All through the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been aiming to show they’ll ship within the postseason.
They gave themselves yet one more alternative to try this on Friday evening in Sport 6 on the highway in opposition to the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs beat Florida 2-0, forcing a Sport 7 in Toronto on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Maple Leafs heart Auston Matthews netted a objective early within the third interval. Later, Toronto left winger Max Pacioretty scored off a backhanded shot.
“Only a gutsy win throughout,” Matthews stated in a postgame information convention, per theScore’s Josh Wegman. “I believed we battled arduous all three intervals. It took till halfway by the third to interrupt by, however I believed all all through our lineup, all people performed arduous, all people competed.”
The Maple Leafs will want extra aggressive fireplace to keep away from one other playoff disappointment.
Regardless of boasting a gifted squad with stars like Matthews, the Maple Leafs have stalled within the playoffs over the previous 5 seasons.
Within the first spherical of the 2021 playoffs, they blew a 3-1 result in the Montreal Canadiens within the first spherical. The Tampa Bay Lightning eradicated them in Sport 7 within the first spherical of the next postseason.
Final season, the Boston Bruins beat the Maple Leafs in Sport 7 within the first spherical, their sixth consecutive loss in a Sport 7.
With the collection heading again to Toronto, nevertheless, the Maple Leafs could have an honest likelihood of snapping that streak. According to NHL.com, they’re 7-3 in Sport 7s performed at house of their historical past. Matthews would not appear to care about that.
“The job’s not completed but,” he stated.
Clearly, the two-time All-Star needs to carry his group into the Japanese Convention Remaining for the primary time since 2002. That will assist the squad shed the non-clutch label.
