“I think that, you know, us trying to relish that underdog role going into Toronto. I mean, they’re the number one seed. They had the best season in our division,” Matthew Tkachuk said about facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2. While Florida had a much better playoff record than the Leafs, Tkachuk’s words would ring true after the first two games, with the Leafs taking a 2-0 series lead. But then, the Cats showed why they’re the defending champions.

After two chaotic games where the Leafs pulled ahead, the Panthers turned the dial to 911. An incredibly hard-fought Game 3 saw the two teams force the game into overtime, where Brad Marchand would go on to give the Cats a much-needed win. It’s been dominating since then, with the Panthers winning two more games in a row. So, as the teams battled it out in the crucial Game 6, the Panthers’ alternate captain revealed the secret to their success in shutting down the surging Leafs with a “simple” tactic.

“I mean, we just probably oversimplified, mixed in a little bit more physicality. You know, at the end of the day, playoff hockey is a simple game,” Matthew Tkachuk told Paul Bissonette from the bench inside Amerant Bank Arena. “We do have a lot of skill and a lot of talented players, but our bread and butter is that simple game,” added the 27-year-old. And what exactly was that simple game?

“Flipping pucks, rimming pucks, getting on the body and getting to the net, and throwing pucks to the net. I mean, it’s really pretty simple,” Tkachuk explained. That being said, the Leafs prevented the Cats from getting into their flow. While the Panthers hit the Leafs’ goalie with a barrage of shots (81 attempted to be exact), there was a distinct lack of physicality.

Unlike the first three games, where both teams landed huge hits, the Panthers and Leafs were much more cautious with their hits, lest they attract costly penalties. However, that only benefited the Maple Leafs, who withstood the pressure and finally broke through in the third period. Matthew Tkachuk’s USA teammate Auston Matthews scored his first goal of the series. Later, Max Pacioretti finished it off at 14:17, forcing a Game 7. Yet, the reaction wasn’t one you may have expected.

Matthew Tkachuk wasn’t too broken up about the loss

With Toronto forcing Game 7, the series is now up for grabs for whoever shows more grit. While the stakes definitely went up, the Florida Panthers aren’t melting over missing the opportunity to put the Leafs away. “At the end of the day, we were down 2-0 in this series, so we would’ve loved a Game 7 and this opportunity,” said Tkachuk, recalling how they felt after falling behind early.

And just like the Leafs didn’t sit around and sulk after losing Game 5, the defending champs are looking ahead. “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 and enjoy these moments,” Matthew Tkachuk added after the game. Even coach Paul Maurice didn’t seem too worried.

The NHL coach was calm during the post game presser and mostly stressed identifying and rectifying what they did wrong today. “We’ve played Game 7s before. We’re not going to show any video of those Game 7s. We’ll look at our game tonight and see where we can get better,” explained the coach. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews was proud of the grit his team showed tonight.

“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,” said Matthews after finally putting his name on the series scoreboard. Now we’ll have to wait and see if the Leafs can capitalize on the momentum or if Matthew Tkachuk and Co. have the last laugh.