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Tavares, Maple Leafs make history with win in Game 6.

Dom Gagne/CSM/Zuma

For the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday night will go down as a night to remember for many.

On Saturday night, during Game 6 of the opening round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Maple Leafs finally got over the hump and managed to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Given that the Leafs not advancing beyond the first round had become one of the biggest jokes/memes in the hockey community, it’s easy to see why all the focus has been on the win itself. That being said though, one thing being overlooked by many is that this was also a record setting night for a franchise that has struggled mightily to get over the hump.

Both the Maple Leafs themselves and their captain, Leafs forward John Tavares, would earn themselves a little piece of National Hockey League history on Saturday night when they accomplished feats that none before them had managed.

In the case of Tavares, the Leafs captain established a new Maple Leafs record by becoming the first captain in the storied history of the franchise to score a series-clinching overtime goal. Tavares initially came to Toronto to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for his hometown team, and no doubt becoming the first captain to clinch a series for the franchise in overtime is something he will cherish for the rest of his life. It is also a record that can never be lost, given that there will never be another first.

The Maple Leafs on the other hand set a league-wide record, arguably making it more impressive than Tavares’ own, even if this record has considerably less emotional weight behind it. In their series win over the Lightning, the Maple Leafs needed to win 3 road games in overtime, a feat that has never before been accomplished by any team in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the course of a single series.

Although fans in Toronto already have reason to celebrate, a few more won’t hurt.

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Sheldon Keefe admits he blacked out after winning Game 6.

Although advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs isn’t usually an accomplishment that you would celebrate, for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and for the Maple Leafs organization on Saturday night it was most definitely a cause for celebration.

After years of disappointment the Leafs finally managed to achieve a modicum of playoff success when they dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has defined what it is to be a championship level team in the National Hockey League for the past few years, in just 6 games. Not only was it a moment of joy for the organization, but the relief felt by many who had the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads must have been truly overhwelming.

On Saturday night, following the conclusion of Game 6, there was perhaps no one individual who exemplified these feelings more than Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. While speaking to the media, Keefe admitted that he was so filled with emotion that he genuinely blacked out during perhaps the biggest moment of his professional career.

“Jubilation…. I don’t know you black out in those moments,” admitted Keefe following Game 6. “You don’t know what’s going on, you’re just really excited. It’s been a long time coming. A long time coming for a lot of players in our room, a long time coming for myself, and even longer coming for Leafs nation. So it’s a great night.

The joy radiating from Keefe, who again must have had such a giant weight lifted off of his shoulders, was palpable. You can see it for yourself, and hear the man in his own words, in the short clip below.

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First comments from Auston Matthews after advancing past the Lightning.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally clawed that monkey off of their backs, advancing past the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night by defeating them in six games.

It was a huge moment for a franchise, fan base, and quite frankly a locker room that has watched this group struggle to get over the hump year after year and following the game Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews was asked to share just how much the moment meant to him.

“It’s a great feeling… but this is step one of three,” said Matthews following the huge win. “It’s a bit of a monkey off our back and we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but obviously this feels great.”

The Maple Leafs have picked up a ton of experience despite their lack of success in the playoffs over the years, often clashing with championship caliber teams in those early exits, and it seems that this accumulated experience may have paid dividends this time around.

“There’s so many ups and downs and it’s just a rollercoaster, so you just gotta try stay even keeled and just enjoy the moment,” said Matthews. “Stay present, and I’m just so proud of every guy in this locker room.”

Matthews was also cognizant of the fact that this is only the first step in a long process to obtaining a championship, but he seemed confident in his team’s ability to do just that.

“It’s a small step in where we are trying to go, but obviously this is a big one for us,” admitted Matthews. “Obviously we have the belief in our room but we’re still a long way from where we wanna go. We just gotta stay in the moment here and get ready for this next round.”

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Matthew Knies picks up his first career Stanley Cup playoff point!

Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Matthew Knies was initially held out of the Leafs opening round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but now that he has been given an opportunity the rookie forward has made his mark.

Knies helped the Leafs get off to a strong start on Saturday night when he played a pivotal role in the game’s opening goal, setting up teammate Noel Acciari in the slot after an odd man rush from the Leafs. Acciari would make no mistake on the play, beating Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead.

