Postgame: Lights Out

The Leafs walked into Tampa on a downward spiral, and walked out two huge victories – one moral, and a beautiful W in the win column.

We’ve got your breakdown of the Leafs’ 4-2 victory right here.

The game got out to a great start, pace-wise. With Nikita Kucherov in the box for slashing, the Leafs’ ailing Power Play got their first opportunity of the night, though they couldn’t get much going.

The action then shifted to the other end, with Steven Stamkos streaking in, and drawing a slashing penalty in favor of the Lightning, with Ozhiganov heading off.

The Lightning would convert on the ensuing Power Play, with Brayden Point notching his 30th of the season off a fortuitous rebound given up by Frederik Andersen. Not the best one for Freddie or the Leafs PK to give up, and it’s 1-0 bad guys.

Shortly afterwards, Kasperi Kapanen got cooking:

Despite failing to convert on this beautifully speedy play, Kappy and Nazem Kadri connected on a great goal shortly afterwards to knot things up at 1-1.

An excellent and speedy response by the Leafs, who tied the game exactly two minutes after going down.

That would be all for the first. The teams would head to the dressing room tied after an action-packed period, with the shots 10-9 in favor of Tampa.

After a generally uneventful beginning to the second, Patrick Marleau would get the Leafs on the board once again 13 minutes in.

It may have been a whiff that found its way into the back of the net, but a goal is a goal, and Marleau notches his first in 9 games to give the Leafs the lead.

Also of note on that goal:

What a world we live in.

Just 37 seconds later, however, Victor Hedman gets a clean look (not a good idea), and snaps a shot past Frederik Andersen. 2-2.

That wouldn’t be all, though. Just over a minute later, Andrei Vasilevskiy would miscue and leave a puck behind the net for John Tavares, who would find Mitch Marner with a sneaky play for the tip-in to put the Leafs back on top.

Vasilevskiy leaves the puck for Johnsson, who finds John Tavares who passes to Marner for the tip-in, 3-2 Leafs!

The Lightning would answer back with several exceptionally dangerous looks to end the period, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Leafs go into the second intermission up 3-2.

Welcome to the Frederik Andersen show.

Save after save after huge save from Frederik Andersen was the difference maker in the third period. Make no mistake – Frederik Andersen is back, and the Leafs somehow managed to close this game out. Zach Hyman would add an empty netter to compliment Andersen’s 16-save third period, and the Leafs walked away with a 4-2 win.

The Leafs got out of this game alive, weathering the storm of Tampa’s 56% CF and the onslaught that was the third period. It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win.

We live in a society.

Well… have you?

See you tomorrow in Sunrise!