Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended in a dominant Panthers victory on Sunday night — and clever trolls to celebrate.
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Florida defeated Toronto 6-1 to advance to its third straight Eastern Conference finals. Six Panthers scored goals. Three came in the second period then another three in the third — after the Maple Leafs pulled one back earlier in the period.
After the game, Florida took to social media to rub it in. A caption poked fun at Toronto being known as “The Six” due to its area codes: 416 and 647, among others, along with the six boroughs that unified to create the modern city. The graphic is illustrated by a panther licking maple syrup released from a glass bottle that has a Leafs logo on it.
Panthers center Brad Marchand had two assists and an empty-net goal to close out the victory. Marchand is 5-0 against Toronto in Game 7s, making him the first player in NHL history to defeat one franchise in at least five winner-take-all games, according to ESPN Research.
Florida acknowledged Marchand’s big game with a troll aimed at Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber, who was in attendance Sunday. After the Leafs won Game 6 on Friday, Bieber posted a photo of Toronto’s Auston Matthews on Instagram with the caption: “My captain Gets It Done game 7.”
The Panthers replaced “my captain” with Marchand’s name for their own post.
Florida will face the Carolina Hurricanes with a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on the line. Game 1 is slated for Tuesday.
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