First Period

How it started:

The Lightning came back with two:

Brandon Hagel takes a penalty giving the Leafs the first power play. It's not bad, but not very threatening either.

Ryan Reaves makes the game fun with a goal against the Tampa big shots. Or as big as they get in this game with a depleted lineup:

Brayden Point takes a holding penalty and the Leafs try the power play again, but no joy.

2-1 Lightning

Thoughts

The Leafs are not exactly crashing the net here and shooting from their usual spots. They're leading in Expected Goals because of the power play disparity.

Everyone is playing at about 75% except Nick Robertson who wants in the day one lineup.

Second Period

The power play carries over but still no goal past Matt Tompkins.

Martin Jones with a save on a Paul breakaway.

Leafs leave Jones' stick side wide open (Gio moved over to cover Timmins) and Anthony Duclair scores again.

3-1 Lightning

Timmins genuinely had no idea what to do on this play. I don't want to play blame the defenceman in a game this meaningless, but this is Timmins' issue. Sometimes he just doesn't know.

Mitch Marner takes a tripping call, so the Lightning get their first power play, but no joy for them either.

Matthews gets a post with a shot that was travelling hard enough to make it into space.

Matthews tries the "I'm innocent" stick drop, but nope, in the box he goes.

Jones stones Point to deny Nikita Kucherov the 100th assist. And no joy for the Lightning on the power play.

Timmins starts a thing with a guy I've genuinely never heard of (Lightning fans are saying this about Timmins) but it's not much of a scrum. Timmins takes the extra minor because he started it out of nowhere.

Kucherov gets his 100th this time.

4-1 Lightning

William Nylander decides to wander off from a puck because he'd get a whistle for a high stick (on the puck, not a penalty). The rest of the team seems to wander off too.

It's not the first time I've seen a wrong choice in that situation, but that was a really bad time to be wrong about something.

5-1 Lightning

Thoughts

Jones last played on March 23. His game before that was February 22. He's got a tough gig.

Third Period

We start the third with Simon Benoit in the box for something I never noticed in the second. No joy for the Lightning again on the power play.

Lightning give the Leafs a power play and everyone who likes numbers that end it zero sits up and pays attention.

Lightning make it 6-1

Awwwwww Brodie gets a goal.

6-2 Lightning

Note which forward line is on the ice. Okay, Matthews is there too, but it's the fourth line again.

My boy Pontus Holmberg pops one past Tomkins.

6-3 Lightning

Ha! Leafs pull Jones.

Timmins makes his best defensive play and blocks a very half-hearted Lightning two-on-one.

John Tavares gets one, after Matthews fails on his shot.

6-4 Lightning

Thoughts

Burn the tape. Get on with the real job which begins on Saturday. Matthews has zero goals, let's see how high he gets that number.

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