Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

The new Leafs? Well possibly the new first period, third period and overtime Leafs. They’re still trying to figure out the second period but that didn’t stop them tonight. The Leafs down 4-1 going into the third period score three late, tie it to send it to overtime and Kerfoot off a Giordano shot wins it 5-4 to put the Leafs up 3-1 in the series heading back to Toronto.

For the first 8 minutes of the game, it looked like the Leafs were going to do just as well as they did in the second period of game 1 and 3. Tampa controlled every part of the pace and kept the puck out of the Leafs grasp resulting in very limited Toronto shots on goal. With 10:30 remaining in the first period, the Tampa control got them a power play as Nylander took the legs out of a Tampa player and got sent to the box.

This power play gave Tampa their first goal. Killorn off a feed from Kucherov found the back of the net and the Lightning led 1-0. As the Leafs started to flow late in the first period, Tampa’s pace remained and they outshot the Leafs significantly, giving them chances like the one Sergachev got right after picking up a new stick from the bench, that put the Lighting up 2-0 thanks to a shot from the point.

To start the second period, the Leafs saw a lot more offensive zone chances, but they were unable to convert on many of them. An Acciari goal 4:51 into the period off a shot from Holl was their only opportunity they would capitalize on and the game would stay in the hands of the Lightning who found two more goals, one by Stamkos and another from Killorn to make it 4-1 Tampa after the second.

With the shots tied at 19 going into the third period, the Leafs had a lot of work to do to get back into this game, and their star players would have to step up big time.

Tampa started the third having no problem denying the Leafs. Toronto would get the puck into the offensive zone and the Lightning would easily take it right back and dump it down the ice denying any opportunity. The only solid look they’d get through the first half of the third period came off a line change and came from Matthews along the left side getting it past Vasilevskiy to make it 4-2 Tampa and give the Leafs some life.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way and these Leafs have shown the last two games of this series that they’re willing to fight for every bit of this. Well Auston Matthews found a second goal of the period 12:29 into it, assisted by Nylander, the game was 4-3 Tampa and hey maybe they can do this?? Almost flipping the script from the first half of the period, the Leafs were now in complete control of the pace and it was Tampa who were just trying to clear it out of their zone. Toronto was on the full offensive and they cashed in on their intensity 16:04 into the period with a game tying goal from Morgan Rielly and it was 4-4.

Well how things have changed, like game 3, this game was close to overtime, and the Leafs sent it there. In the span of 10 minutes, a game that felt like over against a team with a goalie who has a history of getting better and better as a series goes on, turned on its head and the Leafs were an overtime goal from being up 3-1. Like game 3, they found that goal in overtime, this one from Kerfoot off a shot from Giordano and holy shit the Toronto Maple Leafs are up 3-1 in a playoff series and have momentum winning three straight games going back home for game five. Let’s see how this one ends.