<p>Some say they&#8217;re the greatest two words in sports. But for hockey fans in Toronto, &#8216;Game&#8217; and &#8216;Seven&#8217; might just be the two most dreaded.</p>
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<p>You surely don&#8217;t need to be told that the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> have now lost six Game 7s in a row, or that their last success in the do-or-die contest was back in 2004, because that was then and this is now. The Maple Leafs have a chance to re-write their narrative when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 7 Sunday night to decide who will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Final.</p>
<p>And while Toronto&#8217;s stars have long been criticized for failing to rise to the occasion when it really counts in the playoffs, William Nylander is no stranger to success in critical moments. Speaking after practice Sunday morning, he said he&#8217;s leaning into the pressure going into tonight.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right now you just feel like it&#8217;s a regular game day, so hope it stays like that,&#8221; the Swedish winger said. &#8220;But for sure there&#8217;s some nerves and stuff that come with Game 7, trying to keep your season alive. Yeah, that&#8217;s the fun of it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Already this postseason, Nylander came up with two big goals in Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators in the first round en route to a 4-2 series-clinching victory. Nylander also had Toronto&#8217;s sole marker in last year&#8217;s Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins, after netting two in Game 6 to keep their season alive.</p>
<p>Across the Core Four, he has the best Game 7 stat line with the Leafs, with two goals and four points in five appearances. Comparatively, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews have two and three assists, respectively, with no goals over the same span. John Tavares has played in three Game 7s with the Leafs, with one goal and no assists.</p>
<p>Nylander also started the series strong with three goals and three assists in the first three games, but has gone quiet since then. He&#8217;ll look to draw on his previous success in clutch games to come up big for Toronto on Sunday and get back on the scoresheet.</p>
<p>Outside of the Core Four, the Leafs have another key part of their arsenal in Matthew Knies, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/craig-berube-confirms-matthew-knies-play-game-7-panthers">who is good to go for Sunday night, per Craig Berube.</a> The 23-year-old has only continued to improve this year, earning big praise from Nylander ahead of Sunday&#8217;s showdown.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been a machine out there every night,&#8221; Nylander said. &#8220;Winning battles, making plays, putting his body on the line. He&#8217;s done an incredible job battling for us all year, and keeps doing so during the playoffs.&#8221;</p>
<p>And so, the stage is set for a battle Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena. Under new direction, with some added depth to boast, now&#8217;s the time for Nylander and the Leafs to get out there prove they can get the job done.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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Some say they're the greatest two words in sports. But for hockey fans in Toronto, 'Game' and 'Seven' might just be the two most dreaded.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
You surely don't need to be told that the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> have now lost six Game 7s in a row, or that their last success in the do-or-die contest was back in 2004, because that was then and this is now. The Maple Leafs have a chance to re-write their narrative when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 7 Sunday night to decide who will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Final.

And while Toronto's stars have long been criticized for failing to rise to the occasion when it really counts in the playoffs, William Nylander is no stranger to success in critical moments. Speaking after practice Sunday morning, he said he's leaning into the pressure going into tonight.

"Right now you just feel like it's a regular game day, so hope it stays like that," the Swedish winger said. "But for sure there's some nerves and stuff that come with Game 7, trying to keep your season alive. Yeah, that's the fun of it."

Already this postseason, Nylander came up with two big goals in Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators in the first round en route to a 4-2 series-clinching victory. Nylander also had Toronto's sole marker in last year's Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins, after netting two in Game 6 to keep their season alive.

Across the Core Four, he has the best Game 7 stat line with the Leafs, with two goals and four points in five appearances. Comparatively, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews have two and three assists, respectively, with no goals over the same span. John Tavares has played in three Game 7s with the Leafs, with one goal and no assists.

Nylander also started the series strong with three goals and three assists in the first three games, but has gone quiet since then. He'll look to draw on his previous success in clutch games to come up big for Toronto on Sunday and get back on the scoresheet.

Outside of the Core Four, the Leafs have another key part of their arsenal in Matthew Knies, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/craig-berube-confirms-matthew-knies-play-game-7-panthers">who is good to go for Sunday night, per Craig Berube.</a> The 23-year-old has only continued to improve this year, earning big praise from Nylander ahead of Sunday's showdown.

"He's been a machine out there every night," Nylander said. "Winning battles, making plays, putting his body on the line. He's done an incredible job battling for us all year, and keeps doing so during the playoffs."

And so, the stage is set for a battle Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena. Under new direction, with some added depth to boast, now's the time for Nylander and the Leafs to get out there prove they can get the job done.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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