Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Key Storylines Coming From Game 1

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:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Kyle Clifford Swung The Game’s Momentum

A lot can be said for the boarding penalty that Toronto Maple Leafs winger Kyle Clifford received for his hit on Tampa’s Ross Colton.

You might argue it wasn’t worthy of a game misconduct or even a five-minute penalty, however the officials made their decision at the time and that was that.

Of course, the game misconduct likely means he’ll be missing at the very least Game 2; though rest assured Jason Spezza will be raring to step in. It may seem like an odd thing to say given that he gifted the Tampa Bay Lightning five minutes on the powerplay and over 50 minutes playing against 11 forwards, but Clifford played his part in the victory.

He may have literally been on the ice for less than a minute in Game One, but he firmly swung the momentum. Firstly, Kyle Clifford landing the first big, nasty hit highlighted that the Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t about to be bullied or pushed around.

Secondly, if it isn’t for the Leafs having to survive a 5-minute penalty kill, the fans don’t necessarily create such an emphatic atmosphere in the building.

Sheldon Keefe labelled the fans in Scotibank Arena as the first star in his books and it was clear on the broadcast that they really got behind the team. The energy that this would’ve given the players shouldn’t be overlooked. All because the penalty kill was forced to survive that five minutes.

Equally, the successful penalty kill no doubt gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a huge amount of confidence in their ability to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Preventing the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman from scoring even on a man-advantage would’ve gone a long way to building the team’s defensive confidence.

It’s seems odd to say it, but simply put without the slightly bone-headed decision by Clifford to lay a late hit along the boards, the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t necessarily have the fans involved or have the level of confidence that penalty kill gave them.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner Put Up Big Games

Plenty has been said about the lack of meaningful playoff production from Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in year’s gone by.

The pair were out to dispel those narratives in this game, each putting up three-point nights. They certainly were out to prove that they are indeed big game players.

Far from ducking and hiding as the narrative is often painted; both were willing to take hits if it meant they could finish their play.

Given how much time was spent on the penalty kill, Matthews certainly lucked into some easier matchups at times.

Still, netting two goals and an assist certainly might suggest that regular season Matthews is here to play in the playoffs.

Likewise, Mitch Marner was a beast on special teams; not only did he set up Matthews’s powerplay marker, but he also fed David Kampf on his shorthanded goal. Capping off his night by breaking a playoff goal drought really was the icing on the cake for Marner.

The key thing here is that both big name players on the Toronto Maple Leafs top line have shown that they’re here to play meaningful playoff hockey.

They showed a definite determination, along with the rest of the team, to do everything possible to clear this first round hurdle once and for all.

Going forward, the team need to continue at this same intensity and deliver more of the same. If they can do that, we might finally see this first round hurdle cleared.