TORONTO MAPLE LEAF NOTES:
2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE, ROUND 1 vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Game 1 – Tuesday, April 18th – 7:30 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio) – 3-7 L
Game 2 – Thursday, April 20th – 7:00 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio) – 7-2 W
Game 3 – Saturday, April 22nd – 7:00 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
Game 4 – Monday, April 24th – 7:30 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
Game 5 – Thursday, April 27th – 7:00 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
Game 6 – Saturday, April 29th – TBD – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)*
Game 7 – Monday, May 1st – TBD – Sportsnet (TV), 680 News (Radio)*
*If Necessary
THE SERIES
The Maple Leafs open the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto is making their 72nd appearance in the postseason. The Maple Leafs have earned a postseason spot for the seventh-straight season. Earning a playoff spot in seven-consecutive seasons is the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. This marks the second time in franchise history that Toronto and Tampa Bay will be facing off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 7 vs. Tampa Bay 2
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
TOR Goals: Marner (PP), Tavares, Nylander, Tavares, Aston-Reese, Marner, Tavares (PP)
TBL Goals: Cole, Perry
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 20/22, .909 SV%
TBL Goaltender: Vasilevskiy, 30/37, .811 SV%
TOR Power Play: 2-for-6
TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-3
Player Notes: – Mitch Marner scored on a Maple Leafs power play opportunity 47 seconds into the first period. Per NHL Stats, “Marner scored Toronto’s fastest goal from the start of a playoff contest since Game 3 of the 1987 Division Semifinals (Dan Daoust at 0:31).” With the first goal of the game, per NHL Stats, “Marner became the first player in franchise history to record a point on each of the club’s first four goals of a postseason.” Marner recorded his second goal of the game at 18:02 of the second period. Marner tied a single-game Stanley Cup playoff career-high in goals with two, which he has marked on two occasions during his playoff career (originally set on Apr. 11, 2019 at BOS). Marner also posted the primary assist on Tavares’ third goal of the game. Marner tied a single-game Stanley Cup playoff career-high in points with three which he has marked on four occasions during his playoff career. Marner has recorded six points through his last two games (2G, 4A).
- John Tavares posted the first hat trick of his Stanley Cup playoff career. Tavares tied a singlegame Stanley Cup playoff career-high in points with three which he has marked on two occasions during his playoff career. Tavares has posted four points through his last two games (3G, 1A).
- William Nylander has scored in back-to-back games while posting three points through his last two games (2G, 1A).
- Morgan Rielly set a new single-game Stanley Cup playoff career-high in assists and points with four. Per NHL Stats, “Rielly had 0-3-3 in the opening frame and tied the franchise mark for points in a postseason period. Rielly also became the first Maple Leafs defenseman to post a three-point period in the playoffs.” With four assists on Thursday, Rielly tied the franchise record for most points in a playoff game by a defenseman. Per NHL Stats, he is tied with “Allan Stanley (2-2—4 in Game 5 of 1960 SF), Wally Stanowski (1-3—4 in Game 5 of 1942 SCF) and Ian Turnbull (0-4—4 in Game 6 of 1976 QF).”
- NHL Stats added that “Rielly became the third defenseman in NHL history with four primary assists in a playoff game, joining Risto Siltanen (Game 5 of 1987 DSF) and Scott Stevens (Game 6 of 1988 DF).”
- Auston Matthews registered two assists in Toronto’s win. Matthews has recorded four assists through his last two games. Matthews tied a single-game Stanley Cup playoff career-high with two assists which he has marked on five occasions during his playoff career.
- David Kämpf and Sam Lafferty registered the primary and secondary assists on Zach AstonReese’s goal, respectively. Kämpf recorded the first assist of his Stanley Cup playoff career while Sam Lafferty posted the first point of his Stanley Cup playoff career.
- Matthew Knies skated in his Stanley Cups Playoffs debut during Thursday’s win, recording two shots and tying for the team-lead in hits with five in 13:10 of ice time.
Team Notes: – Game 2 record in best-of-seven: 42-37-1 overall, 19-10-1 at home. When tied 1-1 in best-ofseven: 17-24 overall, 12-8 when starting at home.
