A lethargic first period (0:3), after which coach Sheldon Keefe fled to the cabin with a ruddy expression, a foul by Michael Bunting, for which the Toronto striker went under the showers, and a poor performance by goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov. These were the key reasons for the crash.
“I played on him..o,” the Russian goalkeeper was relieved after conceding six goals and was replaced by Joseph Woll, called up from the Marlies farm, for the last 20 minutes.
The Maple Leafs’ notions of imposing their style of play on a seasoned opponent that has played in three straight Stanley Cup Finals proved to be overblown. On the contrary. Already in the 78th second, the home team conceded for the first time, and in the first period, instead of cheering, the audience of the Scotiabank Arena was filled with disgruntled boos. Toronto looked disorganized, undisciplined, like the playoffs hadn’t even started yet. The exact opposite of what the Lightning were showing.
“As soon as the calendar turns, I see a twinkle in guys’ eyes,” Tampa captain Steven Stamkos explained.
“It was simple: a bad start and a lot of penalty problems. They raised their level and we just couldn’t do it,” said last year’s Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews.
Since the American forward appeared in Toronto, the Maple Leafs have had no problem advancing to the knockout stage. It only happens in the opening round of the playoffs.
2017 – Washington (2:4 for matches), 2018 – Boston (3:4), 2019 – Boston (3:4), 2020 – Columbus (preliminary round 2:3), 2021 – Montreal (3:4), 2022 – Tampa (3-4). As the opening duel with the Lightning showed, the frustration of the Canadian fans still did not have to reach its peak.
Hockey show Příklep with Carolina forward Martin Nečas.Video: Sport.cz
“We have to be much better, there’s no doubt about that. We have to regroup, learn from it, have a short memory and come up with the right answer,” captain John Tavares tried to get out of answering the unpleasant questions.
The Toronto media can be very venomous and ironic towards Maple Leafs hockey players. Even now she has not forgiven herself for the stinging remarks.
“Conceding six goals before giving way to a rookie is probably not the best recipe to overshadow (competitor Andrei) Vasilevsky,” the Toronto Sun takes aim at the performance of Samsonov, who had a save success rate of 79.3 percent.
“We felt from the beginning that Sammy was struggling a little,” coach Keefe claimed. “I’m going to play better,” promised the devastated Russian. Meanwhile, the more experienced Matt Murray is recovering from a concussion, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be back in action any time soon. Would he go after Woll from the start? “Premature,” Keefe said.
In addition, Toronto may miss Bunting in the second match, who is awaiting disciplinary proceedings for a foul on Erik Černák. However, Jake McCabe’s tackle on visiting Michael Eyssimont, who played only five minutes and retired, went unpunished. Even Černak and Victor Hedman did not finish in the Tampa jersey. The team did not provide further information about their condition. If neither of them could start on Friday night, it would be a difficult situation for the Lightning.
Tampa coach Jon Cooper also did not overestimate Tuesday’s result. “The first match is specific. You think you know what’s going on, but then you get in the trenches and all of a sudden you’re down 0-5 and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, what happened?'” the Lightning coach recalled last year’s opening loss, which his team was able to bounce back from .
“A year ago we were glowing after the first game, the second came and we were answering questions about how it could have happened. That’s how it goes in the playoffs. It’s up to us to respond now,” said a brooding Keefe.
