Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk spoke to the media after his team’s 2-0 shutout loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the playoff series. The Panthers had a three-game win streak snapped and will now face the Maple Leafs in a decisive Game 7 to see which team will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
Matthew Tkachuk on Florida Panthers Being Pushed to Seven Games
Florida are looking to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the third year in a row and win back-to-back trophies. Tkachuk said that the team thrives under pressure and was looking forward to the decider, which will be played on Sunday, May 18.
“At the end of the day, we were down 2-0 in this series. 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. We enjoy these games, we enjoy these moments, and hopefully we’re going to be ready to go,” Tkachuk said.
The Panthers forward also praised the Maple Leafs for their crucial victory at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, May 15.
“You saw it. They took care of one on our home ice. They played really well. They did what they did earlier in the series—blocking shots…. then they get one halfway through the third, and after that they played really well once they got the lead. So back to the drawing board, I guess,” Tkachuk said.
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and third-line forward Max Pacioretty scored on the night, as goalie Joseph Woll recorded his first-ever postseason game shutout. Woll made 21 saves on the night to deny the Panthers.
Matthews scored his first goal of the series to give the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 6:20 of the third period. He received a short pass from Mitch Marner at the blue line and skated to the top of the left circle before shooting through the five-hole to beat Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
“I thought we competed hard and obviously broke through in the third. We gritted it out. Really proud of all the guys in the room from top to bottom. We stuck together. There’s a lot of noise on the outside, but the main focus is on the 20-plus guys in the room every day playing for one another,” Matthews told reporters after the game.
Pacioretty’s goal at 14:17 sealed the win for the Maple Leafs.