Max Pacioretty Fires Warning Shot at Panthers Ahead of Game 7 Showdown

Most people counted the Toronto Maple Leafs out after their Game 5 defeat on home ice, but down in Florida, they picked up a clutch 2-0 victory that has forced one of the biggest games in recent Maple Leafs history on Sunday.

That game back in Toronto could decide the future of the organization, and even with all of the doubters, the Maple Leafs remain focused on moving on to the next round, with veteran Max Pacioretty sending a clear message to the Panthers ahead of that matchup.

Pacioretty is a player that's been through his fair share of wars in recent years, and while the Panthers are the more experienced teams in games like that, if Toronto come out aggressive with the home fans on their side, absolutely anything can happen in this must-win game.

At this point in time, everyone in the NHL world has ruled out the Maple Leafs, but their Game 6 victory went a long way to showing that they aren't the Toronto team we've become accustomed too in recent years, and with the grit of players like Pacioretty, Chris Tanev and Max Domi leading the way, both teams will need to be ready for war on Sunday night.

While there's been many Game 7's in recent NHL memory, very few have felt bigger than this one, and with so much animosity, such a deep history and so many physical veterans on both sides of this matchup, it's going to be a fun one, and with Pacioretty and the Maple Leafs ready for war, Florida better be too.