Maple Leafs to Gain an Enormous Advantage if They Beat the Panthers in Game 7

Winning their final five games of the regular season helped the Leafs clinch the Atlantic Division and secure home-ice advantage throughout the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Leafs are hoping that home ice for Sunday's Game 7 helps them advance to the Conference Finals, which will begin on Tuesday. Should they succeed, it would mean that they're the highest seeded team remaining in the playoffs.

That means the Leafs would also get home-ice advantage in both the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals. It also means that their last game of the season will have been a lot more meaningful than originally thought.

Thanks to a 'meaningless' comeback victory in the final game of the regular season against the Detroit Red Wings, the Leafs jumped past the Dallas Stars in the standings, setting up this distinct advantage.

The extra point the Leafs got forcing overtime that night against the Wings ultimately helped them edge out the Dallas Stars in the re-seeding of the remaining playoff teams.

It's one thing to have home-ice advantage in the early stages of the post-season, but having it during the Stanley Cup Finals is huge and ultimately gives a team a better chance to close things out on home ice.

While the league is preparing for all scenarios following the conclusion of Game 7 on Sunday night, the Leafs are doing their best to focus on the task at hand and finally overcoming and exorcizing their Game 7 demons on home ice.