LEAFS HUMILIATED IN GAME ONE !

Hello HOPPER ON HOCKEY fans and those in Newfoundland, this is where it really starts – the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The long suffering supporters of LEAFS Nation will finally get their answer – is this the end of their 6 year run of first round losses or will they conquer all butterflies and show they belong ?

I look so forward to the chess match of line-ups and the gamesmanship from both coaches.  So too, the match up in goal.  Vasilesvky has 63 playoff wins in his 100^th playoff start and a GAA of 2.65 to go along with his .915 save percentage.  Ilya Samsonov has one playoff win, but his season’s GAA of 2.33 and save % of .919 may help him stand up to such a formidable foe.

Will the new (since the trade deadline) and improved version of the Leafs be the magic elixir ?  Those six additions (Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Noel Accurai, Luke Schen and Erik Gustaven) all have added size, grit and competitiveness over last year’s squad.  The Tampa Bay Lightning have a sub .500 record (12-14-4) over their last 30 games.  I guess that’s why we play the games.

STUNNING ?  The Leafs won last year’s game one 5 to zero in a dominating fashion.  Not so much this year if the first period was any indication.  4^th liner Bellemere got the Lightning started 1:19 in on a strong forecheck.  Leafs nemesis Correy Perry played a significant role.  Toronto looked confused and tentative for the first 5 minutes and then Anthony Cirelli made it 2 zip off a rebound.  A lot of Leafs were no shows in that first 20 minutes, especially the bottom six forwards.  The only real good thing was the play of the O’Reilly-Tavares-Nylander line.  Kucherev scored with 2.6 seconds left to complete the dominating performance.  The BOO Birds were singing.

Coach Keefe must have ripped his players a new one between periods because the Leafs came out flying to make it 3 to 2 on goals by O’Reilly and Nylander.  The crowd was re-engaged.  But penalty trouble brought Toronto crashing back to earth as first Brayden Point and then Correy Perry and then Point again made Bunting pay for his 5 minute major for attempt to injure.  6-2 after two. Hmmm, wonder what the Blue Jays score is ?

Joseph Woll started the third period – not sure that was necessary.  He was beaten on a breakaway by Colton to make it 7-2.  Jarnkrok did about the only thing he did all night by directing in a pass from Marner/Mathews to make the final 7 to 3.  We ALL know what Uncle Jed would have said about this one, “Pitiful, just Pitiful.”

HOPPER NOTES:  Tampa Coach Jon Cooper said before the game that his team was a massive underdog – what a “psych-master”…I asked a couple of weeks ago, “is Michael Bunting the new Nazim Kadri – a guy run out of town because of idiotic plays”? …there were an awful lot of empty, high priced seats to start the third period…not very nice to say, but one good thing could be the thinning out of Tampa’s D core due to injury…what a disappointment for Leafs Nation – may the BOO birds and naysayers break their ankles…CHEERS !