(3A) Lightning at (2A) Maple Leafs
Eastern Conference, First Round, Match 1
19:30 ET: ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSUN
Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are very familiar with each other, entering match 1 of the series of the first round of the Eastern Conference of Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
Each team scored a one-sided victory in the matches last month. Toronto beat Tampa Bay 6-2 on April 4 and Lightning responded with an 8-1 victory on April 21. Each match was played at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
It’s a kind of return home for Lightning captain Stephen Stamkos, who grew up about 20 minutes north of Toronto in Markham, Ontario. He said his madness to return had subsided during his 14-season NHL career.
“I have to have dinner at my parents’ house last night,” he said. “Besides, there are far fewer people hitting me for tickets.”
One of the main goals of Maple Leafs is to try to keep Stamkos under control. The striker scored a personal best in the NHL and 106 points (42 goals, 64 assists) in 81 games.
“I’ve always had faith in myself that I can make a difference in this thing when I get on the ice,” he said. “You’re still trying to prove people wrong.”
Such are the Maple Leafs, who are looking for their first victory in the series in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup since 2004. Coach Sheldon Keefe said his team is ready to embrace the moment.
“I think that’s a lot,” he said. “The maturity of our team, knowing that we have built on it, as well as just a quick turnaround.”
Toronto (54-21-7) finished second in the Atlantic Division and Tampa Bay (51-23-8) was third. The lightning score was 2-1-1 in the regular season; Maple Leafs were 2-2-0.
The teams that won Game 1 were 499-228 (68.8 percent), winning a series of NHL playoffs with a top score of 7, including 6-2 in the first round last season.
Here are 3 keys to Game 1:
1. Simmonds, Clifford got the call
As Keef expects a rough, “bordering on violent” series, strikers Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford will play on the fourth line.
“We’ve talked to them over the last few weeks about what we need them for and what our expectations are,” Keefe said. “Part of what they wear, of course, is physical fitness, presence and a veteran experience.”
Veteran striker Jason Spca is a solid scratch, but Keefe said he will be included in the squad at some point during the series.
2. Entering Vassilevski’s head and on his doorstep
Lightning goalkeeper Andrei Vassilevsky has been playing every minute of the last two post-seasons, each of which ended in winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, and last season he was selected for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most useful player in the playoffs. In order for Maple Leafs to overcome his heroism, they will need to have a web presence and create screens in front of him.
Maple Leafs know it’s easier said than done when Lightning have defenders like Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh defending their goalkeeper.
“I think it will take a lot of brainpower and physical strength and just a desire to endure a beating to face it,” Simmonds said.
3. Quick start of Lightning increases the pressure on the maple leaves
Maple Leafs have not won a post-season series in 18 years, so any negative trends that occur in the beginning will put Toronto in a hot spot.
Fans of the hosts will be enthusiastic about the match, but can quickly include Maple Leafs if things start to go south.
Tampa Bay knows this and will try to use just that aspect, starting fast.
“Those boys there are probably extremely motivated because of what happened,” Stamkos said. “We’ve had some setbacks in the past and that definitely motivates you. You don’t want to go through that again.”
Quickly designed composition
Andrew Palace – Stephen Stamkos – Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Heigl – Braden Point – Anthony Sirelli
Alex Killarn – Ross Colton – Nicholas Paul
Pat Maroon – Pierre-Edward Belmare – Corey Perry
Victor Hedman – Ian Ruth
Ryan McDonagh – Eric Chernak
Mikhail Sergachev – Cal Foot
Andrey Vasilevsky
Brian Elliott
Scratched: Riley Nash, Zach Boghossian
wounded: None
The planned range of Maple Leafs
Alexander Kerfut – Austin Matthews – Mitchell Marner
Ilya Mikheev – John Tavares – Ondrej Kase
William Nilander – David Kampf – Pierre Engwal
Kyle Clifford – Colin Blackwell – Wayne Simmonds
Morgan Riley – Ilya Lyubushkin
Mark Giordano – Timothy Lillegren
Jake Moose – TJ Brody
Jack Campbell
Eric Calgren
Scratched: Jason Speza, Justin Hall, Nicholas Abruzzese
wounded: Michael Bunting (lower body), Rasmus Sandin (knee), Petr Mrazek (groin)
Status report
Point will play after missing two of Lightning’s last six games due to a lower body injury. … Cassie will play for the first time since March 19. He missed the last 20 games of the regular season due to a concussion. … Bunting participates in an optional morning skate, but the striker will not play.
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