Finally, after five games worth of hitting, tons of chirping, more than a few unnecessary scrums and no shortage of after-the-whistle hijinks, the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs agree on something.
The approach to Game 6 of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series — one that the Panthers now control — will evidently be the same.
''One shift at a time,'' Leafs forward William Nylander said.
''Next shift, next moment,'' Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said.
The urgency might seem different, however. Florida plays host to Game 6 against the Maple Leafs on Friday night, the Panthers leading the series 3-2 and on the verge of moving into the NHL's final four for a third consecutive season. The Panthers have won three straight to flip the series, the most recent — and most convincing — of those wins being Wednesday's 6-1 victory.
It was an outcome that had even ardent Maple Leafs fans leaving midway through the third period and surely wondering if they had just watched their team on home ice for the final time this season.
"We've responded in the past and I expect a response from our team," Toronto coach Craig Berube said. "We'll talk about things and make some adjustments that are needed. But it's more of a mindset for me going into this Game 6 than anything else. It's not X's and O's.''
The longest-serving members of Toronto's core — players like Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly — have faced elimination 14 times over the last eight seasons. The Leafs have gone 6-8 in those 14 games. On one hand, the eight losses mean the season always ends in disappointment and with another year tacked onto the drought since the city last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. On the other, the six wins show that it's been tough to land the knockout blow.
