Maple Leafs in second round for first time since 2004

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a single mission when they arrived in Tampa: not to return home for game number one.

To accomplish this, Sheldon Keefe made several changes to his lineup. First, he dropped the much-criticized Justin Holl from the lineup. Well, some would say, because he was on the ice very often on Lightning goals.

He also decided to reinstate Michael Bunting, who had been overlooked following the end of his suspension.

These changes paid off, as the Maple Leafs finally broke their long losing streak by defeating the Lightning 2-1 in overtime.

For the first time in 10,948 days, the Maple Leafs have advanced to the second round and will face the winner of tomorrow’s Game 7 between the Panthers and Bruins.

It was John Tavares who delivered his team, having scored an important goal for the Islanders a few years ago.

The captain put an end to a series in which the Maple Leafs were good at the big moments, which had not been the case in recent years.

Auston Matthews had a great game, as he was under a lot of pressure.

In short

– Some good games in the MLB

– The path would be open

– That would be special.