Stars in a fight: “It was my first fight in the NHL”
New York. Now Toronto dares to dream big.
Because last night the Maple Leafs did something few have been able to do in recent years.
They won sudden death drama against Tampa – at Amalie Arena.
It feels so good to get the victory here, says champion Morgan Reilly, after a drama that got so chaotic that stars Auston Matthews and Stephen Stamkos got into fights.
The Maple Leafs repeatedly made sure Tampa ate their drugs in perhaps the most bizarre third round of all the eighties in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
For several years, the Lightning has made scoring goals in crucial situations an art – and finding ways to win.
Now, it was the visitors from Canada – on a mission to finally win their first playoff series in two decades – who first tied the score at 3-3 with a minute left in normal time and then decided 19.15 in the ensuing overtime.
Despite the home team’s strong control.
“We deserved to win”
– It was our best game of the series, we deserved to win, Captain Stephen Stamkos sighs.
Toronto coach Sheldon Cave agrees.
– We weren’t bad at all, it was Tampa who put in an unbelievably great effort. However, we persevered and it paid off, he says.
And so the decision came when only 45 seconds remained in the first overtime period and it was defenseman Morgan Riley who hit the puck at Andrei Vasilievskij immediately after signing.
– Of course it’s very nice, but above all it’s nice to get a win here, get it done and go 2-1 in the series. This is the first thing I think of, says the hero.
All hell broke loose
Just as in previous games, the mood on the ice was highly contagious and when Morgan Reilly drove Brayden Point to the backboard early in the third period, it all broke. Even co-stars Stephen Stamkos and Austin Matthews got into wild brawls.
“It was my first fight in the NHL, but sometimes you have to stand up for yourself,” Matthews says with a wry smile.
Victor Hedman returned to Tampa’s lineup after his injury and recorded 32.35 minutes of ice time.
For the Leafs, Calle Järnkrok and William Nylander both had an assist—the latter on Ryan O’Reilly’s late equalizer in the third period.
The next match in the series will take place on Tuesday evening. Then the cards can get the match ball.
The Vegas Golden Knights also won a sudden death thriller during the night – away from Winnipeg.
The Jets rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period, and when Adam Lowry tied the game, to the wild joy of excited home fans, 22 seconds before the final whistle, they felt like they had all the momentum.
But only after 3.40 of extra time, Michael Amadeo was able to make a decision in favor of the Knights – after a fatal mistake by defender Dylan Samberg.
Making decisions in the mud is what you dreamed about as a kid. I will never forget this, says Match Champion.
Perhaps the heaviest for Winnipeg was the fact that the team’s best defender, Josh Morrissey, was injured and will miss the remainder of the series.
Vegas leads 2-1 in games.
It started well for Seattle in their first ever playoff game at Climate Pledge Arena.
Already more than a minute later, Jaden Schwartz scored it 1-0, with a pass from Alex Wennberg.
But then the defending champion Colorado Stars took over, turned around and eventually won, 6-3.
Nathan McKinnon and Mikko Rantanen scored two goals each and Kal Makar scored one. Rantanen and Makar were also responsible for every help.
Thus, the Avalanche also gained a 2-1 advantage.