The drought is finally over. After 19 long years, the Toronto Maple Leafs are finally through to the second round. Game six was a back and forth battle. Both goalies were outstanding and in the end it was a puck off a skate that ended it. Below are the highlights from the game.
Tampa put the pressure on early but Ilya Samsonov was dialed in. He turned away Zach Bogosian and Steven Stamkos here…
Sammy is dialed in. 🙅 pic.twitter.com/xunn4YpJh2
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2023
The Leafs goaltender wasn’t done there. He denied Ross Colton with the left pad in tight to keep the game scoreless…
BIG TIME SAMMY! ❌ pic.twitter.com/FZfULZnZwE
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 29, 2023
Later in the first it was Andrei Vasilevskiy’s turn. Mitch Marner set up TJ Brodie back door. Vasilevskiy read the play perfectly and made the save look easy…
Marner cuts across and finds Brodie
Vasilevskiy shuts the door pic.twitter.com/IKHiGOR6gY
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 29, 2023
Michael Bunting had a chance to open the scoring in the second period. Marner ripped a shot from the slot that rebounded off Vasilevskiy and right onto Bunting’s stick. His shot went bar out and the game stays tied…
Bunting hits the crossbar trying to convert on the rebound pic.twitter.com/xMldpm3yhE
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 30, 2023
Who else but Auston Matthews? Late in the second the Leafs superstar broke the deadlock scoring the game’s first goal. Brodie teed one up for him at the top of the circle and he unleashed a wicked one timer to put Toronto up 1-0…
POW PAPI! 💥 pic.twitter.com/LRQhKB9k9J
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2023
The Bolts came looking for the answer early in the third. Somehow Samsonov managed to track this Bogosian point shot through traffic and make the save…
Samsonov stops Bogosian traffic pic.twitter.com/NjyORa3vtL
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 30, 2023
A few minutes later Stamkos brought the game even. He snuck behind the Leafs defence and cleaned up a Darren Raddysh point shot to make it 1-1…
STAMKOS STEPS UP AND WE’RE TIED! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/zJwCd9R0Ne
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023
The third period was tight checking the rest of the way. Not a lot of chances for either side. Jake McCabe rocked public enemy number one Corey Perry with this open ice hit. The one is off to overtime…
Corey Perry takes a seat, courtesy of Jake McCabe. 💥 pic.twitter.com/drNP3i5j6B
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023
Mikey Eyssimont had the first quality chance of the extra period with this shot on a 2-on-1. Samsonov cut off the angle and made the stop…
Samsonov at the top of the crease again pic.twitter.com/CyXUgecEil
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 30, 2023
The captain called game shortly after. Tavares circled the net, spun and threw the puck at the net. It deflected off the skate of Raddysh and past Vasilevskiy for game winner. 2-1 Leafs final.
GAME WINNER!
SERIES WINNER!LET’S. GO. LEAFS. NATION!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dkttq8eBpW
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2023
