The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs will face off for a pivotal Game 7 matchup on Sunday evening, as both teams look to clinch a berth to the Eastern Conference finals.
Ahead of Sunday's showdown, Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk offered some praise for one of the Maple Leafs players who has been most heavily criticized throughout the postseason: Auston Matthews.
Tkachuk and Matthews are longtime friends and teammates on the U.S. national team. When asked for his opinion on Matthews's performance, Tkachuk made clear that he thinks Toronto's captain has been invaluable to the team.
"I think he's been playing really well this whole series. He's a force at both ends. And I got to see his leadership at the 4 Nations and how he leads by example," said Tkachuk, via Arun Srinivasan of The Leafs Nation. "I wouldn't say he's the most vocal in the room, but when he says something everyone's listening. He's a big presence in the room, that's one thing I learned a lot. He's obviously one of the best players in the world, and I think he's been great this series. It's tough to shut down a player like that, so it's going to take all five guys, all four lines, all six [defenders] ... He's one of the best in the world, so we've got our work cut out for us."
Matthews notched his first goal of the series in Game 6, opening the scoring during the third period with a stunning shot that snuck past Sergei Bobrovsky. His lack of production on the offensive end had drawn the ire of fans, but he delivered an important goal in a crucial spot as the Maple Leafs forced Game 7.
Tkachuk made clear that while Matthews hasn't been tallying a plethora of points or goals, he's still making a big impact on a nightly basis and remains a major focal point in Florida's game plan.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Matthew Tkachuk Had Major Praise for Auston Matthews Ahead of Crucial Game 7.
