For a team playing big this spring, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew it regally in their first playoff game. Lost 7 to 3 ahead of their supporters to the Tampa Bay Lightning. And wham in the flanks!
• Also read: Maple Leafs: “I was crap” – Ilya Samsonov
Toronto fans must have been telling themselves on the way home that the Leafs will get their hands on them in the first round again this year. You should have seen the grim faces of some of them on TV in the final minutes of the massacre.
This team is really suffering from a suspension in the series. We saw it from the opening minutes of Tuesday’s game as the Lightning fourth line, the indestructible Pat Maroon, Pierre Bellemarre and Corey Perry, did what they wanted in Leafs territory. Bellemarre opened the scoring in the 78th second of the game.
The Leafs never stopped screwing things up.
After a third it was 3:0 Lightning.
- Listen to Jean-François Baril’s sports report on QUB radio :
Stupid gestures!
The situation changed at the beginning of the second engagement. Injured by an injury, Lightning ace defenseman Victor Hedman attempted to skate but retreated to the locker room. His evening work was over.
His exit reinvigorated the Leafs, who began playing with the devil in their bodies. Two power play goals from Ryan O’Reilly and William Nylander put the Leafs back in the game. But those were the game’s only happy moments for the Leafs and their fans.
Michael Bunting made a hasty move by elbowing Erik Cernak in the face, receiving a serious penalty and a game misconduct. The Lightning scored three times to regain a three-goal lead.
Bunting must explain himself before the National Hockey League Player Safety Committee. That means he’s likely to receive a suspension.
But decency would dictate that he also apologize to his teammates for his lack of discipline. Ditto for Jake McCabe, although the Lightning couldn’t capitalize on his penalty due to high sticking in the face of Michael Eyssimont in the first third.
Both players not only harmed their team, they were stupid and indecent gestures.
Third in the NHL since 2016-17
Of course, the series remains within reach of the Leafs. The Lightning only have one win, but the Leafs need to recover and fast!
Can you?
They squandered a 3-2 lead against the same Lightning last year before losing in seven games.
It was their goaltender Ilya Samsonov who said before the series that the Leafs were probably the best team in the National League. He should have cleared in the regular season.
Since the arrival of Auston Matthews, the first pick of the 2016 draft, the Leafs rank third in percentage points with a .638 average. They are beaten by the Bruins (.680) and Lightning (.662), followed by the Capitals (.630) in fourth place and the Penguins (.624) in fifth place.
You will have noticed that the Lightning (2020 and 2021), the Capitals (2018) and the Penguins (second consecutive Cup in 2017) have won the Stanley Cup in this period.
The other two winning teams, the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and the Avalanche last year, are 9th (.595 for the Blues) and 10th (.592 for the Avalanche) in this seven-season ranking, respectively.
I hear you asking where the Canadian stands. The answer is 27th place with a percentage of 0.487. Finally, with the exception of the Kraken Seattle, who is only in its second season, the Detroit Red Wings are up with a .435 average.
Like what goes up comes down!
