Matthews leads way with 3-point night as Maple Leafs blank Bolts in series opener | CBC Sports

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 shots for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who will look to rebound in Game 2 on Wednesday.

Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe predicted a “borderline violent” series, and that’s exactly what happened seven minutes into the first period when Leafs winger Kyle Clifford pasted Tampa’s Ross Colton from behind into the boards to earn a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Having already killed off one minor penalty, Toronto had the better chances down a man with Clifford taking an early shower, including an Alexander Kerfoot shot off the post on a 2-on-1.

WATCH | Matthews pots a pair as Leafs earn shutout win over Bolts in Game 1:

Matthews’ 2nd goal of Game 1 seals Leafs’ shutout victory over Lightning

Toronto blanks Tampa Bay 5-0 in Game 1 of their first round series, Auston Matthews records 2 goals and an assist. 1:02

The Leafs couldn’t connect on two subsequent power plays, but pushed ahead with 1:41 left in the period when Muzzin’s point shot through a screen beat Vasilevskiy to nearly blow the roof off Scotiabank Arena.

William Nylander almost made it 2-0 late in the period on a breakaway after blocking a shot, but couldn’t solve Vasilevskiy through the five-hole.

The Leafs called a timeout ahead of a 5-on-3 power play in second and then took just 11 seconds to connect with five forwards on the ice when Marner fed Matthews for the 60-goal man to blast a one-timer shortside on Vasilevskiy.

The rabid crowd responded with chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” for Matthews, who won his second straight Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy.

WATCH | Matthews’ 1st goal of 2022 playoffs extends Leafs’ lead:

Auston Matthews scores on power-play to give Maple Leafs 2-goal lead

Toronto centre Auston Matthews, who lead the league with 60 goals in the regular season, scores his first of the 2022 NHL playoffs to put his team up 2-0 over Tampa Bay during the second period of Game 1, 1:02

Tampa got its fourth man advantage later in the period, but Kampf beat Victor Hedman to a loose puck as Toronto once again showed its superior speed before beating Vasilevskiy to make it 3-0 at 9:27.

The Leafs put things to bed at 16:39 when Marner snapped his long playoff goal drought. The winger took a slick pass from Morgan Rielly off the rush and outwaited Vasilevskiy to score in the post-season for the first time since April 11, 2019 — a stretch of 18 games.

The home side kept its foot on the gas to start the third to keep the battle-tested champs on their heels, with Matthews making it 5-0 when Vasilevskiy misplayed the puck behind his net to give the game’s best goal-scorer his second at 8:16.

WATCH | Maple Leafs’ Clifford ejected from Game 1 after boarding penalty:

Leafs’ Clifford ejected from Game 1 for hit on Lightning’s Colton

Toronto forward Kyle Clifford receives a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct for a hit on Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton. 1:24

The game took another violent turn midway through the period with multiple fights on one shift. Rielly cut Lightning defenceman Jan Rutta in one skirmish, while Tampa’s Pat Maroon and Corey Perry, and Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds and Ilya Lyubushkin were also sent to the locker rooms with misconducts.

The Lightning, meanwhile, have won eight straight series since a stunning sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019 following a 128-point campaign and the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy.

The Leafs, who hit the ice for Game 1 on the 55-year anniversary of the franchise’s last Stanley Cup, had winger Ondrej Kase in the lineup after he missed the last 20 regular-season games with a concussion. Top-line winger Michael Bunting sat out a fourth straight contest with an undisclosed injury.

WATCH | Trio of Canadian teams try to end 28-year Cup drought:

Canadian NHL teams head to the Stanley Cup playoffs

The Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs are competing in the NHL playoffs this season, bringing renewed optimism one of them will finally end Canada’s 28-year Stanley Cup drought. 2:04