Matthew Tkachuk Draws Reaction From Leafs Fans With Bold Game 7 Comments

With Game 7 expected to be one filled with tension, anxiety, animosity, and intensity, the Maple Leafs and Panthers are going to have the entire hockey world glued to their screens when they take the ice on Sunday night.

Both teams have fought tooth and nail to get here too. First, Florida stormed back being down 2-0 to put the Leafs on the brink, but Toronto got heroics from their captain which carried them to victory.

You can certainly see that there's been no love lost between the two teams, and if past games are any indication, both are going to be coming out hot, hoping to set the tone early both on the scoresheet and with some mind games.

Speaking of, it seems Matthew Tkachuk is trying to play some with the fans. Commenting ahead of Game 7, he explained that his team's play is built for these types of games:

While you need to commend Tkachuk for hyping up his game plan, it didn't sit too well with Maple Leafs fans, who rightly called him out for not getting things done earlier, and trying to act tougher than he really is.

Many are also calling out his antics, and how Florida's game plan of wearing down players means in actuality; injuring their opponents.

The best course of action for the Maple Leafs is strike early and strike often. They need to establish the pace early, and a couple of first period markers would put Florida in a panic.

That panic would likely turn into frustration, and lead to Florida taking some bad penalties, and if the Maple Leafs can keep their retaliation in check; they could be sitting pretty on Sunday night.

Tkachuk and the Panthers have tried to run over the Maple Leafs all series, and he took a few shots towards Joseph Woll at the end of Game 6, letting his frustrations get the best of him.

Not to mention he literally told Bobby McMann he was dead meat, giving him a throat slash and showing that he truly means to hurt people.

But he'll need to keep his emotions in check if he and Florida want to make it out of Game 7 with a win.

This is a much different Toronto team, with the highest stakes they've ever had. If Tkachuk isn't careful, it'll go from 'Time to Hunt' to 'Time to Be Hunted'.