Latest news with #MaxPacioretty
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Max Pacioretty Responds to Matthew Tkachuk Wild Claim About Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, dropping Game 7 at home to the Florida Panthers. It was yet another frustrating loss for the Maple Leafs in the postseason, leading many people to believe that big changes are coming to the team. After the game, Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk turned some heads with comments on why Toronto continues to fail. Advertisement "Sometimes you feel bad for them because they have some unbelievable players and a great team," Tkachuk said. "I was actually saying this last night to some of the guys. If their team was not in Toronto, dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they'd be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play. They just have so much to deal with, and I feel bad." Many had strong opinions on the matter, but the reality of the situation is that the Maple Leafs haven't seen real postseason success in a long time. But Maple Leafs star Max Pacioretty pushed back on these comments from Tkachuk after the fact. "It's a privilege. You probably don't realize that when you're in it or you're younger and have this many people care about how we do. It builds winners, turns you into men and helps achieve what you're trying to become.", he said. Some players embrace the pressure placed on teams like Toronto, while others crumble under it. The veteran has seen a lot over his career and made his feelings clear. Advertisement Pacioretty only played one season with the Maple Leafs, but it seems that he learned a lot about the city. The veteran didn't have a great season, only scoring five goals and eight assists. The wing also said that he isn't sure what the future holds for him, hinting at potential retirement. It remains to be seen what he will do, but Pacioretty clearly doesn't want to blame the pressure in Toronto for the shortcomings of the team this year. Related: Canucks Could Land Star From Division Rival in Free Agency Related: Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner Predicted to Leave For East Rival After Playoff Exit
National Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Matthew Knies makes RFA intentions clear for Maple Leafs: 'I want to play here'
Article content Don't be worried about the possibility that Matthew Knies entertains an offer sheet this summer. Article content Article content The Maple Leafs winger, whose emergence as one of top young power forwards in the National Hockey League this season was crucial for Toronto, was rather unequivocal on Tuesday. Article content 'I want to be here, I want to play here,' Knies said. 'That's all that matters to me.' Article content Considering the 22-year-old Knies' potential in coming off a 29-goal, 58-point season, there's a chance he gets an offer sheet, as rare as they are in the NHL. If Knies does sign one, it's difficult to envision the Leafs not matching it. Article content Article content One way or another, Knies is in line for a massive raise over the $925,000 US he made this past season. Think something in the range of $7-8 million a year. Article content Forwards Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg and goalie Dennis Hildeby are among players in the organization who also are eligible for restricted free agency. Each has arbitration rights. Article content Beyond Mitch Marner and John Tavares, the Leafs don't have a long list of unrestricted free agents. Among them are forwards Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz and Alex Steeves, defencemen Jani Hakanpaa and Dakota Mermis and goalie Matt Murray. Article content The 36-year-old Pacioretty spoke to media on Tuesday and addressed his future. Article content 'This year was very difficult for me being away from my family, so I'm really excited to just get home and be with them and talk to them about what's next in life,' Pacioretty said. 'In terms of playing, that's difficult to answer right now.' Article content
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers Will Once Again Meet In Eastern Conference Final
The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers will meet in the Eastern Conference yet again, setting up a rematch of the 2023 ECF. The Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games to advance and meet the Hurricanes, who had defeated the Washington Capitals in five games. The last and only time these two teams met in the postseason was the 2023 Eastern Conference Final where the Cats defeated the Canes in a 4-0 sweep. Despite the sweep, every game was a one-goal contest with the first game going to quadruple overtime, the second one going to overtime as well and the next two being one goal regulation losses. The margins in that series were razor thin, and the Canes were without Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty in that series, but I'd still expect nothing less between these two teams this time around. Here's the ECF schedule: Game 1: Tuesday, May 20 (8 p.m.) @ Lenovo CenterGame 2: Thursday, May 22 (8 p.m.) @ Lenovo CenterGame 3: Saturday, May 24 (8 p.m.) @ Amerant Bank ArenaGame 4: Monday, May 26 (8 p.m.) @ Amerant Bank ArenaGame 5: Wednesday, May 28 (8 p.m.) @ Lenovo CenterGame 6: Friday, May 30 (8 p.m.) @ Amerant Bank ArenaGame 7: Sunday, June 1 (8 p.m.) @ Lenovo Center In the regular season, the Hurricanes went 1-2-0 against the Panthers. The Canes didn't have any player with more than a single goal (six skaters) or two points (four skaters) so it doesn't look like there's any secret weapon on Carolina's roster. Spencer Martin started two of those games (both losses), posting a 0.825 save percentage. Pyotr Kochetkov played the other, posting a 0.962 save percentage win. Frederik Andersen did not play the Panthers this season. On the other hand, Anton Lundell led Florida with two goals and four points (Sam Reinhart also had two goals) in the regular season series. Sergei Bobrovsky went 1-1-0 against Carolina this year, posting a 0.929 save percentage. Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories! Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Toronto Sun
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Maple Leafs' playoff run ends with yet another Game 7 failure
Toronto Maple Leafs' Max Pacioretty (67) and teammates Auston Matthews (34), William Nylander (88) and Max Domi (11) look on in the final moments of third period NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey action against the Florida Panthers, in Toronto, Sunday, May 18, 2025. Photo by Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS Talk about a full team effort. