Tkachuk calls Leafs "second-best team" in NHL ahead of playoff matchup
Consider Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Or, at the very least, someone capable of showing the team respect for finally breaking a 19-year drought without winning a playoff series.
Speaking to reporters today ahead of Game 1 of the Leafs-Panthers second-round series, Tkachuk fully acknowledged his team’s role as an underdog for a second series in a row.
Toronto topped the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Meanwhile, Tkachuk’s Panthers upset the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, stunning them on Sunday night with a Game 7 victory in overtime to complete one of the biggest upsets in NHL history.
“I guess the prize for knocking off the best team in the league is the second-best team in the league now. It’s going to be a very, very similar challenge for us,” Tkachuk told reporters today. “There’s not a lot of people out there that think we’re going to be able to pull this one off, just like they didn’t think we were able to pull the last one off.”
MoneyPuck.com is picking Toronto as 56.7% favourites to win against the Panthers.
Tkachuk himself had five goals and six assists in seven games against Boston, including a crucial Game 5 overtime-winning goal to begin the Panthers’ comeback from down 3-1 in the series.
The Bruins won an NHL-record 65 games and 135 points in the regular season but failed to exit out of the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, the Leafs finished second in the Atlantic Division, finishing with an even 50 wins and 111 points.
“Everyone talks about the unbelievable year Boston had, but Toronto was not that far behind them,” Tkachuk added. “Hopefully we can catch them by surprise in this series like we caught Boston.”
While Toronto will be hosting the Panthers for Games 1 and 2 today and Thursday, dates for Games 3 and 4 on the road have yet to be announced.
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