"Just when it seemed like everybody (or maybe just me) was expecting a high-scoring thriller like we've typically seen between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning in recent years, the Leafs shut the door and played one of their better defensive games of the season to claim a crucial two points from the Lightning. The first period started in familiar fashion to what we've seen this season - the Leafs allowed a handful of high-danger scoring chances right off the hop."
"Once Morgan Rielly opened the scoring with the eventual game-winning goal, they went into shutdown mode and it remained that way for the rest of the game. For a game that finished with only two goals, and could have only finished with one had Auston Matthews fired the puck at the empty net a mere second earlier than he did, this game had a lot. There were lots of scrums post-whistle, there was an injury, a fight, a major penalty, and a match penalty."
Expectations for a high-scoring Maple Leafs–Lightning game were upended as Toronto played one of its better defensive games and earned a 2-0 victory. Morgan Rielly scored the eventual game-winning goal early, after which the Leafs shifted into a shutdown mode that limited high-danger chances. The game featured only two goals and nearly finished 1-0 when Auston Matthews missed an earlier empty-net opportunity by a second. The contest included scrums, an injury, a fight, a major penalty and a match penalty. The game had a playoff feel and produced a meaningful divisional standings shift. Dennis Hildeby does not want to go back to the AHL.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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