,” Tkachuk said. “We would have loved the Game 7 and this opportunity. “We’re not going to sit here and pout about it. It’s an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again.”
The Panthers know what to do in these win-or-go-home situations, and they have the experience and talent to get the job done. Tkachuk seems like he's going to bring the team together, and it's going to take a collective group effort for them to win.