Tkachuk: Panthers 'not going to sit here and pout' over going to Game 7

Matthew Tkachuk is taking a positive view about the Florida Panthers' failure to close out the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 on Friday.

"At the end of the day we were down two-rip in this series, so we would've loved a Game 7 and this opportunity," Tkachuk said postgame, referring to the Leafs winning the first two games. "We're not gonna sit here and pout about it. It's an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again. We enjoy these games and we enjoy these moments."

The Maple Leafs won 2-0 Friday night to force a winner-take-all contest at 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday in Toronto.

The Panthers have fared well in such games since Tkachuk's arrival in 2022, winning Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in Round 1 in 2023, then winning another Game 7 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

Tkachuk, however, has yet to score in the series, though he has tallied four assists in six games.

The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have lost six consecutive Game 7s dating back to 2013. Their last Game 7 victory was in 2004 in Round 1 against the Ottawa Senators.

This will mark the first Game 7 as a Maple Leaf for Max Pacioretty, who scored a key insurance marker Friday and has been a revelation with eight points in 10 games this postseason.

"It's a lot of fun. I can't wait," Pacioretty said. "We're going to war."