Before every series, Panthers coach Paul Maurice talks to his team about what they need to do along the way to get ready for Game 7.

The reason: If a series goes the distance — like this NHL second-round matchup with the Maple Leafs has — he doesn’t want his club to be surprised.

“You want to win in four. You do, 100%,” Maurice said Saturday. “But the Game 7s, you’ll remember. Those are the ones. There’s not a lot of them. The further into the playoffs, the more intense they are. But there’s a freedom in Game 7 that’s not anywhere else.”

Welcome to freedom. Game 7 awaits.

A spot in the NHL’s final four is at stake Sunday night in Toronto, when the Panthers and Maple Leafs play the deciding game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The winner will face the Hurricanes in the East final; the loser goes home.

“It’s an opportunity to make a name for ourselves again,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said.

The father of Jets top center Mark Scheifele died unexpectedly overnight before Game 6 of their second-round playoff series against the Stars, the team said hours before Saturday night’s game. Scheifele scored a goal on Saturday.

Auto racing: Colton Herta rebounded from a crash early in Indianapolis 500 qualifying on Saturday to safely make the field with a backup car quickly built up by Andretti Autosport. He wound up 29th on a day in which the top 30 speeds were locked into the race on May 25.

MLB: The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday after a dismal start to the season by a team coming off two consecutive playoff appearances.

WNBA: Breanna Stewart scored 25 points to lead the Liberty over the Aces 92-78 on Saturday in the season opener, right after the team unveiled its 2024 WNBA championship banner.