Matthew Tkachuk "not gonna sit here and pout about" Panthers' loss to Leafs in potential series-winning Game 6

Matthew Tkachuk is staying focused after the Florida Panthers lost 2-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6. The Panthers had a chance to win the series on home ice at Amerant Bank Arena, but couldn’t get past Leafs goalie Joseph Woll. Woll made 22 saves for his first career playoff shutout.

Toronto scored both goals in the third period and forced a Game 7.

After the game, Matthew Tkachuk said the Leafs played well and did what they had to do.

"You saw it. They took care of one on our home ice," Tkachuk said. "They played really well. They did what they did earlier in the series—blocking shots.... then they get one halfway through the third, and after that they played really well once they got the lead. So back to the drawing board, I guess."[0:05]

The Panthers had 58 hits and outshot the Leafs 22-17. They went 0-for-4 on the power play. Toronto blocked 31 shots and won with a strong defensive effort. Florida won fewer (38.6%) faceoffs and couldn’t take advantage of their chances.

"At the end of the day, we were down 2-0 in this series," Tkachuk said. "We would have loved the Game 7 and this opportunity. We're not going to sit here and pout about it. It's an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again. We enjoy these games, we enjoy these moments, and hopefully we're going to be ready to go."

The Panthers had come back in the series after losing the first two games. They won three straight to take a 3-2 lead. But the Game 6 loss erased that edge. The series will now go to a deciding Game 7.

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Matthew Tkachuk played mind games with J. Woll in last second of 2-0 loss

Matthew Tkachuk played on the second line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett. They were not able to generate much offense. Tkachuk went pointless in the game, with no goals or assists. He had three shots and finished with a minus-1 rating. He played 20:45 of ice time and got 2 penalty minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct against Joseph Woll in the last second of the game.

In this year’s playoffs, Matthew Tkachuk has 3 goals and 6 assists in 11 games. He has 2 goals and 4 assists on the power play and has played over 16 minutes per game. In the regular season, he scored 22 goals and had 35 assists in 82 games.

The Panthers will now prepare for Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto.