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The Tampa Bay Lightning have been without the services of Erik Cernak since Game 1 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was injured after a dirty elbow to the head from Leafs forward Michael Bunting, who was suspended for the subsequent three games.
And according to head coach Jon Cooper, the Lightning will have to make do without him for tomorrow night’s Game 6 at Amalie Arena.
After the Toronto Maple Leafs inexplicably pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat in Game 4 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, a Toronto fan was caught by television cameras with an absolutely passionate reaction to the victory and subsequently went viral:
And as fate would have it, the fan would be at Scotiabank Arena for last night’s Game 5, much to the delight of the home crowd:
Unfortunately for that fan, he wouldn’t get to celebrate another Leafs victory, as the Lightning were able to stave off elimination with a 4-2 triumph, forcing at Game 6 back at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Saturday night.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the ropes in their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, having lost two straight games on home ice in overtime, in which both of them they held the lead. Former Conn Smythe Trophy winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been extremely human in the postseason, sporting a completely uncharacteristic 4.33 goals against average and .856 save percentage.
One particular figure who is no longer with the organization but knows Vasilevskiy well is current Detroit Red Wings bench boss Derek Lalonde, who served as an assistant with the Lightning for four years and helped them to consecutive Stanley Cup titles. Lalonde is currently serving as an analyst on Sportsnet for the 2023 postseason, and had this to say about the Russian goaltender’s struggles:
“We had done a study back in the day,” Lalonde explained, that revealed he is “one of the lower percentage goalies in finding pucks from the point. So we actually changed our entire D-zone and improved our pass rush.”
The Leafs have taken advantage of beating Vasilevskiy from the point in this series, including Morgan Rielly’s overtime winner in Game 3 that was fired from barely inside the blue line. But Cooper apparently wasn’t pleased with his former assistant’s assertion, and pushed back on it with the implication that it’s just something he made up.
“I heard about it. Listen, Sportsnet is paying him well to go give an opinion, so he has to make something up about that kind of stuff,” Cooper said.
“We are playing, so we can’t watch what is going on. He is there because he was an assistant coach on this team. He is trying to offer insight and give the fans something. He should be doing that. It’s just making sure it’s accurate in what he is saying.”
It sounds like Cooper wasn’t very receptive to Lalonde’s view! We’ll see if Cooper, Vasilevskiy and the rest of the Lightning can stave off elimination when they take on the Leafs tomorrow night from Scotiabank Arena.
The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in familiar (and also unfamiliar) territory entering tonight’s pivotal Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena.
Because of their 3-1 series lead, they have the chance to become the first NHL team to advance this postseason after the Bruins failed to do so last night against the Florida Panthers. As you may recall, the Leafs have been here before with the chance to punch their ticket to Round 2 of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 in recent years, having played in several deciding Game 7’s, including in 2021 against the rival Montreal Canadiens in which they enjoyed an identical 3-1 series lead.
We don’t need to go into how all of those postseason series ended up, as Leafs fans are all too familiar with the refrain that’s plagued them for years now of being unable to put together four victories when it matters. But in 2023, it feels different given how they stole both games at Amalie Arena in overtime, including a furious four unanswered goal comeback in Game 4 that put the Lightning on the brink of elimination.
The Leafs will be keeping forward Michael Bunting out of the lineup, even though he’s now eligible to return from the three game suspension he served for his dirty elbow on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in Game 1. Rookie Matthew Knies will get another opportunity to strut his stuff at the NHL level, while it will once again be Ilya Samsonov between the pipes. Take a look at tonight’s projected line combinations via beat writer Jonas Siegel:
Forwards
Calle Järnkrok — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
Matthew Knies — John Tavares — Mitch Marner
Alex Kerfoot — Ryan O’Reilly — Noel Acciari
Zach Aston-Reese — David Kämpf — Sam Lafferty
Defensemen
Jake McCabe — T.J. Brodie
Mark Giordano — Justin Holl
Morgan Rielly — Luke Schenn
Goaltenders
Ilya Samsonov
Joseph Woll
Tonight’s Game 5 will begin from Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 PM EST.
Something about this year’s edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs sure feels different, and rightly so.
Their last two postseason games against the Tampa Bay Lightning have, traditionally, been the exact kind of games that they would ultimately fall short in – especially in last night’s Game 4 that saw them trailing by a 4-1 score midway through the third period.
However, the Leafs are heading back home to Scotiabank Arena with the chance to advance to Round 2 for the first time in 19 years thanks to consecutive overtime victories, the latter of which was fueled by a three-goal offensive outburst followed by another dramatic celebration on the ice after the game-winning goal was tallied.
We’re not used to seeing this from the Leafs, who have drawn considerable mockery from rival fan bases for their inability to close out a postseason series in each of their previous seven attempts. And while they did ultimately lose to the rival Montreal Canadiens in 2021 after enjoying a 3-1 series advantage, the 2023 edition of the Leafs isn’t giving off any kind of vibe for a similar collapse. In fact, just the opposite.
Take a look at what several anonymous NHL executives and coaches had to say about what Toronto has been able to do so far in the postseason.
Executive No. 1: “I believe it is huge for the psyche. … (They) look like a focused group. To win you have to exorcise demons. (They’re) doing it the hard way, with full team commitment, getting contributions from the whole lineup. Winning games the way they did Monday night will give them belief. They will get tested again to test their resolve in this series. They look like they are facing their demons head-on — finally embracing the mental and physical commitment it takes to win a series. To win in playoffs the hard way is the easiest way to success!”
Executive No. 2: “It’s huge for their psyche. They’ve proven they’re never out of a game … But this is the game now (Game 5) they need their stars to really shine, to be the difference. Don’t let doubt creep back in. If (Andrei Vasilevskiy) steals the game but Leafs stars play well, that’s OK. If they don’t play well and Tampa wins and brings it to Game 7, the pressure might be debilitating.”
Head Coach No. 1: “This is the stuff you need to do in the playoffs if you want to keep playing or move on. The team is showing no quit, which is important. You need a never-quit attitude; in the playoffs, there are lots of ups and downs — just stay even-keeled (and) keep playing.”
Head Coach No. 2: “It’s not only the confidence that Toronto can gain from OT wins, because that surely gives them momentum … it’s the psyche of Tampa Bay that could be taking a bigger hit. After a Game 1 blowout (Lightning win), they were outscored in Game 2, a key player injured, goal called back, lost in OT on (a late-game) comeback and then last night a multiple-goal comeback OT loss. It certainly seems to be spiraling against the Lightning. Toronto has the edge. They have the momentum. But they have to take down the best team in the last five years! Up 3-1 … it still won’t be easy.”
All the Tampa Bay Lightning had to do was win a period of hockey, and they’d be heading back to Toronto having tied their series at two games apiece with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, who are facing enormous scrutiny and pressure to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades.
However, the complacent Lightning saw their 4-1 lead midway through the third period dissolve thanks to a furious comeback effort by the Leafs, capped by the stunning power play goal in overtime by Alex Kerfoot. Suddenly, it’s the Lightning and not the Leafs who have their backs up against the wall.
And Tampa Bay knows that it blew a golden opportunity.
“This is a difficult one to process at the moment,” Lightning forward Alex Killorn said. “Having that lead and letting it slip away is tough, but we’ve got to get over it. They’re a good team and their big-time players came through in a big way and I think we just sat back too much.
“We were a little too comfortable with that lead.”
It’s the second straight overtime game that the Lightning have lost to the Leafs in which they initially enjoyed the lead. Game 3 saw Toronto tie the score with just over a minute remaining in regulation thanks to 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly, followed by a shot from the point by defenseman Morgan Rielly that inexplicably beat the suddenly very human Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“We’ve scored enough goals to win, but in the end, you’ve got to keep them out of the net,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of his team’s performance in the series. “You can’t be giving up this amount of goals. I don’t care if it’s the regular season or playoffs especially.
“You put four on the board and that should be a win. But in the end, you’ve got to defend and keep the puck out of your net. We didn’t do it enough.”
