This seemed to be the year that the Toronto Maple Leafs would finally get past the first round because they had beefed up at the trade deadline and the Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t great down the stretch.
Instead, Game 1 went to the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning in a rout.
In addition to losing 7-3, the Maple Leafs could be without forward Michael Bunting, who received a match penalty after an illegal hit to the head of Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak with 4:20 left in the second period. Cernak had been penalized earlier in the game for roughing Bunting.
Bunting’s hit was reviewed and confirmed as a five-minute major. A match penalty requires an automatic hearing from the league and often leads to a suspension.
RANGERS: New York in total control for Game 1 win vs. New Jersey
BRUINS: Tyler Bertuzzi has great assist, steals stick in win against Panthers
The hit was concerning to the Lightning because Cernak was the second defenseman to leave the game. Victor Hedman, their No. 1 defenseman, didn’t come out for the second period. They also lost forward Michael Eyssimont to a big hit.
The score was 4-2 Tampa Bay – Toronto had trailed 3-0 at the first intermission – when Bunting was ejected. Corey Perry made it 5-2 when he scored on the power play. The Maple Leafs challenged the score for goalie interference, but lost the review, giving Tampa Bay a 5-on-3 advantage.
Tampa didn’t score on the 5-on-3, but it still had a man advantage when Brayden Point scored his second goal of the game with two seconds left to give the Lightning a 6-2 lead heading into the third period.
None of the injured Lightning players came out for the start of the third period, and Joseph Woll replaced Toronto starting goalie Ilya Samsonov.
The Maple Leafs have reached the postseason the last six seasons, but they had lost each time in the first round or the 2020 qualifying round.
The Lightning knocked them out in seven games in 2022, rallying after losing 5-0 in Game 1.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maple Leafs’ Michael Bunting ejected for hit on Erik Cernak