- Per NHL Stats, “The Maple Leafs became the second team in the past 29 years to score seven goals in a playoff contest immediately after allowing seven-plus in their previous outing, joining the Penguins in the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals. The 2023 First Round between Toronto and Tampa marked the first opening-round series to feature 19 combined goals through the first two games since that same 2012 Conference Quarterfinals between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.”
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23 – REGULAR SEASON
Power Play: 26.0%
Power Play Goal Leader: 18 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 39 – Tavares (18G, 21A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)
ON THE PK IN 2022-23 – REGULAR SEASON
Penalty Kill: 81.9%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 4 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 5 – Marner (4G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:
LAST GAME
Lightning 2 at Toronto 7
The Tampa Bay Lightning fell 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs April 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Game 2 of the First
Round as TOR evened the series 1-1…The Bolts fell to 11-4 all-time in Game 2s…Mitch Marner opened the scoring
early for TOR with a power-play goal just 47 seconds into the contest…John Tavares doubled the lead for TOR and
made it 2-0 at the 12:45 mark of the first…William Nylander put TOR up 3-0 with 4:52 remaining in the opening
frame…Ian Cole got the Lightning on the board 8:58 into the second period when he took a pass from Steven
Stamkos and made a move to his backhand before beating Ilya Samsonov to make it a 3-1 game…TOR responded
with three straight goals in the span of 4:48 from Tavares, Zach Aston-Reese and Marner to take a 6-1 lead into the
second intermission…Corey Perry made it 6-2 with his second goal of the postseason when he took a pass from
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and beat Samsonov with a low shot at the 12:38 mark of the third…Tavares completed
his hat trick 2:28 later with the final goal of the contest…Andrei Vasilevskiy suffered his first loss of the postseason,
making 30 saves on 37 shots against.
PP: TBL – 0-3 TOR – 2-6
SOG: TBL – 22 TOR – 37
Attendance: 19,128
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Maple Leafs are playing Game 3 of their best-of-seven First Round series in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs…The Bolts and TOR are meeting for the first time in the postseason in Tampa…Tampa Bay is 22-14 all-time in Game 3s, including a 9-7 mark in home Game 3s…The Lightning are 14-10 in Game 3s under head coach Jon Cooper, including a 5-4 mark at home…The Bolts are 13-6 all-time in best-of-seven series tied 1-1, including a 3-5 record when the series started on the road…Tampa Bay posted a 2-1 record in three home games vs. TOR during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs…The Lightning are 5-4 all-time vs. TOR in the postseason…Nikita Kucherov has found the scoresheet in four of his last six playoff games vs. TOR (2-6—8) with three multi-point efforts during that span… Brayden Point has points in three of his last four playoff games vs. TOR (3-2—5)…Steven Stamkos has pointed in four of his last six playoff games vs. TOR (2-2—4)…Alex Killorn has found the scoresheet in five of his last eight playoff games vs. TOR (0-5—5)…Anthony Cirelli has three points over his last four playoff games vs. TOR (2-1—3)… Brandon Hagel has four points over his last six playoff games vs. TOR (0-4—4)…Corey Perry has picked up six points over his last eight playoff games vs. TOR (4-2—6)…Stamkos (24-42—66) holds the Tampa Bay franchise record for career points vs. TOR (reg. season + playoffs).
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The First Round series between the Lightning and Maple Leafs is tied one game apiece and shifts to Tampa’s AMALIE Arena for the first time in the series…Tampa Bay is 6-8 in playoff home openers (includes 2020 Playoffs home opener in the Toronto bubble at Scotiabank Arena)…The Lightning have an all-time home playoff record of 61-46 and are 43- 40 in 73 home playoff contests under head coach Jon Cooper…Tampa Bay has scored at least one power-play goal in six of their last eight playoff games vs. TOR…The Lightning are 122-88 all-time in the postseason, good for the second-best playoff win percentage (.581) among all NHL teams (best: Edmonton Oilers, .583).
INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 109
2023 Playoffs Man Games Lost: 4
Current Injuries:
Erik Cernak (Day-to-day) 1 Game
Mikey Eyssimont (Day-to-day) 1 Game
Victor Hedman (Day-to-day) 1 Game
