TAMPA FLORIDA, Fla. – Auston Matthews referred to as well as any individual that Toronto’s task is not finished.
The Maple Leafs benefited from an additional late collapse by the Tampa fl Bay Lightning, transferring to the brink of their first playoff collection win in almost 20 years Monday evening with a 5-4 overtime win in Video game 4 of the best-of-seven matchup.
Toronto hasn’t won a playoff collection since 2004 and also has been ousted from the first round each of the past six postseasons, consisting of a year ago when Tampa florida Bay rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to advance in 7 games.
” The 4th one is the hardest to obtain,” Matthews said after Alexander Kerfoot racked up on the power play at 4:14 of overtime to offer the Maple Leafs a 3-1 series lead.
” It’s feel various,” coach Sheldon Keefe claimed, though he additionally noted it is essential for the group not to prosper of itself.
” We’ve got a challenging job,” the instructor included, looking ahead to Video game 5 in Toronto on Thursday night.
The Lightning have won 11 of 12 playoff collection over the previous 3 postseasons, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final three straight years and also winning the champion twice.
” We know what we’re up versus, what they’ve achieved” Matthews stated.
Alex Killorn scored twice in aiding the Lightning construct a 4-1 lead that the Maple Leafs removed with 3 goals– 2 by Matthews– in a period of 6 mins, 20 seconds. Morgan Rielly’s second goal of the collection tied it 4-all at 16:04 of the third duration.
It was the 2nd time in 3 nights Toronto rallied late to compel overtime. Ryan O’Reilly’s objective with one minute left in guideline kept the Maple Leafs alive in Video game 3, and also O’Reilly won it at 19:45 of OT for a 2-1 series lead.
” We scored sufficient objectives to win. You have actually got to maintain them out of your net,” Lightning trainer Jon Cooper claimed.
Mikhail Sergachev and also Steven Stamkos also racked up for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy quit 32 shots as well as had a couple of large conserves in the overtime period prior to Kerfoot rerouted Mark Giordano past the goaltender for the win.
Noel Acciari racked up for the 2nd straight game for Toronto, dispersing Juston Holl’s shot past Vasilevskiy early in the second period to briefly get the Maple Leafs within one objective before Tampa bay Bay retreated with goals by Stamkos as well as Killorn that made it 4-1.
” Perhaps there was a sensation that we’ll place it away,” Cooper claimed. “Clearly, Toronto had a various suggestion.”
It was 2-0 after one period, and the Maple Leafs were lucky the deficit had not been larger.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov quit Brandon Hagel’s penalty fired a little much less than 8 mins into the video game, but the Lightning’s persistence settled when Killorn– and afterwards, Sergachev– scored their very first objectives of the series off best feeds from Nikita Kucherov.
In both situations, Samsonov was placed to protect a feasible shot from Kucherov when the Lightning celebrity rather delivered the puck to Killorn as well as Sergachev from the ideal circle.
Killorn scored his very first objective on a power play. His second originated from on a shot from the left circle that defeated Samsonov to the much post for a three-goal lead.
Samsonov stopped 27 shots.
Since winning the series opener on the road by 4 objectives, the Lightning have shed three in a row heading into Game 5.
” You need to consider the huge picture. We are still mosting likely to the rink,” Cooper stated. “The series is refrained yet.”
TOUGH POINT
Tampa fl Bay’s Brayden Factor remained in the schedule Monday evening after rolling head-first right into the boards while fighting for a loose puck with Toronto’s Morgan Rielly. Rielly initially was examined a five-minute major penalty for boarding, nonetheless the call was ultimately reversed. The hit stimulated several altercations, consisting of different battles matching Steven Stamkos versus Auston Matthews and Kucherov versus Ryan O’Reilly. Point returned 6 minutes later and also ended up the video game. Lightning train Jon Cooper said earlier that the high-scoring center would certainly be a game-time decision. Factor had a help on Sergachev’s objective, which put Tampa Bay up 2-0 in the very first duration.
Last Updated: 26 April 2023
