The Toronto Maple Leafs eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 win in overtime on Saturday night. Toronto wins the best-of-seven playoff series with Tampa Bay 4-2 to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
After Auston Matthews scored in the second to give Toronto the lead, Steven Stamkos answered at the 4:11 mark in the third period to tie the game 1-1. That would be the score for the remainder of the third period, to force the game to go to overtime.
In overtime John Tavares was the hero, scoring at the 4:36 mark to lift Toronto to the win in the game and in the series. Andrei Vasilevskiy faced 22 shots and made 20 saves in net for the Lightning.
The Tampa Bay Lightning end the 2022-2023 season with 98 points thanks to a 46-30-6 record, and fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES