May 19 (UPI) -- Veteran forward Brad Marchand said the Florida Panthers sensed the toll pressure took on the Toronto Maple Leafs while his team rode a relaxed mentality into Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
The Panthers took advantage of that mindset advantage for a 6-1 victory in Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto. After the final buzzer, fans showered the ice with jerseys and other projectiles -- including beer -- along with a boos from the stands of Scotiabank Arena. Others posted videos of themselves burning Maple Leafs memorabilia on social media.
The Maple Leafs' failure to convert regular-season success into playoff momentum -- paired with Canada's 32-year Stanley Cup drought -- proved too heavy a burden when compared to the reigning champions' composed approach to the series finale.
"When you win a Cup and you play in some of the games that this team played in last year, these are not high pressure games," Marchand told reporters.
"When you are playing for an actual Cup and you give up a three-game lead [and] then you are in Game 7, that's a high pressure game. Game 7 in the second round, yeah it's a high pressure game, but it's not compared to some other games guys have played.
