Lightning head back to Tampa one loss away from elimination after 4-3 loss to Toronto Maple Leafs
Global News
The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in unfamiliar territory — a loss away from elimination in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
TORONTO — The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in unfamiliar territory — a loss away from elimination in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Lightning head back to Amalie Arena trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in their best-of-seven opening-round playoff series after a 4-3 loss in Toronto on Tuesday. Game 6 is Thursday.
The two-time defending NHL champion Lightning, who gave up a 2-0 first-period lead in the loss, said they trust that they’ll regroup.
“It’s never a good thing when you lose two in a row in the playoffs,” said defenceman Victor Hedman. “So, we take it upon us and we want to rebound.”
The Lightning beat the New York Islanders in the Game 7 in last year’s Stanley Cup semifinals. Their previous Game 7 was in 2018.
“We haven’t been in this situation too many times, facing elimination,” Hedman said. “We believe in ourselves. That’s the bottom line. They’re a great team, we gotta expect their best but, you know, we’re going back home . . . we trust in our group and trust in ourselves.”
Steven Stamkos, Hedman and Ryan McDonagh scored for Tampa, while Nikita Kucherov added two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.
The Lightning ran roughshod over the Leafs in the first period, with a 14-4 shots-on-goal differential.