TORONTO (AP) — John Tavares scored his first hat trick within the playoffs, main the Toronto Maple Leafs to a dominant 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday evening. The win evened the first-round playoff series at one sport each and every.
Tavares was once accompanied by means of his teammate Mitch Marner who scored two objectives and an help. William Nylander additionally contributed with a target and an help, whilst Zach Aston-Reese scored for Toronto. Morgan Rielly tied a franchise file with 4 assists, and Auston Matthews additionally had two assists for the Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov performed an instrumental function because the goalie, making 19 saves for Toronto after being pulled in Tuesday’s 7-3 loss.
Even even though Ian Cole and Corey Perry scored for the Lightning, they had been no fit for Toronto’s spectacular efficiency. The Lightning performed with out injured defensemen Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed seven objectives on 35 pictures after enjoying each and every minute of Lightning postseason motion since 2020.
The series is moving to Florida, the place Games 3 and four of the best-of-seven set are scheduled for Saturday and Monday.
Toronto scored 47 seconds into the hole duration on an influence play, when Marner beat Vasilevskiy with a slap shot, giving them a an important lead. Tavares then made it 2-0, adopted by means of Nylander scoring his 2nd of the series, giving Toronto a three-goal lead on a not on time penalty.
The game-winning efficiency by means of Toronto was once a vital rebound from their susceptible begin to the playoffs. Tampa Bay had gained the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and reached the championship around closing 12 months. Toronto had misplaced to Tampa Bay in a decent first-round series closing spring and hasn’t complicated within the post-season since 2004.
The Lightning did get some sure harm news with Jeannot’s go back from a leg harm, however the absence of key avid gamers was once an element within the result of the sport.
NOTES: Both groups had been lacking key avid gamers, together with Hedman and Cernak for Tampa Bay and Michael Bunting for Toronto, who was once suspended for 3 video games. Toronto rookie Matthew Knies made his playoff debut instead of Bunting. Rielly’s 4 assists tied the franchise file in a playoff sport, and Marner scored the fastest target within the postseason by means of a Maple Leafs participant since Dan Daoust in 1987.