Matthew Tkachuk insinuates that the Leafs have been an easy out in Round 2; is this all the motivation the Leafs need?
Ahead of Wednesday's Game 4, Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk emphasized that his team is feeling calm, cool, and collected heading into a potential series-clinching game. At this stage of the playoffs, in the second round is where things should be getting real for both teams. The level of competition should be getting stiffer and more fierce. However, for Tkachuk and the Panthers, it's been relatively pain-free.
Tkachuk stated this morning, "There's no pressure on us", highlighting that the pressure should instead be on the Toronto Maple Leafs who face a daunting 3-0 series deficit.
His Panthers squad entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East and was given not much of a chance to win by most before defeating the President Trophy Winners in seven games in an unforgettable 3-1 series comeback for the ages. At this point, Tkachuk's team leads what he called "the second-best team in the NHL" 3-0 in the series, and they are essentially playing with house money now.
With his statement, Tkachuk is insinuating that the Leafs have been an easy out in Round 2 and he knows the feat that lies ahead of this Leafs team. More often than not, and by a pretty large margin, when a team holds a 3-0 series lead, they go on to win the series. However, one thing to mention is that in professional sports, the close-out game is always the hardest to win; it's first to four, not three.
It's in the Leafs' hands to flip the narrative and apply more pressure to what has been a smooth-coasting second round for the Panthers. Tkachuk and the Comeback Cats have been playing with the "underdog" mentality and simply going out and playing, keeping their feet moving and not letting up until the final horn sounds. Whether this mentality has any meaning behind it remains a question mark, but the Leafs still have a ton to prove and it starts on Wednesday night.
With the series on the line, there is pressure on both ends of the table. The Panthers most certainly want to close this out before the Leafs can build any kind of momentum, while the Leafs are on the brink of elimination in what has been a disappointing series, to say the least.
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 570 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk insinuates that the Leafs have been an easy out in Round 2; is this all the motivation the Leafs need? Will the Leafs win Game 4? | ||
| Yes, they have to | 335 | 58.8 % |
| No, unfortunately not | 235 | 41.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
