Five Takeaways - Leafs vs. Lightning - 02/12/18

1. Bolts and Buds feel each other out in playoff-like first period, but Leafs take lead on Nylander one-timer.Riding a three-game win streak, the Leafs welcomed the NHL-leading Lightning to town Monday, and the first period between the two teams had a playoff feel to it: neither side was taking chances as the opponents felt out each other, and each side finished the frame with nine shots on net. But it was Toronto that got on the scoresheet first, as winger William Nylander struck for his 13th goal of the season at the 11:55 mark.

The scoring play began when centre Auston Matthews won a faceoff in Tampa's zone and got the puck back to Jake Gardiner; the blueliner's shot didn't reach goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, going instead to Matthews, who quickly passed it to Nylander for a blistering one-timer Vasilevskiy had no chance on and a 1-0 Leafs lead. Nylander had three goals and 10 points in his previous nine games, and the sophomore NHLer was Toronto's most dangerous offensive threat through the first two periods Monday.

Video: TBL@TOR: Nylander nets his second of the game2. Nylander nets second of the night on a breakaway, doubles Toronto's lead early in middle frame. As Nylander's linemate, Matthews benefits from the space he creates with his speed and vision, but the same goes for Nylander - and at 3:08 of the second period, Leafs Nation saw another example of what Matthews can do to put Nylander in an excellent scoring position. Matthews picked up the puck just outside Toronto's blueline and spotted Nylander moving up the ice, then connected with him on a perfect pass that put Nylander in a breakaway on Vasilevskiy. Nylander made no mistake with his shot, ripping it into the net for his second of the night.

The multi-goal game was Nylander's second this season - and second in his past four games - and Matthews earned the primary assist to give him a pair of helpers and his team-leading 45th and 46th points of the year. To say the two youngsters mesh well together is an understatement, as they've become one of the league's biggest offensive menaces despite always being the focal point of opponents' defensive plans.

3. Gardiner extends Leafs' lead midway through second, but Lightning get on scoreboard before second intermission.The Leafs were outshot by the Lightning 14-8 in the second period, but netminder Frederik Andersen was his typically strong self between the pipes, and Toronto made the most of the chances they did get. One of those chances took place midway through the period, when Nylander carried the puck into Tampa Bay's zone before flipping it back to Gardiner; rather than shooting it from just inside the blueline, Gardiner moved closer to Vasilevskiy before beating him through the legs with a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the year and a three-goal lead.

Nylander and Matthews registered assists on the play to give both players three points Monday, and the Lightning - who'd won two in a row and seven of nine entering the game - found themselves in an uncharacteristically deep hole. So it wasn't a surprise to see the Bolts push back later in the period, and get on the scoresheet with 4:01 left before the second intermission. Winger Alex Killorn netted his 10th goal of the season after knocking in a rebound in front of Andersen, and Tampa started the third period with momentum.
4. Tampa Bay pounces on Leafs to start third, scores twice to tie game less than two minutes into frame .The Bolts have averaged the highest goals-for per-game (3.56) this season, and in the first 78 seconds of the third period, they showed why: star winger Nikita Kucherov registered his 30th goal of the year just 58 seconds after the first puck was dropped, and 20 seconds after that, centre Yanni Gourde added his 21st marker of the season to tie the game at three goals apiece. Toronto has had issues at the start of periods this year, and the beginning of their third period Monday felt like they were just disengaged enough to allow the Lightning an opening. That's all a very good team needs to get itself back in the mix, and Tampa Bay most definitely qualifies as a very good team.

5. Buds retake lead on van Riemsdyk goal, hold off Bolts to claim fourth straight win.The Air Canada Centre crowd was taken aback by Tampa Bay's offensive burst to begin the final regulation period, but the Leafs weren't about to allow the Lightning to keep the play in Toronto's zone. Instead, they dug in and pushed back less than four minutes later when centre Tyler Bozak's shot turned into a rebound for winger James van Riemsdyk, and the veteran buried it just inside the post for his 23rd goal of the year at 4:37.

After that, the Bolts did their utmost to tie it again, but Andersen remained calm and focused, and Toronto's defenders fought hard along the boards and in front of the Leafs' net to keep Tampa from occupying ice in prime scoring spots. As a result, the Buds locked up their fourth win in a row - and their eighth victory in their past nine games - and set themselves up to sweep their five-game homestand with a win Wednesday against Columbus.
Once again, the win wasn't without its flaws, but they found a way to earn two valuable standings points and showed maturity and resilience in the face of adversity. Head coach Mike Babcock has to be happy with that.