After a genuinely fun pregame, and some obviously hot quality video (for a change – looking at you TSN), the game is underway with John Forslund on play-by-play. I know him of old from when you got US broadcasts, and he was doing 'Canes games.

First Period

Max Domi gets an early rush, and he ... goes behind the net to bounce out a pass to no one.

This is a track meet with multiple early rush chances.

Then the Leafs pin the Bolts top pair in deep.

The colour man, Thomas Hickey, says this is the fastest he's seen from ice level, and he's not wrong.

Scores!!! This Domi pass went to someone.

1-0 Leafs

Commentary emphasizing the inner slot area the Leafs are getting into easily. I'm enjoying both the play and the discussion of it.

Tampa finally gets a bit of a cycle and Stolarz makes a couple of saves.

Brandon Hagel makes a move on temp defender Nylander and gets a good chance.

Stolarz with a nice save on Nikita Kucherov.

Tampa takes a penalty late in the first so the power play gets to practice. It's okay, not anything too good or bad.

Then Simon Benoit scores for the Lightning. He has no luck that isn't bad lately.

Tie Game

Craig Berube got Benoit right back out on the second shift after the goal against.

This is a hit that regains possession, and is therefore a good and fun play.

Leafs dominated the first half, but Tampa came back with some good shooting of their own. Leafs with the best sustained quality offence of any game so far this season.

Second Period

Tampa takes a penalty very early and it's to the power play again.

Scores! Mitch Marner takes a shot that just sits there and why, that's Auston Matthews.

2-1 Leafs

The fourth line gets a long shift in the offensive zone, and Pontus Holmberg looks a lot better in this role.

Top line tries a tic-tac-toe, but the toe din't really have a good shot. Tic and tac were good, though.

John Tavares and friends get a long scrum in the offensive zone, and this is the hardnosed defending I expected from Tampa.

Scores! He Cannot Be Stopped!

3-1 Leafs

It's fun to hear a whole new set of broadcasters fall in love with Bobby McMann, too.

Wow. Max Pacioretty now has the "back in the lineup and scores".

4-1 Leafs

Moneypuck has that shot at 1.5% of a chance to be a goal.

Wow. I keep saying that, I know. But Andrei Vasilevskiy is out for Jonas Johansson. Tampa is playing back-t0-back as well, so that's a factor.

The Tampa fourth line comes out hard, but Stolarz Stealerz all the pucks.

Domi takes an emo penalty following the good Tampa pushback as does McMann. So this is a five-on-three. There is some controversy around who exactly took the helmet off the Tampa player, but the refs are unmoved by the yelling from the Leafs bench.

Stolarz with the save of the year as far as I'm concerned. Holy cow.

In some more confidence building, both Benoit and Holmberg were out on the five-on-three. Five shots, five saves from Stolarz and he gets a standing-O.

Oh my. I was still enjoying the Mitch Marner steal and then Knies just rifled it home.

5-1 Leafs

OEL on the ice after a hit: What the fuck was that? The ref thinks it's roughing.

I again neither hated nor loved that power play. A lot of long shots from the points.

Nylander tried to get Nick Robertson a goal, but nope.

Tavares takes a penalty near the end of the period.

Proof the Leafs are getting some shots on the PP, and that that Tampa five-on-three was nasty.

Third Period

Leafs open on the PK.

They're talking way too much on air about Chris Tanev blocking shots, but if that's the price for never any faceoff talk, I'm good.

Domi line again just tuning up the Lightning top line. It's endless chances against them. If the price of Domi was one of emo penalties or sometimes very dumb passes, he'd have a lot more fans. As it stands, this is a rock solid game from him. Hard to ask for much more.

Ekman-Larsson sits for his retaliation hit on Guentzel. Leafs kill it with style.

Tampa takes a turn with their PK and Toronto tries a big spread-out PP scheme. Shots, but no goals.

Leafs just spend all evening in the Tampa zone here. No turtles in sight. Tampa is flummoxed completely.

Domi picks a fight with Zemgus Girgensons after a hit. Domi takes the extra minor for roughing.

Oh, and look, a Tampa player final scored a goal.

5-2 Leafs

Refs make a bad call on a Pontus Holmberg ENG, and it can't be challenged, but wow the crowd wants Pontus to have that goal after a good game. More confidence and team building as Berube argues this one loud.

Lots of action after the horn. The ref kicks them all off the ice. Very emo end of the game.

In general, the Leafs outplayed a shaky Tampa team at five-on-five. I like a lot about their play, but I'm still a bit iffy on all this dumping it in and forechecking. Yes it works, and it's fun when McMann or Knies steamroller a guy. But there were some moments in this game when some Keefe-esque defence by maintaining possession would have been a better choice. It doesn't have to be one or the other, you can have both.

Game Coverage