It was anybody’s game at the Scotiabank Arena on May 18. At least that’s how the forecast was. Two powerhouse teams from the Atlantic Division duking it out to reach teh Conference Finals. Logic suggested the Maple Leafs would’ve had the edge, being on home ice. But what unfolded was a clinical 6-1 blowout as coach Paul Maurice guided the Panthers to yet another game 7 win. Was it his tactical masterclass? Well, according to the Panthers coach himself – far from it. Yep, there were some big points made by the 58-year-old that would get any fan thinking. So, what exactly did he say? Let’s find out.

During the post-game presser after a statement win against a big team, Paul Maurice was as calm and collected as usual, measuring each and every word he uttered. And when he was asked to say something about the Panthers’ ability to step up in big games like this, the head coach straightaway started by directing the focus towards the men on the ice. “I think game sevens are players’ games, right?” the Panthers coach said.

Then, he went further to double down on how he is doing nothing special. Well, this was his sixth Game 7 win in his coaching career, and he has never come up short. With such numbers, one would think it’s his special coaching secret that makes him a game 7 specialist. But instead, the 58-year-old is flipping the script. “We’re at game 94 this year. There’s not much coaching. We’ve been doing it for 93 games coming in. There’s nothing new. There’s no tactics.”

Really? Is Paul Maurice saying that when it’s time to go clutch, his players just step up and deliver? Well, obviously, they do. And the Panthers-Leafs game was a perfect example of it. His men were clinical, superior, more energetic, and committed fewer errors. It was a professional performance in which they were not just playing around. They came to Toronto to get a job done.

Paul Maurice even said that his boys have played well throughout the whole series, even in the games they lost. “Seven games, and we played well … We played well in the two losses. We played well in game six and got beat.” In fact, he was rather sympathetic that the Florida players end up on the wrong side of the score and get judged even though they don’t deserve it. “The margin for error is small, right? Before the puck dropped tonight, there were five teams in the NHL left, five, all of them capable of winning. Puck went our way tonight. That’s it.”

It didn’t just go their way, magically. There’s a reason they keep getting the right result in Game 7. In fact, the last time they did it, the occasion was bigger. Well, the biggest in the NHL.

Yet another big opponent scalp in Game 7 for Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers

The Maple Leafs win undoubtedly makes the Cats the team to beat. The Leafs were being touted as one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup, almost on an equal footing to the Panthers. And Auston Matthews’ team even went 2-0 ahead in the series before they eventually crumbled under the Panthers pressure. And now, Paul Maurice’s men have the Carolina Hurricanes in their sights. The final goal – another Stanley Cup final to make it back-to-back Cup wins.

On the other side, there are the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars. The Oilers fans would love to get to the final, after all, it was them that the Panthers defeated last year to win their 1st-ever Stanley Cup. It was worthy of a Championship clash, with the series going its full length. When the Stanley Cup Champion has to be decided in the 7th game, it basically becomes a final, doesn’t it?

The Panthers led the series 3-0 at one point until the Oilers rallied to make it 3-3. But when it’s a ‘one game decides everything’ scenario, Paul Maurice’s men have always shown to be the ones who have handled the nerves better. Against the Oilers, too, Maurice’s Panthers showed how clutch they were, getting 2 goals to 1, and making history.

Will it be the same script this time for the Panthers? Will they also face the same opponents this time? So much to unravel in the next one month.