Florida trailed 3-1 in the series before forcing a seventh game in Boston

Regardless of which sport is being discussed, there is a general consensus as to the two best words in sports.

Game seven.

Those words in that order can entice goosebumps and raised body hair from fans of any sport from near and far.

The winner-take-all situation can evoke the best emotions and reactions from players and fans alike.

On Sunday, it’s that beautiful do-or-die situation that’s coming between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins at TD Garden..

The eighth-seed Panthers, who squeaked into the playoffs as the second Wild Card squad, have a chance at eliminating the Boston Bruins, the undisputed best team the NHL’s regular season had to offer.

It’s the quintessential overwhelming favorite vs. heavy underdog situation that moves are made about.

Boston broke records, finishing the year as the best regular season team in league history.

Florida, on the other hand, made the playoffs.

That’s about it.

None of that will matter, however, come 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

That’s the beauty of a Game 7.

Nothing that has happened previously matters when the puck drops.

Anything goes.

Winner take all.

Boston did what was expected through the first four games of the series, winning three, including two on the road, to jump out to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

It was the Panthers who have, at least to this point, turned more than a few heads.

Florida has won twice in Boston, something no team did during the regular season, and with the ascending play of guys like Sasha Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers could actually pull off one of the biggest postseason upsets in recent memory.

LINEUP NOTES

The Panthers are expected to roll with the same lineup that they used in Game 6 on Friday.

Speaking to the media on Thursday before shipping up to Boston one more time, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said the expectation should be Florida rolling with the same 20 guys that dressed in Game 6.

In terms of the forward lines, expect the Panthers to start the game with the same units that were utilized for the majority of Friday’s game.

That means Anthony Duclair will skate with Sasha Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe on the first line and Sam Bennett is expected to center Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins on the second unit.

Florida’s third line would then feature Anton Lundell flanked by Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart, meaning the fourth grouping will be Zac Daple, Colin White and Eric Staal.

MORNING UPDATES

There were none. 

Maurice said he'd be dressing the same lineup that took the ice during Florida's 7-5 win in Game 6. 

As for the Bruins, Head Coach Jim Montgomery has still not said which goaltender he'll be starting on Sunday, Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman. 

Ullmark is considered the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season but he's struggled at times during the series, particularly in the past two games. 

He surrendered 10 goals on just 57 shots between Game 5 and Game 6. 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Eric Staal on facing a Game 7: “Everything up until this point doesn't matter. It's one game tonight and whoever wins it moves on. However we were going before, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. We’ve got to show up tonight and make sure that we do what we can, to a man, to get the job done.”

Barkov on how his game has progressed this series: “It's getting better. Everyone knows I'm learning, every game, every period, I'm learning something new, so you take that in your bank. The most important thing is you just have to compete and play as hard as possible and just enjoy these moments.”

Paul Maurice on the relaxed energy ahead of Game 7: “It’s light in the morning. You know what's coming, you know that your energy is going to be there. You don't have to wonder if you're going to be wired for this one, so it's kind of a peaceful light morning and then you get ready for tonight.”