Hot topics close

Matthews, Campbell lead Maple Leafs past Lightning in Game 1

Matthews Campbell lead Maple Leafs past Lightning in Game 1
Auston Matthews scored two goals and had an assist for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews had two goals and an assist for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

"I thought it was a really good effort by us," Matthews said. "A lot of really good things that we did tonight, but it's going to be a long series. That's a really good team on the other end."

Jack Campbell made 24 saves, Mitchell Marner had a goal and two assists, and Morgan Rielly and Ondrej Kase each had two assists for the Maple Leafs, who are the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division.

Toronto went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

"Our team seemed to be unflappable tonight," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The kills that we have early, we get an early kill, no problem. The five-minute major, no problem. We just go out, go to the face-off, get our work done. In fact, it turned into a positive, the chances we were able to generate, the life we were able to generate.

"All the way through, our team was extremely focused and went out and executed, so it was a good night for us, but it was one night. Put our head on the pillow tonight and enjoy it and wake up tomorrow and then it's done, it's over. The Tampa Bay Lightning will be a far better team when they come back in here."

Video: TBL@TOR, Gm1: Matthews walks into 1 on 5-on-3 PP

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for the Lightning, the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic.

"It's no guarantee because of our history, but we can definitely draw from it and I have the utmost confidence in our group," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said.

"I'm not so sure the Maple Leafs had to play particularly well to beat us tonight. You have to win four and you don't want to give teams any freebies, and I think we handed them a freebie tonight."

Game 2 will be played here Wednesday.

[RELATED: Complete Maple Leafs vs. Lightning series coverage]

Kyle Clifford was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding Ross Colton at 6:59 of the first period, but the Maple Leafs killed it off, limiting Tampa Bay to two shots.

Toronto had already killed off a minor penalty after TJ Brodie was called for hooking at 2:13.

"(We) played through a long five-minute penalty kill there," Matthews said. "Our penalty kill was huge tonight, I think that brought us a lot of momentum. 'Soupy' (Campbell) was incredible, and we were able to capitalize on some chances."

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said failing to score on the two early power plays was a big momentum swing.

"We had a couple power plays, obviously the five minute one, and some plays that were clicking the last stretch of the season were hitting a stick, hitting a skate, but at the same time, they did a good job executing on those PKs, and they gained some momentum," Stamkos said. "It could have been a really different game if we'd scored on that, so that was a missed opportunity."

Video: TBL@TOR, Gm1: Muzzin scores 1st goal of 2022 playoffs

Jake Muzzin put Toronto in front 1-0 at 18:19 when he shot glove side through a screen from the left point.

Matthews made it 2-0 at 6:18 of the second period, scoring with a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Marner, who was behind the net, on a 5-on-3 power play.

Keefe had called timeout prior to the 5-on-3 power play, and Toronto scored 11 seconds into the advantage.

David Kampf extended the lead to 3-0 at 9:27 with a shorthanded goal. After Victor Hedman couldn't control the puck at the blue line, Kampf outraced the defenseman for it in the neutral zone before scoring on a breakaway.

Marner made it 4-0 at 16:39 when he received a pass as the trailer on a rush and scored from the slot with Vasilevskiy out of position. It was his first goal in 19 postseason games.

"Can't do anything about the past," Marner said. "I'm here to focus on the now, I'm here to focus on what I can do to help our team win."

Video: TBL@TOR, Gm1: Marner breaks playoff scoring drought

Matthews scored at 8:16 of the third period to put Toronto up 5-0 after Vasilevskiy misplayed the puck behind the net.

"It's one game," Campbell said. "We really liked the way we played, but we have to get back at it tomorrow in practice, have a good day. That's all we're focused on right now."

NOTES: Matthews is the first reigning winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 15 years to score multiple goals in his team's playoff opener. Vincent Lecavalier did it for the Lightning in Game 1 of the 2007 Conference Quarterfinals against the New Jersey Devils. … The Maple Leafs won Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Playoff series at home for the first time since the 2002 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, when they defeated the New York Islanders 3-1.

Similar news
News Archive
  • FIFA World Cup qualifiers
    FIFA World Cup qualifiers
    2022 Concacaf World Cup Qualifying: USA Vs. Canada - Starting XI, Lineup Notes, TV Channels & Start Time
    31 Jan 2022
    4
  • Max Pacioretty
    Max Pacioretty
    Max Pacioretty On Track To Play Tuesday - NHL News | Fantasy Hockey
    7 Feb 2024
    1
  • Mary River Mine
    Mary River Mine
    Nunavut review board recommends against iron ore mine expansion on Baffin Island
    14 May 2022
    2
  • Cody Ceci
    Cody Ceci
    Oilers march on after blanking Kings in Game 7
    19 Aug 2024
    2
  • Shane Gillis
    Shane Gillis
    'SNL' host Shane Gillis addresses being fired as a cast member ...
    25 Feb 2024
    8
  • Virus Chine
    Virus Chine
    China Confirms New Coronavirus Spreads From Humans to Humans
    21 Jan 2020
    1