The Toronto Maple Leafs are done with Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first round and emerged 5-0 victors over the reigning champions.
Very few Toronto Maple Leafs fans would have bet on such an outcome, not least expected the team to get the job done in such an emphatic manner.
The challenge now is to not get too full of ourselves and realize that one game does not make a series. The Leafs need to back this performance up with more of the same. After all, the Tampa Bay Lightning understand the efforts that go into winning the Stanley Cup and won’t be resting easy on the back of such a dominant Toronto win.
There were so many talking points from the night. The building was rocking. The team showed immense willingness to block shots.
They didn’t hide away from the nastiness; in fact when Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon tried to goad Wayne Simmonds, he all but laughed them off.
If nothing else, this year’s Toronto Maple Leafs have shown they don’t want to be overawed, they aren’t scared and they’re willing to lay their bodies on the line that perhaps we haven’t seen in the past.
More than anything, you get the feeling that there is more to come. Jason Spezza always brings it in the playoffs. He sat out tonight. Michael Bunting isn’t yet back in the line-up.
William Nylander and John Tavares aren’t on the board yet. In fact, while Marner and Matthews did put up goals, it was the secondary scoring that shone through too. There could very well be more to come from this team.
It really did feel like a dream start to this series, but the Toronto Maple Leafs need to approach game two with an air of caution. The Tampa Bay Lightning will come at them like wounded wolves.
Anyhow, here are the key three storylines we saw play out in Game One: