Entering tough playoff series, the Florida Panthers have adopted a strategy that has proven quite effective, given their success in winning eight of their last nine series.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have also embraced this approach, similar to how they acquired players like Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz who were recently part of the Panthers` success.
Their core idea is to assume, before the first game even starts, that the series will last the full seven games.
This serves as a clever mental exercise.
It helps players manage the ups and downs of a potentially long and intense series.
So, if the Panthers fall behind 1-3 against the Presidents’ Trophy–winning Boston Bruins in 2023, they remain resolute and push for a comeback. And if they squander a commanding 3-0 lead against the 2024 Edmonton Oilers, well, it was always anticipated to come down to a winner-take-all game anyway. They might as well seize the moment and win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
And if you are these remarkably different Maple Leafs, you don`t panic when a 3-0 series lead over the Ottawa Senators shrinks to 3-2. You focus on winning the next game because, after all, you convinced yourselves this series would be a marathon.
And when you deliver a concerning performance in Game 5 at home in the next round, watching your 2-0 lead turn into a 2-3 deficit, you don`t hit the panic button because this was always destined for seven games. You travel to Florida and fulfill the self-prophecy.
However, the Game 7 Theory is more than just a mental trick.
It is also tactical and practical.
While replicating the intense atmosphere of a winner-take-all match during a regular season game or even a Game 3 in April is impossible, experienced coaches like Paul Maurice (who boasts a 5-0 record in Game 7s, including a significant one) and Craig Berube (with a 2-1 record, also including a key victory) can instill a Game 7-like system and identity from the start of the season.
This involves playing straight-line hockey, minimizing risks, applying relentless forechecks, maintaining a tight five-man defensive structure, emphasizing discipline, and playing physically.
The goal is to wear down the opponent.
The tight nature of Game 6, where quality scoring chances from the slot were limited (Toronto favored 5-3), is expected to carry over.
The worst thing a coach could do after Game 6 concludes is introduce completely new concepts or overthink the strategic battle. By this point, his players should have the Game 7 mindset deeply ingrained in them.
“The Game 7 idea is something we discuss before every series. We even talk about it during the regular season, in fact. The style of play that leads to a Game 7 is the level we aspire to reach,” Maurice explained to reporters in Fort Lauderdale Saturday, before the teams flew to Toronto for Sunday’s decisive game.
“You want to have talked about your game enough throughout the year so that everyone understands the style of play you will aim for.”
Wait. So… you want the series to go seven games?
No. That would be dishonest.
But what you hope for and what you prepare for are different matters entirely.
“You want to win in four games. You truly do. One hundred percent. But the Game 7s, those are the ones you will remember. There aren’t many of them. The deeper you advance into the playoffs, the more intense they become,” Maurice continued.
“There is a sense of freedom in Game 7s that you don’t find anywhere else. On both teams, players are dealing with various issues, including physical ailments. And they will tell themselves: ‘I just need to play one more game.’ If they earn the chance to play another game after that, they’ll address it then. But in the present moment, during warm-up, whatever physical discomfort they have becomes more mentally manageable. So, everyone gives their all, and everyone plays hard.”
(This explains why we are assuming both Toronto’s Matthew Knies and Florida’s Evan Rodrigues will play, regardless of their pain levels. Berube did not provide an update on Knies’s status Saturday morning, but he is too vital a player to sit out if he feels he can contribute.)
