Lightning force Game 6, beat Maple Leafs 4-2

So close, yet so far, is a phrase that nicely sums up the last five years of playoff hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They’ve been one win away from advancing in the post season in each of those years, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion in a series-deciding game.

Once again, the Leafs are on the precipice. Up 3-1 in their best-of-seven playoff series, Toronto needs just one more victory to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning and get out of the first round for the first time since 2004.

They had a chance to get that victory on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena but Tampa had other plans, forcing a Game 6 with a 4-2 win.

Here’s a recap of what happened in Game 5:

9:46 P.M.

The Lightning have defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2, forcing a Game 6 on Saturday in Tampa Bay. Toronto still leads the series 3-2.

Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews scored the Leafs' two goals tonight.

9:45 P.M.

Lightning score an empty net goal 4-2.

9:37 P.M.

Leafs take advantage of having six players to cut the lead 3-2. Matthews scores Toronto’s second goal of the game. Leafs' net still empty.

9:30 P.M.

With four minutes remaining in the game, Toronto pulls out Samsonov.

9:25 P.M.

Nicholas Paul, assisted by Ross Colton and Eyssimont, scores Tampa’s third goal of the game. Lightning lead 3-1.

9:14 P.M.

Mitch Marner on a breakaway with a chance to tie the game in the third period denied by Vasilevskiy.

8:49 P.M.

The Leafs trail the Lightning 2-1 after 40 minutes of play.

8:16 P.M.

Michael Eyssimont opens the scoring in the second period, giving Tampa the lead 2-1.

7:51 P.M.

After the first period, the Leafs and the Lightning are tied 1-1.

7:20 P.M.

It didn't take long for Tampa to tie the game with Anthony Cirelli, assisted by Brandon Hagel and Nick Perbix, scoring 25 seconds later.

7:19 P.M.

Six minutes into the first period, Morgan Rielly gives the Leafs an early 1-0 lead with an assist from Matthew Knies and John Tavares.

Fans in Maple Leaf Square celebrate the first goal by the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Tampa Bay Lightning during first period NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, April 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

7 P.M.

Game 5 between the Leafs and Lightning gets underway. With a 3-1 series lead, the Leafs could win their first playoff series in nearly two decades.

6:42 P.M.

The Leafs tweet their lineup for tonight’s game. The forwards are Jarnkook, Knies, Kerfoot, Aston-Reese, Matthews, Tavares, O’Reilly, Kampf, Nylander, Marner, Acciari and Lafferty. The defencemen are McCabe, Giordano, Rielly, Brodie, Holl and Schenn. The goalies are Samsonov and Woll.

6 P.M.

“Go Leafs Go”

A sea of blue and white can be seen outside Scotiabank Arena, with an hour away until Game 5 between the Leafs and the Lightning. Fans at Maple Leafs Square tell CP24 they are nervous but excited to watch the game, many predicting a Leafs win.

5 p.m.

Gates have opened at Maple Leaf Square, where the team is hosting an outdoor viewing party for Game 5. While puck drop is still two hours away, fans have started to gather, pumped to watch the Leafs take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in what would be a historic night if Toronto wins.

 

Here’s everything you need to know about Game 5:

‘Killer Instinct’

While it’s true that most NHL teams holding a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series go on to win it, Leafs fans know that nothing is guaranteed.

Toronto was up 3-1 in their first round series against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, only to be eliminated after losing the final three games of the series.

And that wasn’t the first lead that was blown inexplicably by the Leafs in recent playoff history, in fact, it’s become something of a habit. The team has gained a reputation for underperforming on the biggest stage and lacking the ‘killer instinct’ needed to close a series out.

“I don’t really know what killer instinct is,” Keefe told reporters after Game 4.

“I don’t know what that is or if it’s a tangible thing or not. It’s sort of a made up term that describes a team that gets good results and gets it done, and we’re trying to be that.”

Keefe’s frankness was shared by his players, who say they’re trying to stay even-keeled despite the pressure-filled atmosphere surrounding tonight’s game.

“It's cliché, but you really just try not to get too high or too low. I think we've just put ourselves in a good spot but the job's not done. The hardest one to get is the last one, so just continue to go about our business as we have all season,” said Leafs captain John Tavares.

“We're up against a tough opponent, it's a tough challenge, and so it's a great opportunity to rise to that and go out there and play well.”

While the Leafs have two decades worth of playoff demons they’re trying exorcise, the Lightning have nothing to prove. In 2004, the last time the Leafs advanced out of the first round, the Lightning won the Stanley Cup.

Since then, they’ve been back to the finals four times, winning twice in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning are one of the most experienced, playoff-hardened teams in the league, and knocking them out won’t be an easy task.

“We’re not going to win a series in our next game, we just have to win one game, and we’ve done that ample times this year,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper after practice yesterday.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) makes a save on Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (34) during second period NHL first round playoff action in Toronto on Tuesday May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank GunnThe Lightning also have goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, perhaps the most feared playoff net minder in the NHL. The Leafs have gotten the better of him in the series so far, but the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner has made a habit of winning big games.

“Vasilevskiy has been horrible [in this series],” TSN radio host Matt Cauz told CP24.com.

“But over the past three years, there's been no better goalie in elimination games… and I think that mentally could hurt the Leafs, knowing: ‘wait a minute, it's that guy again.’”

LEAFS GAME 5 LINEUP

Keefe says he'll be rolling with the lineup he's had in Toronto's three consecutive wins in games 2, 3 and 4, meaning veteran forward Michael Bunting will be a healthy scratch for tonight’s game.

Bunting, who scored 23 goals in the regular season, served a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Lightning defenceman Erik Cernak in Game 1.

Rookie Matthew Knies has slotted into Bunting's roster spot for the past three games, and Keefe said Tuesday that the 20-year-old has "done a terrific job."

Knies made a crucial save at the goal line in the second period of Game 4 to prevent what would have been Tampa’s third goal of the night.

He’s racked up an assist, four shots, and nine hits in his first three playoff games, and according to TSN’s Mark Masters, Knies skated with Tavares and Mitch Marner on the second line at the Leafs’ practice yesterday.

“[They’re] two special players who have unreal experience in the league and are terrific complete players so it’s a privilege and a pleasure to play with those guys,” Knies told reporters.

Keefe said although the suspension created an opportunity for Knies to step into a larger role, leaving Bunting out of the lineup wasn’t an easy decision.

“[Bunting] has played really good hockey for us and has been an important guy for our team,” he said on Wednesday.

"The message was that he will get back in, it's just not going to be [Thursday].”

ROAD CLOSURES, TAILGATE, WEATHER

For those planning on driving to the game tonight, there are a number of downtown road closures that may affect the trip.

Two eastbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard leading up to Rees Street, near Scotiabank Arena, are closed until May 3, however the City of Toronto says the closure will be temporarily cleared by noon in advance of tonight’s game.

Further east on Lakeshore, two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane between Yonge and Jarvis streets have been closed all week and will remain closed until May 6.

For fans hoping to attend the tailgate party outside the arena tonight, they’ll have to try again, as passes are now sold out.

Fans with passes will be admitted to Maple Leaf Square starting at 5 p.m. and gates will close by the end of the second intermission.

Toronto police say there will be a visible police presence in the area to ensure public safety and minimize disruption and that there will be a number of road restrictions in effect at the end of the game to manage pedestrian and car traffic.

Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment is encouraging fans to use public transit to and from the game if possible.

The forecast in Toronto is calling for clear, sunny skies all day, with temperatures between 7 and 11C in the afternoon and into the evening.

The puck is set to drop shortly after 7 p.m.

With files from the Canadian Press.