Leafs stomp the Lightning

Captain is back:

Alex Steeves returned to the Marlies to make space. No Nikita Kucherov for the Lightning.

First Period

By the strict definition of the numbers, this was a low-event period for the Leafs, but I refuse to complain about a period where the offence looked like Leafs offence and not some team that shoots from the weeds:

Don't get too fooled by the deep colour, that's on very few shots.

The most important shot was the one that went in:

After one is was 1-0 Leafs.

Second Period

The second was all about goals from unusual places. And a Tampa team that got very comprehensively outplayed. On the scoreboard.

Tampa had the only power play – a silly too many men penalty from the Leafs – and that marked the turning point for Tampa in terms of taking over the offence generation. To be fair to the Leafs it was 3-0 by then.

The goals before the power play:

And then finally:

The yell he let out after was amazing.

Jake McCabe: puck magnet

McCabe did not play the rest of the game.

And then after all the Tampa rebound, John Tavares didn't even need to look to make it 4-0.

That was the score after two periods – 4-0 – and the only question left was shutout, yes or no. <- wow, was this ever wrong.

Third Period

Question answered. No shutout as Mikey Eyssimont ruins the fun.

That's an ow.

Jake Guentzel scores.

OEL and a Lightning player traded cross-checks with just over two minutes to go and somehow Toronto is on the PK.

Lightning scored.

William Nylander put it in the empty net to stop this nonsense.

Final Score was 5-3 Leafs.

Next game is Monday (so a Prime game in Canada) vs Chicago. Oh, wow. So looking forward to that.