Maple Leafs need to 'push back' vs. Lightning in Game 3, Matthews says
Toronto must stay disciplined against two-time defending Cup champions with Eastern First Round tied
By
Dave McCarthy
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
"They came with a push and now it's our turn to kind of push back here and make sure that we have an answer," the Maple Leafs center said one day after the Lightning evened the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoffs series with a 5-3 win at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
Game 3 will be at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSUN).
Tampa Bay sent a message that thoughts of a one-sided series following Toronto's nearly perfect effort in a 5-0 win in Game 1 could quickly be dispatched.
That the Lightning responded so well in Game 2 was not a surprise; since the start of the 2020 Playoffs, they are 15-0 following a postseason loss. Heading into Game 3, the Maple Leafs know they will have to be much more disciplined after allowing three power-play goals in seven opportunities in Game 2.
"We knew they were going to come with a push," Matthews said. "Obviously the discipline part, the penalties we took, just kind of kills the momentum a lot of the time."
RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Lightning series coverage]
Toronto had outshot Tampa Bay 13-7 in the first period of Game 2 until a holding penalty on Maple Leafs center Alex Kerfoot at 19:15 led to the Lightning's first goal of the series, by defenseman Victor Hedman, at 19:57. After Tampa Bay forward Corey Perry and Toronto forward Michael Bunting traded goals, a roughing penalty on Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds at 9:28 of the second period led to a goal by Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov at 9:57 to give Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead.
"We're giving them too many power plays," Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano said. "When you give a team like that that many touches, their top players start feeling better about themselves. When you get something to go for you, I thought after they got that power-play goal late in the first, you start feeling better about your power play in general. They just had too many touches."
Hedman finished with a playoff career-high four points (one goal, three assists), three (one goal, two assists) on the power play in Game 2. Kucherov had three points (one goal, two assists), including a goal and an assist with the man advantage.
Tampa Bay went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 1, when Toronto was far more efficient in preventing the opposing power play from setting up. Forward Kyle Clifford was assessed a five-minute major penalty for boarding Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton at 6:59, but the Maple Leafs killed it off, allowing two shots. In Game 2, on Kucherov's goal, center David Kampf had an opportunity to clear the zone but passed to defenseman TJ Brodie, who did not have a stick, allowing the Lightning to maintain possession.
"When you have opportunities to get clears, you have to get them," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The more time they spend set, it's a challenge. You're not going to be able to hold them off for too long when you do that. The success we had in Game 1 was a result of us disrupting them a lot and not letting them get set."
"We had the first two power plays (in Game 2). So it was their undisciplined play early that opened the door for us. We had some good power plays, some good action, lots of time in the zone but we weren't able to get one in. When it's called that way on the other side, we have to be able to capitalize."
Keefe did not commit to reinserting Clifford for Game 3 after serving his one-game suspension for boarding Colton, nor any other lineup moves.
"We'll make our decisions," Keefe said. "We'll see how the group is doing from a health perspective and make our determinations from there."
With momentum having shifted back in the Lightning's favor, Keefe said he remains confident the Maple Leafs will find a response.
"I have no doubt that we will bounce back again here for sure," Keefe said. "We know Tampa [Bay] is going to go back home with confidence, but like we talked about coming into the series, when our team has been challenged, we've responded very well.
"So we know what we are in for here now. We have to go on the road, play a good road game and find a way to get a win."
