The Toronto Maple Leafs took it to the Lightning on Monday, skating away with a 5-0 victory and what can only be characterized as a dominant win in all areas of the game. They now own a 1-0 series lead, but if they want to extend their lead to 2-0 heading back to Tampa, it could be a very tall order.
According to TSN, Tampa goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not been beaten in back-to-back playoff games in either of the last two playoff runs, posting a 14-0 record, with a .966 SV% and 5 shutouts over that span.
Despite Vasilevskiy posting those of numbers, he certainly didn't do it against the likes of the back-to-back Rocket Richard Trophy winner, Auston Matthews and his elite playmaking winger, Mitch Marner.
The postseason struggles of the Leafs have been well documented. I don't need to tell you that. If you're reading this, you've suffered through just as much as the rest of Leafs Nation. But, having said that.. this team just feels different. They've had plenty of stretches where they've won back-to-back games and put together lengthier multi-game win streaks this season, including stretches against some of the best teams in the league. Granted, the playoffs are a different animal, and so are the Tampa Bay Lightning, but that doesn't mean that this Leafs team is not also a different animal.
Nevertheless, Wednesday night's Game 2 should be a very interesting one for both teams. From Toronto's perspective, how do you follow up such a dominant performance? From the Lightning's perspective, how do you respond to being blown out in Game 1? Tomorrow night should be a fun one.
