This series always felt like it was going to go away.
Although the Leafs played (mostly) as composed as all the series, Lightning remained persistent, leveling the score in the third period and forcing the sequels. And with Braden Point scoring 4-3 in overtime, this insanely fun series will really last until seven games.
“We just have to put our balls on the line and do it,” said Austin Matthews after the game.
First star
John Tavares
In the beginning, the Tavares line struggled to maintain pressure in the offensive zone. Overall, he did not have the most dominant series, but all the credit to Tavares for staying in the game. He scored well in his own area.
But the most remarkable thing was how in a short period of the second period Tavares reached the net and eventually got the second goal of Leafs after a change in the result, and then used his expectation to find an open area on the ice, kick the puck on the stick his (every football game gets bonus points) before scoring Leafs’ third goal.
Tavares won only 35 percent of his matches, but with two goals the captain of Leafs still appeared when it mattered in match 6.
Second star
William Nylander
Another blow to the game from Nylander. He just didn’t stop moving, pulling puck and playing with the full confidence with which he became famous. One of the most talented Leafs made a consistent effort to break the game wide offensively, throwing himself through multiple Lightning players to take the puck to the net. Proof A: His heads-up game set Tavares up for Leafs’ third goal. He had two assists.
Third star
Austin Matthews
Matthews had to be the one to bring Leafs back into the game with his top goal in the second period (the most difficult game to play in the sport, as loyal card readers know).
I found my way home 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TpJJVhzBoz
– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 13, 2022
Matthews has been dominant and determined since the start of the match, winning innings and recording most of the team’s shots on goal during the early period. But there were times when the little plays he did stood out even more:
Matthews uses his body to protect Tampa players from the loose puck pic.twitter.com/O67w0U4LwN
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
It is impressive that he can constantly boost speed with his size and quickly go on the attack. He tied Lightning players in his own zone effectively.
Matthews won 66 percent of his matches and led Leafs with six shots on goal.
Players’ reports
A
Mitch Marner
Marner was constantly reading the game well in the neutral and defensive zone, choosing passes. This approach was reinforced only during his penalty shootout when he deflected passes and cleared the puck from the Leafs area.
Marner did not score a single point, but still had 69 percent of the expected goals 5 on 5, which is the highest level of the team.
A-
Jake Mouzin
Muzzin played a mostly safe game, moving the puck cleanly. I thought his anticipation under Leafs’ pressure at the end of the third period was remarkable. His 65 percent of expected goals 5 on 5 were the highest among all defenders. And this is even more impressive, considering that he recorded a team high of 30:15 TOI. For someone who can fight injuries, he makes a good series.
B +
Morgan Riley
Rielly seemed to be engaged for most of the game, doing smart defense readings, physical games, and stick games more often than not.
Jack Campbell
Campbell’s first notable rescue, involving him jumping in the air to grab a puck in the air, may be unorthodox, but it was a sign of how eager he was to try to make a difference in the game.
Jack Campbell uses Ariel Ace pic.twitter.com/vzZfC63Ep3
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 12, 2022
Fortunately, that was Campbell’s only strange rescue. To my eyes, none of Campbell’s four goals were for him, and I thought he was playing just as calmly and restrainedly as he needed to. He stopped 31 of 35 shots.
B
You’re Jay Brody
Brody’s intelligent and responsible defense kept helping the Leafs get out of the traffic jam. How many times have we heard it before?
Justin Hall
Holl’s quick work was helpful when Lightning came to Leafs at a pace, especially at the end of the second period, when Nikita Kucherov seemed to beat Holl.
JUSTIN HALL pic.twitter.com/8tI4I6w9oL
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
His blockade on a strike by Anthony Sirelli in the sequel stood out.
B-
Mark Giordano
After a slow start, Giordano joined the game with more and more passes in the right areas of the ice. The Leafs needed composure up and down in the main match and got it from Giordano.
At the end of the match, I thought that Giordano tried to connect the Lightning players well and his jumping block in front of Campbell in the sequel undoubtedly won him a few more fans in Toronto. He played a simple game, as evidenced by his job of simply putting the puck in the net before Leafs’ goal in the second period. He won the main assist in the game.