Knies looked thrilled to have picked up his first playoff point, but the reaction from his teammates suggest they may have been even more excited than the youngster was himself.

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Sheldon Keefe sounds off on Stamkos, the Lightning and an NHL referee!

Saturday night’s Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs was the site of something that has never before been seen in the history of the National Hockey League, a fight between a pair of 60 goal scorers.

It wasn’t very much of a fight at all though and in fact you could probably argue that it was more of an assault on the part of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who used a chaotic situation during the game to take a few shots at Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews.

The two men clashed after a scary-looking hit from Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly sent Lightning forward Brayden Point crashing head and shoulders first into the boards, with Stamkos delivering several unanswered punches to the face of Matthews while being restrained by the officials.

Following the conclusion of the game, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked about the incident and he used the opportunity to sound off on Stamkos, the Lightning, and even NHL referee Jake Brenk.

“The fight itself, that’s a classic example of a veteran championship team like Tampa Bay manipulating the officials and taking advantage of a situation, right?” said Keefe following Game 3. “I mean they know that we’re basically already going on the power play because of the Kucherov situation so it’s a free-for-all. They can do whatever they want and they just know that the way the games get called they’re not going to get another penalty. I mean you watch that sequence back and say that we shouldn’t get a 5-on-3. The officials literally holding Steven Stamkos with one arm and his other hand with no glove on is punching Auston Matthews. Not the linesman, the referee who calls the penalty was holding Stamkos while this was happening. Credit to Tampa for recognizing that situation, it’s a free pass to do what you want. Not only do they get out of it unscathed, but they take Matthews and O’Reilly with them to the box. Brilliant play by the Lightning there.”

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NHL Player Safety comes down on Leafs forward Sam Lafferty.

Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports

Things got pretty rough between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs during Saturday night’s Game 3, but I doubt that many of you expected that it would be Maple Leafs forward Sam Lafferty that would be getting the call from the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) on Sunday.

There was plenty of physicality on both sides last night but the DOPS has chosen to single out Lafferty for a crosscheck that he delivered to the mouth and face of Lightning forward Ross Colton. As a result of his infraction, Lafferty will now be forced to forfeit $3,108.11, in salary which is the maximum allowable amount under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Although Colton may have done a little selling on the play in the hopes of drawing a penalty, there’s no question that Lafferty got too loose with his stick and did in fact strike Colton in face. With that in mind the fine is perfectly warranted, but it is still somewhat surprising to see this particular infraction singled out given the number of dangerous plays that occurred on Saturday night.

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Jon Cooper fires back at Sheldon Keefe after Game 3.

Bruce Bennett/Getty

On Saturday, following the conclusion of Game 3 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made some highly publicized comments regarding the way the Lightning conducted themselves during a scrum that occurred off the back of a big hit. That hit, one that came courtesy of Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, would send Lightning forward Brayden Point crashing awkwardly into the end boards with his head and shoulder absorbing the brunt of the impact.

Keefe accused the Lightning of “manipulating the officials” during the scrum, suggesting that the Lightning took liberties knowing full well that the officials would not put them in a 5 on 3 situation. The Maple Leafs head coach also accused the Lightning of “taking advantage of a situation” adding that “they just know… they’re not going to get another penalty.”

On Sunday, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was asked to respond to the comments made by his counterpart in this series, and Cooper flat out denied any knowledge of Keefe’s accusations. Not only did Cooper deny any manipulation, but he also suggested that it was his squad that should have had the man advantage.

“Manipulated the referees. Alright, I’m not sure what that means, but I would say this. When that hit happened, I think everybody watching at home and everybody in the building, including us, thought we were going on the power play,” argued Cooper.

The Lightning head coach would go a step further by suggesting that none of his players did anything, or would do anything, that would have jeopardized that potential power play for the Lightning.

“Our two best power-play players, I don’t think they would ever sit there and take themselves off a power play unless they thought something unjust happened. Auston Matthews doesn’t kill penalties. That actually worked against us, to be honest. Now, we ended up being shorthanded after that, but I don’t think anybody thought that was going to happen at the time, so I don’t know, that one’s a little different for me.”

It seems clear both coaches have drastically different perspectives regarding what transpired last night.