Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs – East 1st Round Game 2 – Thursday 7 ET on ESPN (TB leads 1-0)
Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs – East 1st Round Game 2 – Thursday 7 ET on ESPN (TB leads 1-0).
GAME 1 RECAP – Lightning 7, Maple Leafs 3
Lightning: 7 goals is most in playoff opener in franchise history (previously 5); 4 power-play goals; ties playoff franchise record (2011 at Penguins & 2015 at Canadiens).
Nikita Kucherov (TB): Goal & 2 assists; 53rd career playoff goal breaks tie with Patrick Kane for 5th-most among active players.
Nikita Kucherov (TB); 21st career 3-point playoff game; tied for 4th most in NHL history (passes Jaromír Jágr – 20).
Most 3-Point Playoff Games
NHL History
Wayne Gretzky 59
Mark Messier 30
Jari Kurri 28
Nikita Kucherov 21
Denis Savard 21
TEAM SERIES HISTORY
(BEST OF 7 SERIES)
SERIES RECORD
Lightning lead 1-0 13-2
Maple Leafs trail 1-0 16-29
Tampa Bay VS Toronto Game 2 Series and Fun Facts
The Lightning have won 7 straight playoff series after taking a 1-0 lead. Their last such loss came in the 2016 Conference Finals to the Penguins, who went on to lift the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning have 13 best-of-7 series wins after winning Game 1 since their 1st such series victory in 2004 – only the Penguins (14) have more such series wins over that span.
The Maple Leafs have lost 5 straight best-of-7 series when trailing 1-0, but that’s just 1 part of a larger story about Toronto’s recent playoff misfortunes. “Not So Fast!”. I have been talking about this for years. See below!
The Maple Leafs have not won any playoff series – regardless of Game 1 result – since 2004. That’s the longest active span between playoff series wins in the NHL.
Their last best-of-7 series win after trailing 1-0 was also the last playoff series the Maple Leafs won – that was the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals against the Senators.
What Happens if Tampa Bay Wins Tonight?
If Tampa Bay wins again on Thursday, history suggests the Lightning can all but get ready for the 2nd Round. Tampa Bay has won all 10 of its playoff series with a 2-0 lead.
The Lightning are 1 of 4 NHL franchises to close out 10+ playoff series with a 2-0 lead without losing such a series, joining the Flyers (18-0), Ducks (12-0) and Devils (10-0).
Toronto has a 4-17 playoff series record when trailing 2-0 in a best-of-7 series. It lost its last 2 such instances in 2018 and 2004 after posting its last such series win in the 1993 Division Semifinals against the Red Wings (Toronto lost Games 1 & 2 at home).