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A fully pathetic, brutal, uninspiring team effort. The Maple Leafs' season is over after yet another Game 7 failure in the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner-William Nylander era. Cheap suits don't fold like the Leafs did on Sunday night in a 6-1 loss against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Panthers will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final, starting on Tuesday. All that chatter from the Leafs about playing the same way they did in a 2-0 win in Game 6 — smart, efficient, patient — turned out to be nothing more than hollow words. The victory on Friday in Florida, evidently, was a mirage. Reinhart, 5-1 Panthers. The streaming to the exits gets underway. A jersey and some garbage hits the ice. #Leafs — Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) May 19, 2025 Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Leafs sweaters started hitting the ice in the third period. Fans streamed to the exits, as they did when the Leafs were getting trounced in Game 5. Those who remained had enough enthusiasm to boo at times. The Leafs' actions spoke loudly with their season on the line. They were unable to match the defending Stanley Cup champions in puck battles and play along the wall. The Leafs had no pushback. There's no way to see the game as anything but the last one in a Leafs uniform for Marner, who'll be the most attractive player in free agency despite being a part of repeated playoff losses in Toronto. There were boos when Marner had the puck in the final minutes. Not sure where fellow free-agent John Tavares fits in going forward either, if at all. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was the sixth Game 7 for the trio of Marner, Matthews and Nylander. Matthews has three assists in Game 7s; Marner has two. Nylander has two goals and two assists. The Leafs have won none of those games. The Panthers, who had 75 shot attempts through two periods, scored three goals in a span of six minutes 24 seconds in the second period. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Seth Jones fired a shot over Joseph Woll's right shoulder at 3:15, Anton Lundell scored on a rebound at 7:18 and Jonah Gadjovich slipped the puck under Woll at 9:39. After the Gadjovich goal, coach Craig Berube unloaded on his players. By the end of the period, fans were sarcastically cheering routine saves by Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Max Domi scored for the Leafs early in third, but the goal was answered by an Eetu Luostarinen tip past Woll less than a minute later. Sam Reinhart added another Panthers goal and Brad Marchand, now 5-0 against the Leafs in Game 7s, scored into an empty net. A year and a day after Berube was hired, the Leafs' start to the game couldn't have been more baffling. They weren't close to being ready once the puck dropped. Through the first 6 1/2 minutes, the Panthers had 21 shot attempts. The Leafs didn't have a single one. Toronto had no composure. The defensive-zone play was akin to a group that was playing together for the first time. The Leafs were soft. They couldn't handle a Panthers forecheck that, as good as it is, was able to be controlled by the Leafs at times in the series. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Panthers recorded the first seven shots on goal, but the Leafs managed to recover and had the better scoring chances in the second half of the first. Bobrovsky stopped Steven Lorentz on a breakaway and made a tough stop on Nylander at the side of the net. The Leafs gutted through a minor for too many men in the final two minutes of the first period, but were unable to carry any momentum into the second. The Leafs are 0-7 in their past seven Game 7s. They haven't won a Game 7 since the first round of the 2004 playoffs against the Ottawa Senators. In franchise history, the Leafs are 12-16 in Game 7s. tkoshan@ X: @koshtorontosun Toronto & GTA Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls World Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Maple Leafs eager for Game 7 on Sunday night: 'It never gets old'
Max Pacioretty of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers fight during the first period in Game 6 of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on May 16, 2025 in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Carmen Mandato / Getty Images This is what the Maple Leafs have been working toward all season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Game 7, home ice, win or spend the next several months contemplating what could have been. A victory against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena in the best-of-seven series and the Leafs will be right back at it on Tuesday at home, squaring off against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. Losing isn't an option. 'The nerves are there, but that's what you want,' defenceman Morgan Rielly said after the morning skate. 'That's what you train for during the off season. That's what you tell yourself you're training for, at least, the opportunity to play in the playoffs and playing in these important games that mean the most. 'We're here now. You want to make the most of it.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Following speculation about the status of winger Matthew Knies after he was hurt in a collision with Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola in Game 6, Leafs coach Craig Berube confirmed that Knies will be in the lineup. 'He's good to go,' Berube said. 'I anticipate using him (as he normally would). 'This time of year, everybody is banged up. You're banged up, you're hurt, and there's a lot of that with a lot of teams and a lot of players. 'But this time of year, you play through it, right? It's too important not to.' At the morning skate, Knies was in his usual spot on the top line with captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and did some work with the Leafs' top power-play unit as well. The Leafs have a 12-15 record in Game 7s in franchise history. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are 3-1 in Game 7s. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A Leafs victory will put them in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2002, when they lost to Carolina in six games. Berube wants his players to take advantage of the atmosphere in the building. Just don't cross a line. 'It's excitement for our group playing at home, in front of our crowd, passionate crowd, passionate fans, passionate city,' Berube said. 'But don't get caught up in it. Do what you did in Game 6 (in a 2-0 win in Florida on Friday). 'We know what to expect from Florida, and that's a great team. Simplify your game. Everybody's nervous a little bit. You have to get the nerves out on the first couple shifts. Play direct, be direct, and rely on your teammates. And that's who you're playing for. Your teammates.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Marner and Tavares head a group of Leafs who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, one that includes forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz, defenceman Jani Hakanpaa and goalie Matt Murray. None, no matter their importance for the Leafs, wants to think about the season ending on Sunday night. It's the sixth Game 7 for the trio of Marner, Matthews and Nylander. Matthews has three assists in Game 7s; Marner has two. Nylander has two goals and two assists. The Leafs have won none of those games. 'Just feels like it's a regular game day,' Nylander said. 'Hope it stays like that.' Tavares, not that we would expect anything else, was taking nothing for granted. 'Never gets old,' Tavares said. 'Playing at this level, whether it's stepping on the ice in preseason, or a Game 7 like tonight, it's got the same excitement and feeling as you did as a kid, to want to play in the NHL and play in these types of games, in these types of moments. 'You try to enjoy every part of it, but also focus on the things that you have to do throughout the day to get ready to play and then go out there and give it your all.' tkoshan@ X: @koshtorontosun Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Sports Sunshine Girls World
