Canon SX720 HS has a
20.3MP 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Nikon P7100 has a
10.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed C2 processor.
Canon SX720 HS's sensor provides 10.3MP more than Nikon P7100's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the SX720 HS and P7100 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon P7100 has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Canon SX720 HS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.