The Lightning have no choice but to win, and then win two more straight games if they have any intention of once again sending the Leafs home for an early summer. Game 5 between the two teams will be back in Toronto on Thursday night.
It was a scene of true old time hockey on Saturday night between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning in the 3rd period, as Steven Stamkos jumped Auston Matthews following a brutal hit from eventual OT hero Morgan Rielly on Brayden Point.
Stamkos shared his side of the story of what transpired on Saturday, saying that he would expect the same thing from Toronto had the roles been reversed and a Leafs player had been driven into the boards in brutal fashion.
“Well – I mean, listen, it’s such a bang-bang play. You see one of the best players in the world go headfirst into the boards. There’s got to be a response. I’d expect the same thing from their group if Marner or Matthews was in that same position.”
“It’s playoff hockey; that’s just the way it is. We had a huge kill there, and I thought we gained some momentum off that, played a really good third period; it just didn’t work out.”
Can we expect to see more fireworks tonight between the two teams as they get back together for the critical Game 4?
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning renew acquaintances tonight in what will be a critical Game 4 of their opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Toronto will either be taking a 3-1 stranglehold back to Scotiabank Arena for Thursday night, or the Lightning will punch back and even up the series at 2-2 and guarantee at least a 6th game.
It was speculated before tonight’s game that the Maple Leafs could be sporting a different look on the ice, as it was revealed by head coach Sheldon Keefe that there would be a handful of unspecified players who would be game time decisions.
But for now, the Leafs are warming up with the exact same lineup and line combinations that they started Game 3 with.
Per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic:
Järnkrok — Matthews — Marner
Kerfoot — Tavares — Nylander
Knies — O’Reilly — Acciari
Aston-Reese — Kämpf — Lafferty
Brodie — McCabe
Rielly — Schenn
Giordano — Holl
Ilya Samsonov once again gets the nod in net.
The Toronto Maple Leafs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday night in Game 3 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, overcoming a 3-2 deficit to tie the score late in regulation and later celebrate in overtime thanks to veteran defenseman Morgan Rielly’s goal.
It’s a critical Game 4 for both teams tonight, as the Leafs can seize a 3-1 stranglehold heading back home for Game 5 on Thursday night. But you can bet that the Lightning have absolutely no intention of having that potential scenario become reality. They’ve advanced to the Stanley Cup Final three years straight, winning two titles, and definitely will not go down without a fight.
In the meantime, the Leafs could be icing a different lineup tonight. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, there will be many game time decisions among his players, though he declined to specify exactly who.
What’s more, forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could once again be split up as they were for a brief time in Game 3:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been in this situation before, and they’ve found ways to overcome it.
Right now, they trail their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs two games to one after losing a heartbreaking overtime affair in Game 3 Saturday night that was highlighted by a wild brawl in the 3rd period coupled with Ryan O’Reilly’s game-tying goal with just over a minute left in regulation.
But instead of getting down on themselves for blowing an opportunity to gain the upper hand in the series, the Lightning instead are going about their business with the usual swagger that’s helped them advance to the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row.
According to head coach Jon Cooper, his team will be out for revenge in tonight’s Game 4 with a particular mindset taken from the popular song.
“There was more anger than, like, depression,” Cooper said of his team’s mindset after the loss. “There was no, like, ‘I can’t believe we lost that.’ They have a little eye of the tiger going in them now.”
The Lightning controlled the play for most of Saturday night, but still came up short on the scoreboard. Cooper explained that the Bolts simply need to maintain their compete level while also being “a little bit better”.
“I thought we played hard, we competed hard,” Cooper said. “When you do that, usually good things happen. We were skating. We’re being pretty physical. We were on top of things. It’s hard. Toronto’s got a good team. So you have to take advantage of the chances when you get them.
“But, at the end, it just wasn’t quite enough. But our compete was really high in the game. So we have to make sure we do that again, because as you saw it wasn’t quite good enough. So we have to be a little bit better.”
Game 4 begins tonight at 7:30 PM from Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida.