Toronto Maple Leafs Blow Out Tampa Bay Lightning; Take Series Lead 1-0

The Leafs were buzzing from the opening face-off tonight, and the 2x Stanley Cup champs never could catch up. Kyle Clifford set the tone early with this hit:

Here's the game's full recap, from Sportsnet:

This was an ugly one for the Bolts but a great showing from the Leafs. Maple Leafs' Head Coach Sheldon Keefe predicted this would be a violent series, and he was right. And the Leafs didn't bother waiting for Tampa to throw the first punch, so to speak. Clifford's hit looked like it stunned the Lightning, as they never seemed to find their groove afterwards.

If Toronto can continue to dictate the flow of play against Tampa & shell perennial Vezina candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy, this just might be the year they make it to the second round.

The Lightning Captain's knows the deal, though:

Stamkos & Kucherov both made uncharacteristic mistakes in this one. Stamkos missed a wide open net at a critical point in the game:

While Kucherov probably overpassed a few too many times & neglected to shoot. Little things like that are abnormal for the Lightning, but they will surely regress in Game 2.

MUST READ

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks' Contract Offer to Brock Boeser Leaks Publicly

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens Star Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Philadelphia Flyers Officially Looking to Trade Former 39-Goal Scorer

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Evander Kane May Be in His Final Days in Edmonton After Friedman Reveals New Information

Feb 28  |  By Mike Whitaker Maple Leafs Forward Pulls Back Trade Request

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker Brad Marchand Goes Viral for Passionate Video Ahead of Four Nations Faceoff Final

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker David Pastrnak's Latest Comments Suggest Bruins Will Be Big Sellers at the Deadline

Feb 27  |  By Julien Trekker 6-Foot-6 Winger Linked to the New York Rangers at the Trade Deadline

MORE STORIES