Toronto Maple Leafs Change the Channel in Game 2

In a disappointing game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Toronto Maple Leafs seemed to be channeling the ghosts of every crushing playoff loss since 2004.

Jittery from the opening puck drop, the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t do anything right.

Giveaways, lack of intensity, shoddy goaltending, undisciplined play – it was the exact opposite of what Leafs fans and the players themselves expected.

In a seemingly miraculous game 2 turnaround, the Leafs channeled their emotions towards pummelling a diminished Tampa Bay team by a score of 7-2. By the end, the Lightning were completely short circuited, with Tanner Jeannot, Corey Perry and Pat Maroon unsuccessfully trying to intimidate Leafs players and even the fans next to the penalty box.

Toronto Maple Leafs Play Much Better In Game 2

The majority of Leafs fans were overly distraught after the game 1 debacle. Those same fans will likely be choosing their spots on the parade route after last night’s convincing victory. They fail to recognize that every game of the Stanley Cup playoffs is its own creature, and usually has little bearing on the following match.

Sheldon Keefe apparently got that message through to his players, as they played a methodical and relentless style of hockey in game 2. Forechecking, hitting, blocking shots, limiting the Tampa Bay powerplay to 3 chances (versus 8 in game 1) and most of all, keeping their emotions in check.

Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning are masters of this approach, having endured many highs and lows in making the Stanley Cup finals the last 3 years (winning it all twice). Watching the Lightning walk to their dressing room after the game, their faces showed that they had already forgotten about the loss, and were re-focusing their minds on game 3.

As the series switches to Florida for games 3 and 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs must again play a consistent, smart brand of hockey in order to return to Toronto with no worse than a 2-2 split.

The Leafs were fortunate enough in game 2 to score quickly, and ride the crowd noise to a 3-0 first period lead. Importantly, they never took their foot off the gas, extending the lead to 6-1 before Tampa was able to put their second goal past Ilya Samsonov later in the third period.

Ideally, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be able to take an early lead on Saturday in Tampa Bay, and remove the Lightning fans from the equation. However, nothing ever seems to come easily for this franchise. If and when they fall behind on the scoreboard, it’s vital that they refuse to panic, and continue to follow the game plan.

That holds true for the rest of the series. On paper, at least, the Maple Leafs appear to have the stronger roster. That edge has been significantly bolstered by the injuries to Lightning defenders Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak.

The best hope for Tampa Bay is for either Andrei Vasilevskiy to stonewall the Leaf shooters or for Toronto to crumble once again under the pressure of a legacy of failure.

The vaunted Lightning goaltender has a GAA of 5.00 and a save % of .853 through the first two games (stats from nhl.com). It seems that the Toronto Maple Leafs will decide themselves whether they finally break through to round 2.

Now that the opening game nerves have subsided and both teams have tasted blood, it’s time to settle in for an exciting series. May the best team win.