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Focus on resilience.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning have not misplaced consecutive playoff games in virtually three years, rattling off 17 consecutive victories following a postseason loss since the starting up up of their 2020 title creep.
“In most cases a lawful recipe arrive playoff time is to now not lose two in a row,” captain Steven Stamkos said after a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night that evened the major-round series between the Atlantic Division competitors at two games apiece.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Toronto.
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Tampa Bay Lightning center Ross Colton (79) fires the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) and center Colin Blackwell (11) for a purpose for the length of the 2nd duration in Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Sunday, Might also simply 8, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
“This community has confirmed it is miles aware of what it takes at the present of the 300 and sixty five days, and every person is aware of tips on how to answer,” Stamkos added. “Now that we’ve carried out that twice now in this series, let’s exit and set the series lead. That’s got to be the mentality.”
Ross Colton scored twice, Andrei Vasilevskiy had 22 saves, and the Lightning got off to a fleet starting up up with three targets within the major eight minutes to affirm the Maple Leafs a chance to purchase a 3-1 lead within the greatest-of-seven matchup.
“We came on the facet road right here and got a split. ….That’s a successful facet road outing in that sense,” said Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, whose team received Game 3 to derive dwelling-ice abet. “Whether you lose the game 2-1 or within the manner that we did it doesn’t matter. You wash it and switch on. We’ll be better subsequent time.”
Stamkos, Pierre Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon scored against Game 3 famous particular person Jack Campbell within the gap duration, environment the tone for an extended night for the Toronto goalie coming off a stellar performance two nights sooner than.
Corey Perry and Ondrej Palat also scored, and Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov every had two assists for the Lightning.
“After we play esteem that, we lawful relish to secure a type to carry out it the following game,” Maroon said. “All of us know we can carry out it. All of us know what works. All of us know what’s successful for our team.”
Vasilevskiy improved to 17-0 in games following a playoff loss at some stage within the last three postseasons for the defending champs.
William Nylander scored twice and Jake Muzzin also had a purpose for the Maple Leafs. Campbell gave up five targets on 16 photography sooner than being modified within the 2nd duration by Erik Kallgren, who stopped all 10 photography he faced.
“They scored on their first shot and took it to us,” Campbell said. “For me, I lawful compare within the mirror and learn from what I did execrable.”
Tampa Bay set aside the finishing touches on a dominant performance with empty-fetch targets by Palat and Colton within the last 5: 20.
The Lightning felt they self-destructed in losses in Games 1 and 3, spending a long way too mighty time within the penalty box against a team that had the NHL’s top-ranked vitality play for the length of the humble season.
They were all over the Maple Leafs from the starting up up Sunday night, with Stamkos beating Campbell from lawful contained within the blue line precisely one minute into the game. Bellemare and Maroon followed with targets over the following seven minutes to construct the lead to a pair-0.
Issues most efficient got uglier from there for Toronto, which pulled Campbell after Colton scored from the slot, and Perry — with Kucherov and Brayden Level picking up assists — delivered on a 5-on-3 vitality play for a 5-0 lead at 5: 25 of the 2nd duration.
The five-purpose deficit would had been bigger if now not for the play of Toronto ’s penalty-killing unit. Tampa Bay used to be 1 of seven on the vitality-play thru two classes and carried out 1-of-8. The Maple Leafs, within the period in-between, were 0 for 2 in man-abet eventualities sooner than in the end breaking thru against Vasilevskiy with the major of Nylander’s two targets at 2: 27 of the third.
Vasilevskiy and the Lightning over all once more slowed down Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner. Matthews had the major back on Nylander’s first purpose, alternatively the NHL’s leading purpose-scorer for the length of the humble season did now not relish a shot on purpose till the third duration.
“We got down early, it’s now not easy to arrive attend attend, ” Muzzin said. “Too many penalties. We’ve got to put together for the following one.”
FIRST GOAL
The team scoring first has received every game of the series. There had been no lead modifications.
BLOWOUT CITY
Sunday night marked the fourth time at some stage within the last three postseasons that the Lightning relish scored seven or more targets in a game. The franchise high for targets in a postseason game is eight.
