NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers - Source: Imagn — Paul Bissonnette’s bold “BeLeaf” prediction for Maple Leafs in Game 7 (Source: Imagn)

Paul Bissonnette drops one-word prediction over Maple Leafs vs Panthers winner-takes-all Game 7

Modified May 18, 2025 20:37 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers face off in a winner-takes-all Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sunday. The series has been full of swings. Toronto won the first two games at home. Then Florida won three straight, including a 6-1 victory in Game 5 in Toronto. But the Maple Leafs stayed alive by winning 2-0 on the road in Game 6.

Before the big game, NHL analyst and Leafs fan Paul Bissonnette shared a one-word tweet.

“BeLeaf,” Bissonnette wrote.

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This clever play on words shows his support for the Maple Leafs and their chance to win.

Toronto has struggled in Game 7s in recent years. They have lost six straight Game 7s, all in the first round and haven’t won one since 2004. The pressure is on, but the Leafs showed toughness in Game 6, especially from goalie Joseph Woll.

Woll has been excellent in elimination games with a 4-1 record, a 1.13 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. His strong play helped the Leafs force this deciding game.

The Panthers, meanwhile, are experienced in high-pressure games. They won the Stanley Cup last season and have a 3-1 record in Game 7s. Coach Paul Maurice is 5-0 in Game 7s. They also added Brad Marchand, who is 4-0 against the Leafs in Game 7s.

Matthew Tkachuk and Paul Maurice confident as Panthers prepare for Game 7 against Maple Leafs

The Florida Panthers prepare for Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. On Sunday, Matthew Tkachuk said,

"Our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series, over the course of a game. It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in an overtime or late in the third."

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Coach Paul Maurice shared advice from his junior coaching days.

"He said, 'Fellows, we've got to win tonight because this is probably going to be a bunch our's last game of organized hockey,'" Maurice said. "I thought that was an awesome line. Oh, man. And it was, right? You play major junior, there's a bunch of 19-year-old guys that aren't going to turn pro and that was it, that was their last game. I thought that was pretty good. They didn't win, though."

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Maurice has coached five Game 7s and won all of them. He said Game 7 is a time when players give their best effort.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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