However, he could not properly stop Anthony Sirelli in the second goal of Lightning.
David Kampf
Kampf’s offensive presence continues to be underestimated as part of his game. He had four knocks on the door, second among the leaves.
David Kämpf is looking for another on Vasilevskiy pic.twitter.com/2knOdBVwmM
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
He didn’t think about it, choosing to put the puck in the net with almost any open gaze.
I’m also here for David Kampf, the pest:
haha Kämpf pic.twitter.com/re1mjhTuxv
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
His high penalty was very questionable, but I promised myself that I would not go too deep into the waters of “Let’s talk about the penalties called in this series.”
I’m not going to change anything now, but it definitely looks like David Kampf’s misguided stake.
The replay seems to indicate that Kampf received the Foote in the T-shirt / shoulder pad, but it sells well.
(h / t @JoshRimerPR) pic.twitter.com/h7Q4EZB37L
– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 13, 2022
C +
Alex Kerfut
It’s not a great sight for Kerfut to blindly move the puck back to his own zone and see it quickly spotted by Ondrey Palace. You might argue that Brody could have predicted a pass and been in a better position, but it still seems like an out-of-character game for the usually smart playmaker.
However, Kerfut’s merit: He continued to do so, constantly bringing in energy and not being burdened in any way. His clever pass to move the puck up to Nylander before Leafs’ third goal resulted in as many worthy second assists as you’ll find. He was buzzing while pressing at the end of the third period.
Michael Bunting
Several heads-up work with Bunting’s stick forced him to turn in the neutral zone and hit the door shortly after. He continued to try to join the defense. I thought Bunting was silent at times, but it’s worth remembering that he’s almost certainly not playing 100 percent right now.
Ilya Lyubushkin
There was some decent effort by Lubushkin to neutralize Stephen Stamkos as the Lightning striker invaded the Leafs area. He will not get much credit for this, but Lubushkin sent a perfect pass in the middle of the ice in the lead for the second goal of the Leafs.
Like several Leafs, his well-timed blocks made a difference:
Big block from Lubushkin pic.twitter.com/dmUOetFomN
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
Ilya Mikheev
I did not like Mikheev’s game in the offensive zone. He felt he was too slow to get on loose puck. And his pass before the second goal of the Lightning had the feeling that he wanted problems.
However, his game improved, especially in the sequel.
Ondrej Kase
Kase’s soft pass with one touch helped create Leafs’ second goal. Otherwise, I didn’t see him have the most noticeable impact in this game. I would like to give him the benefit of doubt, as it is quite possible that he is not in good health and plays for limited minutes.
Colin Blackwell
Blackwell did well to move the puck deep into the offensive zone and allow for constant pressure.
Have a nice rush from Blackwell pic.twitter.com/BZfAGBpupT
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 13, 2022
Jason Speza
I don’t know if I can say much more than my Fitzy man does here:
If Leafs somehow manages to do that, the kids will eventually go to Jason Spezza High School.
– SeanFitz_Gerald (@SeanFitz_Gerald) May 13, 2022
After it seemed that Speca scored an equal goal, he finally received an assist. Not surprisingly, given that he provides Leafs assists on and off the ice throughout the series.
I know he scored a team low of TOI 6:19, but he had an impact during that time.
° C
Pierre Engwal
My expectations of Engvall have risen recently, so I expected more from him in such a key match. With the exception of his efforts to throw the puck into the net towards the end of the second period and to create traffic in front of Andrei Vassilevski, the puck came out of his stick a little too fast for me. The physicality that can make a difference for Leafs was also not obvious.
However, his crazy break in overtime, followed by an impressive game with his stick in the Lightning zone, were highlights.
Result of the game
The result of the game is an indicator developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to quickly measure the performance of a player in a game.
Final grade: B +
Since 2013, the Leafs are now 0-9, when they had a chance to win a playoff round. In the last three seasons, Lightning have not lost two consecutive playoff games.
Now this may not provide any consolation for the defeated Leafs fans there, but it was a game that the Leafs had every right to win, owning most of the 5 on 5 possession (52 percent) and expected goals (53 percent). It took a powerful 5-on-3 game to level the Lightning game. Leafs’ game after extra time was full of heart that this team is sometimes …
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