It was a disappointing night for the Lightning, who weren’t able to build on Friday’s OT victory in Nashville. Saturday’s contest against Toronto wrapped up a busy stretch of five games over eight days, and the Lightning went just 2-3-0 in those contests. The three losses all occurred at home. This one came against a division rival that entered the game just two points ahead of the Lightning in the standings.
The opening 40 minutes were frustrating for the Lightning against the defensive-minded Maple Leafs, who began the night with the third-best GA/G ranking in the NHL. The Lightning started well, however, and applied pressure in the early minutes. But they couldn’t maintain it. The Leafs got on the board at 7:13 when Matthew Knies deflected in a shot from Chris Tanev. From that point, Toronto dictated play for the rest of the period. The Lightning did have a glorious scoring chance in the closing minute, but Joseph Woll stopped Mikey Eyssimont’s breakaway.
The Lightning created two good scoring chances in the opening minutes of the second period. Anthony Cirelli tipped a shot from the top of the crease, but Woll made the save. Then Brandon Hagel hit the post with a shot from the left circle. Soon after, the Leafs broke the game open, converting on consecutive shifts. A failed clear from the Lightning led to Tanev’s goal at 8:06. Thirty-three seconds later, Nick Robertson finished a rush chance with a left-circle shot that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy over the right shoulder.
About a minute later, the Lightning went on their first power-play chance of the game. It was an effective power play — they posted six shots on net and created several dangerous looks. They came away empty-handed, however. With just over a minute left in the frame, John Tavares whipped a backhander past Vasilevskiy’s stick.
Down 4-0 entering the third, the Lightning pushed hard to get back in the game. They dominated possession, put 18 shots on goal, and scored three times. Eyssimont finished a right-circle one-timer at 11:21. The goal came after the Leafs turned the puck over in an attempt to clear the defensive zone. With 5:31 left, Jon Cooper pulled Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker. Fifty seconds later, Jake Guentzel’s centering pass hit Connor Timmons and deflected into the Toronto net. The Lightning cut the deficit to one goal after Oliver Ekman-Larsson was whistled for cross-checking at 17:27. During the ensuing six-on-four, Cam Atkinson redirected Brandon Hagel’s pass past Woll at 17:38.
After making it 4-3, the Lightning had a couple of looks to tie the game, but attempts from Guentzel and Cirelli missed the net. William Nylander sealed the win for Toronto with an empty-netter at 18:44.
Playing their fifth game in eight nights against a quality opponent, the Lightning showed plenty of fight down the stretch. Unfortunately, they dug themselves too big of a hole after 40 minutes.
The Lightning played this game without injured forwards Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul, and Mitchell Chaffee. They’ll take advantage of a four-day break to heal up before they host San Jose on Thursday.
Lightning Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Bobby “The Chief” Taylor):
- Joseph Woll — Maple Leafs. 38 saves.
- Chris Tanev — Maples Leafs. Goal and assist.
- Brandon Hagel — Lightning. Two assists.
