An ugly performance by two-time Tampa Bay defender Lightning led to an ugly 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the game ended hard in the middle of the third period, Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry tried to chase Wayne Simmonds of Toronto. Nothing happened there, but Perry and Ilya Lyubushkin attacked each other.
While ESPN2 stopped advertising, Simmonds pushed Lightning star Victor Hedman and battles erupted, including Perry and Lyubushkin, who threw blows, and Morgan Rielli of Toronto, who hit Jan Ruta of Tampa Bay. Ruth left the ice with a big cut on her face.
SPORTS BULLETIN: Sign up to receive daily updates in your inbox
Playoffs: A key issue for any post-season team
NHL PRIZE CHOICE: The MVP competition is full of opportunities; Igor Shesterkin a lock for Vezina?
“I thought we were doing well with their physique,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, “both by playing playoffs and keeping the puck moving and not pushing us, and then just standing still. its when the nonsense starts late in the third. “
Perry finished with 16 penalty minutes in the match. Ruta was 17 and teammate Pat Marun was 10. Lyubushkin had 14 minutes to play, Simmonds 10 and Rieli 15.
Kyle Clifford of Toronto also had 15 minutes, but that was because he was sent off for the board against Ross Colton, which could have attracted the interest of NHL Player Safety.
What was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Lightning eventually set the tone for Maple Leafs.
Toronto closed this five-minute powerful game, as did others, as Lightning made multiple hands against an aggressive penalty.
“They did a good job doing those PKs early and gaining momentum and it could have been a really different game if we had scored early in that,” Lightning captain Stephen Stamkos told reporters. “It was a missed opportunity for us.
Meanwhile, Maple Leafs received a 5-on-3 goal from 60th goal scorer Austin Matthews (Keefe had requested a time-out to rest the first unit) and a short-handed goal from David Kampf.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Toronto.
“Tampa Bay Lightning will be a much better team when they come back here,” Keefe said. – And we ourselves will have to be better.
Mitch Marner ended the playoffs
Matthews of Toronto and Mitch Marner scored one goal in the first round of last season’s Montreal Canadiens.
Matthews scored twice on Monday, and Marner scored as well. This put an end to the goal drought of 18 games in the playoffs for the star of Maple Leafs.
Marner said it was “great” to score, but did not allow the land to bother him.
“I can’t do anything about the past,” he told reporters. “I’m here to focus on the current. I’m here to focus on what I can do to help the team win.”
Penalty for cross-checking
NHL Player Safety may be busy Tuesday. ESPN reports that the department is reviewing this cross-examination by Minnesota defender Wilde Jared Spurgeon for the ankles of St. Louis Blues striker Pavel Buchnevich.
Spurgeon got two minutes.
The Blues won 4-0 in match 1 with a hat-trick by David Perron and 37 saves from Ville Husso.
The games on Tuesday
The Penguins in Rangers, 19:00 ET, ESPN
Capitals at Panthers, 19:30 ET, ESPN2
Predators in Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Stars at Flames, 22:00 ET, ESPN2
Add Comment