![]() The Lightning did most of their damage on the power play, finishing third in the NHL at 25.9 percent. Point finishes with a career-high 49 goals on the season. Kucherov should be a Hart Trophy finalist. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point had career seasons. He’s also on pace for a career-high 2.63 GAA. After leading the NHL in wins the past five seasons, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s streak will end in 2022-23. The Lightning are middle-of-the-pack in both goals allowed per game and penalty killing. While Tampa Bay remains one of the top-10 offensive teams in the NHL, defense has been a big issue. The Bolts had a down season by their standards. Samsonov has dealt with injuries himself but went 26-10-5 with a 2.36 GAA and. It feels like things will almost always come down to goaltending with the Leafs can Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray be the group to get over the hump? Murray may not be 100% for the playoffs, so it’ll be up to Samsonov to prove he can win a playoff series. ROR could be the X-Factor, a former Conn Smythe winner with the Blues back in 2019. That group now has Ryan O’Reilly, Michael Bunting, Jake McCade and Erik Gustafsson. The Maple Leafs have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons mostly with the core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. We’ll see if the Leafs can exorcise their demons and advance past the first round for the first time since 2004. Last year’s series was decided in Game 7 by one goal, Tampa Bay skating by 2-1. ![]() This is the second straight year these two teams will meet in the first round of the postseason, the Maple Leafs maintaining home-ice advantage again. The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |