Toronto Maple Leafs Prove They’re Ready for First Round

The Toronto Maple Leafs went into their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday with a playoff spot and home ice already achieved. Some considered the game meaningless, but it set the tone for what’s to come next week in round one of the NHL playoffs.

Tampa had all their star players and number one goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy playing against a Toronto Maple Leafs team without Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Mark Giordano, and Ilya Samsonov.

The Leafs had Joseph Woll in net and played defenseman Conor Timmins as a forward, but still managed to win the game 4-3 in regulation.

Joseph Woll and Toronto’s penalty kill forced Tampa to go 0/8 on the power play. The Lightning outshot Toronto 48-24, but Woll saved 45/48 shots, enough to win the game. Woll’s NHL record is now 8-2-0 overall and 5-1-0 this season. With the status of Matt Murray still unknown, Woll will start the NHL playoffs as Samsonov’s backup. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Toronto fared better on their power play, going 2/6 with goals from William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok. Nylander has 39 goals on the season, with one game left to try and reach 40. Jarnkrok’s goal helped him achieve his first 20-goal season. He has adjusted well to playing in Toronto’s top six.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning Setting the Tone

On Tuesday night, fans were treated to not one but two fights. Toronto’s Luke Schenn went toe to toe with Tampa’s Pat Maroon. The two friends and former teammates had a spirited bout. Fans also witnessed Michael Bunting going toe to toe with Corey Perry after Perry cross-checked Bunting hard to the ice for no reason. When these two teams meet in the first-round next week, the series will get physical, and Toronto is proving that they won’t be intimidated or pushed around.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning series will be a tight-checking game with plenty of rough stuff. Toronto is looking for redemption after losing to Tampa in a tight series last year. That series could have gone either way, but in the end, Tampa was victorious. This year, Toronto will try to end the series before it gets to a crucial game seven.

Game Highlights

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies registered his first NHL point on Tuesday with an assist on Ryan O’Reilly’s goal. He almost had his first goal, but the puck ended up sitting right on the goal line before O’Reilly poked it in.

Nylander registered three points (a goal and two assists) against Tampa and now has 39 goals and 47 assists for 86 points, which are all personal best for him. It would be nice to see him reach the 40-goal mark, but he only has one game left to do it. Toronto plays the New York Rangers on Thursday to close out the 2022-23 regular season.

The 48 shots against were the most Woll has faced in one game at the NHL level. He stood tall and saved 45 of them. He is making a strong case for being the Maple Leafs’ backup next season.