Coming off a big win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning had their sights set on getting a little revenge when they hosted their 2023 playoff nemesis, the Toronto Maple Leafs, for the first time this season. Unfortunately, a lack of intensity late undid a sizzling hot start in a 4-3 overtime loss.
William Nylander continued his dominance over the Lightning by potting the first goal of this game. His line, with John Tavares and rookie Matthew Knies, was the Leafs best in this game.
The Lightning refused to go away though. Knies was called for cross-checking defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Sixteen seconds into the power play, Nikita Kucherov beat Leafs starter Ilya Samsonov to tie the game at one apiece. The assists went to Brayden Point and Victor Hedman.
Less than four minutes later, rookie Alex Barre-Boulet took a perfect cross-ice pass from Kucherov and beat Samsonov short side for his first goal this season to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead.
Another penalty by the Maple Leafs gave the Lightning a chance to pad their lead. They did exactly that, with Kucherov scoring five seconds into the man advantage for a 3-1 lead.
Having given up three goals on four shots at that point, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe chose to pull Samsonov and put in backup Joseph Woll. Woll was brilliant, stopping all 29 Lightning shots he faced.
In the middle frame, neither team scored, thanks to some amazing goaltending from both netminders. Jonas Johansson was the main reason the Lightning got a point in this game, making 48 saves on 52 shots. Woll, meanwhile, made 29 saves in relief of a struggling Samsonov to give his team a chance to come back and win.
During the third period, the Lightning sat back and let Toronto attack in waves. Johansson stood tall for the most part, but two goals by Knies in the final 10 minutes knotted the game at 3-3.
Once in overtime, the Lightning struggled to gain possession of the puck for the second time this season. That allowed Toronto to pepper Johansson, who, despite playing his best game so far this season, gave up the game-winning goal to Tavares. That made it 4-3 and sent Bolts fans out of the building with a bitter taste in their mouth.
Going forward, the Lightning must find a way to play a full 60 minutes against every team. The Maple Leafs are undoubtedly an elite team, but there’s no excuse for blowing a multi goal lead in the final seven minutes of regulation and overtime. While there are new faces, the core of this Bolts team knows how to win. Now it’s up to them to teach the new additions what Lightning hockey really looks like.
The Lightning now look to play a full 60 minutes and hopefully get a win when they host another Stanley Cup contender in the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, October 24. Puck drop is set for 7 pm EST.
ITR 31: Let Them Fight – Inside The Rink
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