The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 after a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6.
While ending that 19-year drought Saturday night, the Maple Leafs also ended the Lightning’s run of three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
John Tavares scored at 4:36 of overtime to end years of misery, including a seven-game to the Lightning in last year’s playoffs in which they lost Games 6 and 7. Toronto had lost 11 consecutive potential clinching games before winning Saturday.
“Just a hell of a job by the guys in staying with it and not being denied today and finding a way,” Tavares told reporters.
Toronto will face the winner of the Florida Panthers-Boston Bruins series, which is tied 3-3 heading into Sunday’s Game 7 in Boston.
Here’s why the Maple Leafs are going to the second round and the Lightning are going home:
The Maple Leafs are better than last season
General manager Kyle Dubas, in the final season of his contract, was busy at the deadline. Ryan O’Reilly, playoff MVP with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, was the top acquisition, bringing leadership and a Stanley Cup ring into the Toronto dressing room. He scored the tying goal with a minute left in Game 3 and had two assists and strong defensive plays in Game 4. The team is deeper after adding Jake McCabe, Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty and Luke Schenn at the deadline.
The Maple Leafs are getting production up and down the lineup. Auston Matthews scored his fifth goal on Saturday. Mitch Marner had 11 points. Morgan Rielly picked up an assist Saturday to give him eight points. Tavares’ goal was his fourth of the playoffs. Matthew Knies, recently signed out of college, assisted on Tavares goal for his third point of the playoffs. He also saved a goal in Game 4, allowing Toronto to come back.
Goaltending move pays off
Dubas raised some eyebrows when he brought in Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray. Murray was hurt a lot, but Ilya Samsonov, signed to a one-year, prove-it deal, was the difference as Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevkskiy uncharacteristically struggled in the first four games. Samsonov, who had been 1-6 in the playoffs before this season, was particularly strong in Game 3 and made 31 saves in Game 6 as the Lightning pressed to stave off elimination.
The salary cap caught up with the Lightning
The Lightning were able to avoid the inevitable breakup of the team after the 2020 championship because Nikita Kucherov missed the 2021 regular season. After their repeat, their entire third line went to other teams. The Lightning replaced them and got back to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost, but last summer, they had to part ways with Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh. Palat had 21 points in last season’s playoffs and the Lightning haven’t replaced that.
Lightning struggled down the stretch
The Lightning had three losing streaks of four games or more between Feb. 26 and the end of the regular season. Perhaps it was fatigue. Saturday was their 77th playoff game over the past four years. The final four-game losing streak was right before they won 5-0 in the season finale. Their 7-3 win in Game 1 gave hope that they had flipped a switch. But they clearly hadn’t. Tampa Bay had gone 28-1-2 in the regular season when leading after two periods. But they blew third-period leads in Games 3 and 4, including a 4-1 lead in Game 4.
“This team hasn’t lost a playoff series in the Eastern Conference since 2019. It’s 2023,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “We not used to this feeling. … It doesn’t feel good.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoffs: Maple Leafs oust Lightning, head to second round
