Panthers head coach Paul Maurice addressed the media after a 2-0 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
On his team’s difficulty creating second and third opportunities around the net:
We didn’t get the puck there early enough. We launched it a bunch of times — we were in the 80s — but I thought we were just late with the puck.
On the Leafs‘ 31 blocked shots in the game:
They have had a big number the entire series. We’ve come to expect that. As I said, I just thought we were late getting it off our sticks. We were waving the gun a lot, but we didn’t want to pull the trigger on a few. We just made people nervous.
On what changed in Toronto’s game between Game 5 and Game 6:
Not nearly as much as everybody in this room is going to write. They worked hard and played hard tonight. I thought that in the last game. They got killed for the last game, but they didn’t deserve to, in my opinion. We had four knuckles go in that probably don’t (normally).
It was a pretty tight game. It didn’t feel like that on the scoreboard, but when you watch the game and look at the analytics, the 6-1 game was the second-tighest game of the series. This one will look a lot like that. There was not as much offense.
These are two pretty good offensive teams, but there really isn’t a whole lot to be had out there. They played hard. We played hard. It was tight. We had probably four go in the last game that I am not sure you are counting on happening on a regular basis or even every 10 games. We had a couple go in off sticks.
When you get into a 0-0 game, it is going to be tight.
On the effectiveness of Toronto’s penalty kill (4-for-4):
What you saw five-on-five was also true at five-on-four. We were late getting it off our stick, or we were looking for something maybe slightly better. They did a good job of it, for sure. Our entries are usually a little cleaner than they were tonight. We got held up at the line quite a bit.
They were good. We have to be better.
On how his team can draw from its past Game 7 experiences ahead of Sunday’s series-deciding game in Toronto:
I don’t know if you go back too far with anything. We have played Game 7s before. We are not going to show any video of those Game 7s. We will look at our game tonight and see where we can get better.
On the nervousness and preparation for a Game 7:
Oh, they are free. It’s all the energy you’ve got with no concern about tomorrow. You have talked enough about your game all year, so everyone understands the game you are going to try to play. You don’t need a lot of extra coffee. You’ll be ready to go.
On how the makeup of his team suits a Game 7 situation:
It is an interesting thing. When you get to the final eight teams, or five or six now, they are all capable, right? They are all capable of getting into a Game 7. Sometimes, it is just the way the puck bounces for you.
That tension is part of the Game 7. It is about as honest a game as you are going to find. There is no cheating in that game. That is why they are so much fun.
