It has been a topsy-turvy series between the Panthers and the Maple Leafs. The latter opened the scoring and won two back-to-back games. However, the Panthers made a glorious comeback to win the next three games and be on the brink of making it to the semifinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the action on the ice has been tough to miss, several players have borne the brunt of aggressive play. The likes of Anthony Stolarz and Evan Rodrigues have been away from the action, and there was further bad news for the Panthers.

Ahead of Game 6, Rodrigues was in contention to play after missing Game 5. He even featured in the morning skate ahead of the game today but stayed out late, which denoted that he hasn’t completely recovered from his injury. Thus, it looks like Rodrigues won’t feature in the crucial game today, as the Panthers look to seal the series.

Earlier, Panthers coach Paul Maurice made no changes to his lineup that thrashed the Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 5. However, Evan Rodrigues remained a game-day call, and Maurice revealed, “We’ll monitor him tomorrow and see where he’s at.” Despite the Panthers dominating the proceedings of late, Maurice was wary of Rodrigues missing Game 6. Ahead of the game, Maurice went on to add, “They’ll have the desperation advantage… it’s the team that controls it has the best chance to win.”

Rodrigues last featured in Game 4, where he had to pull out midway through the third period after a high hit from defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in front of the Florida bench. While Evan Rodrigues had to miss the remainder of the game, Larsson received a minor penalty for his aggressive play. Meanwhile, Rodrigues was replaced by Jesper Boqvist at the top line as the former continues his recovery from the injury.

Nonetheless, Maurice is confident about his team’s chances in the upcoming games. With just one win needed to progress through, Maurice made an interesting revelation about his team.

Beyond the Evan Rodrigues’ news, Paul Maurice lauds his team after a dominating win

Earlier this week, the Panthers took the lead for the first time this series as they inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Maple Leafs, winning it 6-1. The Maple Leafs had no chances in the contest, as the side from Florida dominated right from the word go. As a result, Maurice was full of praise for his team.

During an interview, he said, “I think it’s the culturally deepest team that we’ve had. The culture is good on the players that are in and out of our lineup. They feel a part of it. Coach has nothing to do with that. Coaching has nothing to do with it. So getting the first one was important. I thought it flatlined a little bit after that for us. And then probably where the game doesn’t break is Sergei Bobrovsky. Two or three breakaways a night. So I think he was the pivot point in the way that game went.”

With a hat trick of wins, the Panthers are riding high on confidence ahead of the game today. Can they seal the series with a win today? Let us know your views in the comments below.