NHL Scores: Toronto Maple Leafs take down Tampa Bay Lightning in Playoff Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off in a preview for a highly anticipated playoff matchup between the two teams. The Maple Leafs were able to down the Lightning 4-3 in a back-and-forth game where neither team scored twice in a row.

Toronto Maple Leafs topple Tampa Bay Lightning in first-round matchup preview.

Sparks were flying in the opening frame between the Leafs and Lightning. Three goals went up on the board before the first period concluded. William Nylander was the first to break a scoreless tie on the Maple Leafs' power play by firing a puck near side on Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Just eight minutes later, Alex Killorn tied the game by firing a puck from the blue line that flew past a screened Woll.

Two minutes later, the Maple Leafs would snatch the lead once again heading into the break. Luke Schenn would grab a loose puck off of a scoring chance and fire it into the net from a point. Vasilevskiy missed the off-balance puck to make the score 2-1.

Five minutes into the second, the Tampa Bay Lightning would tie it once again. A Woll save would bounce out to the faceoff dot where a waiting Nick Perbix sent the puck toward the net.

Just as the game was thought to finally be headed in the home team’s favor, the Leafs struck back again. With three minutes remaining in the second frame, and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the 4 on 3 power play, Calle Jarnkrok would take advantage of a loose puck second-chance opportunity and fire into the top shelf to give the Leafs the lead heading into the break.

The Leafs would put the game practically out of reach in the third period. With seven minutes left in the game, Matthew Knies would get his first NHL point by creating a turnover in the offensive zone and feeding Ryan O’Reilly, who fired the puck into the net of an out-of-position Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would yet again get a goal back, but it wouldn’t be enough. With six minutes remaining in the final frame, the Tampa Bay Lightning brought the score to 4-3. A Woll misplay on a breakout behind the net would lead to the puck bouncing out to the middle of the ice where Mikhail Sergachev put the puck in the net.