Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning held optional skating at the Amalie Arena on Sunday. TSN’s Mark Masters has more.
For the first time in the series, Aston Matthews and Mitch Marner were ruled out with an equal number of points in Game 3. Brayden Point’s Tampa exclusion line, Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn kept the dynamic duo of Toronto under control.
“Point, Sirelli and Killorn neutralized these guys pretty well, but it still hasn’t led to a win, so it’s unfortunate,” said coach John Cooper, “but if we can keep doing it, it’s good for us.”
Easier said than done.
“What’s the line?” Cooper asked rhetorically. “You can only hope to keep them,” and I thought they did a good job of keeping them.
Lightning attempts favored Lightning 13-0 when Point, Cirelli and Killorn were on the ice together in a five-on-five game in the first two periods on Friday, according to NaturalStatTrick.
“They are suffocating you in defense,” said Alex Kerfut, who replaced Michael Bunting at the top in the third period. “It’s just their energy, they’re all over you. They have really good sticks and they don’t make many mistakes. They don’t give you anything easy. They make you work for everything.”
“They did a great job,” said Lightning striker Corey Perry. “They were skating. They were physical. They were solid with the puck and had some chances and eventually these things will start happening for us. You can’t say enough about what you did that night and they will continue to do that. ”
Cooper changed his lines in the third period on Friday, turning Killern and Nikita Kucherov, but will return to his original appearance to start game 4.
Johnston in the top line of Leafs shows maturity, Lightning’s veteran approach to Game 4
Aston Matthews was ruled out of Match 3 and faced a stingy line with Anthony Sirelli and Braden Point. TSN Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters and TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston discuss how Matthews has responded to this challenge and how Lightning is approaching Game 4, with a chance to level the series.
So how can the top line of Leafs reverse the tide?
“Part of it is just our team game,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “If we can get some positive momentum as a team, then change shifts, they are in better places. You look at the first period and when they had really good shifts, it was because it was a continuation of a good shift before them. In the third period they had their best chances, obviously, and a lot of that came from the pace coming from our end and [good] breakthroughs. So a lot of that has to do with what we need to do better as a team. “
Juggling the line seems to have helped, and Kerfut will remain in first place on Sunday.
“I’m sure the more I play with them, the more comfortable I will feel,” said Kerfut, who also joined Matthews and Marner in Game 1 when Bunting was removed. “My job is just to get in the front check and return the puck, bring them to good places and, whenever I get the puck, play well with it, as well as free up some space so they can move. “
Kerfoot has become the best utility for Leafs.
“He has always been the man for us who gets stronger when we need him,” Keefe said. “You see last year’s playoffs, John [Tavares] he got injured and he intervened and played in the middle and did a great job for us there. ”
They Choke You: Matthews’ Line Aims to Bounce Against Sirelli, Point
Aston Matthews is aware of the challenge that comes with facing the opposing line of Anthony Sirelli and Braden Point. The suffocating nature of the Tampa line did a good job of limiting the time and space for Toronto’s top line in Game 3, but Matthews says sticking to the game plan and the game will surely do them good.
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Bunting suffered an undisclosed injury on April 23 in Florida and missed the last three games of the regular season.
“My injury didn’t come at the best time,” Scarborough, Ont. said the local. “I felt like I was in my game just before I got hurt. It’s just a time to adjust and I have to get back to my game and get back to what brought me success all year. I haven’t reached that yet, but today is a new day and I’m looking forward to the match tonight. “
What is his game?
“To be faster,” he explained, “to have confidence with the puck and to make games. to make room for my teammates. “
Bunting will be next to Colin Blackwell and Jason Spca on the fourth line.
This is the first playoff series for the Stanley Cup for Bunting.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said the 26-year-old rookie. “It’s intense. It’s fast hockey and it’s rough. It’s kind of right in my alley, so I enjoyed it.”
Bunting, who led Toronto on penalties this season, must see Perry and Tampa’s very fourth row on Sunday. So the likelihood of bad blood bubbling on the surface is high, which can help Bunting.
“It’s fun to play on the road and be the bad guy on the rink,” Bunting said with a smile. “You have to find energy wherever you can in the playoffs and upgrade that.”
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Perry has been an expert agitator throughout his career. The 36-year-old man is always looking to stir the pot, including when warming up. Perry shoots a puck into Leafs’ net before leaving the ice during a pre-match skate.
Why?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Perry said dead.
Corey Perry fired a puck into Leafs’ net at the end of the warm-up
Fans didn’t like it pic.twitter.com/8F0l7ouxE7
– Mark Masters (@markhmasters) May 4, 2022
Banting draws energy from the role of a villain; Mom Perry for warming purposes
Michael Bunting has earned a reputation as an agitator, making him a target for opposing fans, but the energy he gets from the booing of the crowd makes him fun for the Leafs striker. Corey Perry, meanwhile, is no stranger to playing off-line, but he was short when asked why he shot a puck into the Toronto net while warming up.
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The lightning has more goals for a powerful game (four) than goals of equal strength (three) in the series so far.
Nikita Kucherov has a goal and an assist in a five-on-four game and can have more. He shot with a pass to Stephen Stamkos in the third period on Friday, but Jack Campbell made an excellent save in a single shot.
What is it like to defend Kucherov when he gets the puck on the flank?
“It’s as hard as it gets,” Kerfut said. “I don’t know how to say it, but he’s good at scams … whether he shoots him, goes through the back door, finds a point in the middle, everything looks the same. He has the same movement when he gets the puck from [Victor] Headman there. It’s hard to read this as an opponent’s penalty. You’re trying to take away his opportunities in the best way possible, but he has a lot of opportunities around him. “
Kucherov has accumulated 30 power-play points in just 47 games in the regular season.
“This is his bread and butter,” said defender Zak Bogosyan. “Once he enters this area of ice, he doesn’t even need time and space, he still makes games. It’s pretty impressive to see how calm he is and how he can make these games look so easy. It just opens up so many different things. “
Leafs Ice Chips: Kucherov’s defense on half a wall is “as hard as it is”
The Lightning attack was more powerful for the power so far in their series against Maple Leafs and the attempt to deal with Nikita Kucherov with the male advantage will be the focus for Toronto in game 4. TSN Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters has more.
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Predicted lineup for game 4 for Leafs:
Kerfut – Matthews – Marner Nylander – Tavares – Kase Mikheev – Kampf – Engval Bunting – Blackwell – Spca
Rielly – Lyubushkin Muzzin – Brodie Giordano – Holl
Campbell begins
Estimated lineup of Game 4 for Lightning:
Palace – Stamkos – Kucherov Killorn – Cirelli – Point Hagel – Paul – Colton Maroon – Bellemare – Perry
Headman – McDonagh’s Chernak – Bogosyan Sergachev – Foot
Vassilevski begins
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