On Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Lightning roared to a 7-3 victory despite suffering injuries to defenseman Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak, and forward Michael Eyssimont in the second period (Tampa Bay Times).
Toronto forward Michael Bunting was ejected from the game for delivering a hit to Cernak (Yahoo Sports). The Lightning had a slow start and suffered from subpar play in the beginning of the game, but they recovered quickly and went on to score three goals in the first period, shocking the Maple Leafs crowd. Brayden Point scored twice and Corey Perry added another goal on the power play in the second period, extending the Lightning’s lead to four (The Athletic).
Despite the injuries, the Lightning were able to maintain their momentum and secure a dominant victory over the Maple Leafs. The two teams will meet again on Thursday for Game 2 of the series (ABC Action News).
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a successful recent history in the NHL postseason, winning the Stanley Cup in both 2020 and 2021. As they continue their quest for a three-peat, they will have to navigate their way through the challenging Eastern Conference playoffs. They have certainly started off on the right foot with their convincing victory over the Maple Leafs (FOX 13 Tampa Bay).
The Lightning will look to keep up their momentum in Thursday’s matchup against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, and BSSUN (NHL.com). Fans can also tune in to free live streams of the game on various websites (Syracuse.com, Sports Illustrated).
