MLSE President Keith Pelley takes subtle dig at Hurricanes after going down 2-0 in Conference Finals against Panthers

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President Keith Pelley made a subtle comment about the Carolina Hurricanes, who fell behind 2-0 in the ongoing Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. He pointed out how well the Panthers have played and how the Hurricanes are struggling.

“We came one game from making the conference finals and beating the defending champions and a pretty good Florida team that seems to be having their way with the Carolina Hurricanes right now," Pelley said (6:01).

In Game 2 at the Lenovo Center, the Panthers won 5-0. Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each had three points. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves and got his third shutout of the playoffs. Panthers' goalie Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 16 shots and was pulled.

This gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The next game will be in Sunrise, Florida.

The Hurricanes, who were the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, have lost 14 straight games in the Eastern Conference Final. They have been swept in their last three appearances.

Keith Pelley speaks on pressure and the Maple Leafs

After Florida beat Toronto 6-1 in Game 7, Panthers players talked about playing in Toronto. Brad Marchand said players who have won Stanley Cups handle pressure well. He said the Leafs’ games last year were not high-pressure for those players.

Matthew Tkachuk said on a podcast that he feels sorry for the Leafs. He said Toronto players face more distractions and pressure than Florida players. Tkachuk said his team is lucky to avoid that stress.

MLSE President Keith Pelley doesn't agree. As per Pelley, pressure is part of playing in Toronto. His 22-year-old son asked if he was nervous and felt pressure. Pelley said yes and called pressure a privilege.

“Yeah, of course I feel the pressure. Pressure is really a privilege," Pelley said.

"It's a privilege to be the CEO of MLSE, and it was a privilege to be in those seats at Game 7," he added. "The greatest game on Earth is is hockey, and it's not ice hockey, it's hockey, and the greatest hockey team in the world is the Toronto Maple Leafs. And as a result, you've seen the passion and the tribalism that exists."

The Panthers-Leafs series was lost by Toronto despite an initial 2- 0 lead.