The Toronto Maple Leafs faced a tough challenge in their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Down 4-1 after two periods, the Leafs looked like they were on their way to repeating their first-round struggles. But they rallied to win 5-4 in overtime, taking a 3-1 series lead. Toronto’s stars are clicking, with Auston Matthews scoring twice and Ryan O’Reilly making several strong defensive plays. The Lightning, meanwhile, have blown second-intermission leads in back-to-back games, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been uncharacteristically shaky. Other teams in trouble include the New York Islanders, the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers, the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken, and the Florida Panthers. But for now, all eyes are on the Leafs as they aim to knock off the Lightning and advance to the next round.
