Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 7 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Toronto looked dead in the water in a humiliating Game 5 loss, so you have to give them credit for their bounce back performance in a 2-0 Game 6 victory. Has the momentum shifted in the Leafs’ favour for Game 7, or will Florida break the hearts of Toronto fans once again?
The Panthers are -125 favourites to win Game 7 on the NHL odds, with the total pegged at 5.5.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Home ice was meaningful for the first four games of this series, but with each team now holding a road victory, anything is possible on Sunday.
Let’s get right down to the stats. The good news: Toronto is 7-3 at home in Game 7s. The mediocre news: They are 12-15 all-time in Game 7s. The bad news: The Leafs haven’t won a Game 7 since 2004. The really bad news: They have lost six straight Game 7s. On the plus side, head coach Craig Berube is 2-1 in Game 7s, including winning the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with St. Louis over Boston.
Now let’s look at the Cats. Florida is 3-1 all-time in Game 7s, including 2-0 on the road. And of course, the Panthers’ most memorable Game 7 victory came just last season when they beat Edmonton at home to win the Stanley Cup. It’s also worth keeping in mind, head coach Paul Maurice is a perfect 5-0 in his career in Game 7s.
The winner of this series will go on to face Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final. Both teams have faced the Hurricanes just once in the playoffs, but each series was a conference final. The Leafs lost a six-game series in 2002, while Florida swept Carolina in 2023.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers threw up a goose egg when it mattered most on Friday night despite outshooting Toronto 22-17 in the game. The first period, however, was heavily lopsided against Florida as they were outshot 7-2. The loss puts a bigger spotlight on the Panthers’ struggles to close out series’. Despite reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, Florida is just 8-7 in potential closeout games over the last three postseasons. That includes last year’s Stanley Cup Final when they failed to close the series three times against Edmonton before winning in Game 7.
One edge the Panthers can take into Sunday is a roster filled with playoff experience. It starts with Brad Marchand, who is 7-5 in Games 7s with seven points (3G, 4A). He has also eliminated the Leafs four times in his playoff career. It gets even scarier when you consider Carter Verhaeghe (2-0 with 2G, 2A), Matthew Tkachuk (3-0 with 1G, 2A) and Sergei Bobrovsky (2-0, 1.88 goals-against average, .933 save percentage) are all undefeated in Game 7s.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Two massive questions were answered in Game 6. Auston Matthews finally scored a goal in the series with the game-winner and Jospeh Woll turned aside 22 shots for his first career playoff shutout. There was no way Toronto was ever going to win this series if they didn’t get offence from Matthews and solid goaltending, so Sunday’s performance was a good sign. The only negative was an injury Matthew Knies suffered in the first period. Knies appeared to be in a lot of pain on the bench and he only played sporadically through the rest of the game. His status for Game 7 remains unclear as of Saturday afternoon.
It’s no secret that Toronto’s playoff history in Game 7 isn’t great. Matthews, (3A), Mitch Marner (2A), William Nylander (2G, 2A) and Morgan Rielly (1G, minus-7) are each 0-5 in Game 7s, while John Tavavres (1G) is 0-4. The only player who has been clutch in Game 7s is Max Pacioretty, who is 3-1 with three career goals. Woll has never played a Game 7.
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