First round: Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 1 live updates

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NHL goal-scoring leader Auston Matthews scored two goals, including one of three for Toronto in the second period, as the Maple Leafs defeated the Lightning 5-0 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Monday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Matthews potted a power-play goal, David Kampf scored shorthanded and Mitch Marner added an even-strength goal as the Maple Leafs stretched a 1-0 lead after the first period to a 4-0 advantage heading to the third.

Matthews, whose 60 goals during the regular season were a Toronto franchise record, scored his second of the game midway through the third when Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy couldn’t get to a puck that caromed behind the net.

The Maple Leafs’ Jake Muzzin opened the scoring with a blast from the left point through a screen with less than two minutes remaining in the first period.

The Lightning were 0-for-5 on the power play, including a five-minute opportunity after Kyle Clifford received a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding Ross Colton in the first period.

Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry and Pat Maroon and Toronto’s Morgan Rielly and Ilya Lyubushkin followed Clifford to the locker room after a series of fights broke out midway through the third.

Here’s how it happened:

Third period

We begin with 4-on-4, with Pierre Engvall and Brandon Hagel starting the period in the penalty box

Engvall pass for Ondrej Kase on 2-on-1 is knocked away in front of the net

Wayne Simmonds shot into traffic blocked before getting to the net

Lightning ice the puck

Engvall snap shot from low in the right circle saved by Vasilevskiy

Brodie drive stopped by Vasilevskiy

Stamkos quick shot blocked

Sergachev blast from above left circle saved by Campbell

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Matthews scores his second goal of the game after Vasilevskiy can’t get to a puck that caromed behind the Lightning net. Maple Leafs 5-0.

Maple Leafs wind up with a four-minute power play after Pat Maroon, Corey Perry, Wayne Simmonds, Morgan Rielly and others get into a major scuffle following a hard Simmonds hit on Jan Rutta. Maroon, Perry, Rielly and Ilya Lyubushkin receive game misconducts.

Sergachev knocks a puck down just before it fully crosses the goal line after a Timothy Liljegren shot got behind Vasilevskiy

Campbell makes a glove save on Brandon Hagel from the slot off the rush

(Toronto wins 5-0, takes 1-0 series lead)

Second period

Morgan Rielly deflects Nick Paul attempt from in front wide of the net after the puck caromed off the end boards

Ilya Mikheyev penalized after pulling down Erik Cernak from behind

Mitch Marner clears the puck out of the Toronto zone

Alex Kerfoot fires the puck out of the zone

Alex Killorn turns the puck over to Timothy Liljegren

Mark Giordano clears the puck

Shorthanded chance for Toronto results in a power play after Mikhail Sergachev called for cross-checking. Pat Maroon turnover at the blue line puts Sergachev in bad position

Mitch Marner shot from the right side goes off Ryan McDonagh’s stick and out of play

Jan Rutta cross-checking penalty gives Toronto a 5-on-3 power play for 64 seconds

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Auston Matthews scores on the 5-on-3 on a one-timer from the left circle. Maple Leafs 2, Lightning 0.

Maple Leafs still have a minute a and a half remaining on their 5-on-4 power play

Brandon Hagel clears the puck out of the zone

Lightning now go on the power play after Ilya Mikheyev is called for holding

Victor Hedman shot from the center point is blocked

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: David Kampf scores on a shorthanded breakaway after the puck goes off the leg of Hedman and Kampf wins a race to the puck. Maple Leafs 3-0.

Ilya Lyubushkin penalized for interference, giving the Lightning another power play

Campbell stops Point shot and Cirelli knocks rebound just wide

Hedman drive smothered by Campbell

Hedman shot tipped by Killorn

Kucherov shot blocked

Stamkos fans on shot from low in the left circle with an open net

Maple Leafs kill the Lyubushkin penalty

Hagel shot from the left side stopped by Campbell

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Mitch Marner scores from the slot after Morgan Rielly draws Vasilevskiy out of the net. Maple Leafs 4, Lightning 0.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops a wraparound attempt from Rielly

Pierre Engvall and Brandon Hagel penalized for roughing

(Toronto leads 4-0 after two periods)

First period

Jack Campbell dives to cover loose puck after Anthony Cirelli chance from in close

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops William Nylander shot from right circle

Icing call against Maple Leafs

T.J. Brodie penalized for hooking Brandon Hagel in front of the Toronto net

Steven Stamkos one-timer saved by Campbell

Stamkos loses the puck along the wall, and Maple Leafs clear the zone

Jake Muzzin clears the puck out of the Toronto zone

Pass to Nikita Kucherov doesn’t connect, and Ilya Mikheyev takes control of the puck

Timothy Liljegren ices the puck right after the Brodie penalty expires

Erik Cernak shot blocked

Icing call against Toronto

Mikhail Sergachev hits side of the net on pass from below the Lightning goal line and Mitch Marner misses wide on a chance from in front

Ross Colton knocked down by Kyle Clifford, putting Lightning back on the power play. Clifford receives a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.

Alex Kerfoot, who seemed to have Vasilevskiy beaten, hits the post on a 2-on-1, shorthanded chance

Vasilevskiy stops the trailing Brodie on shorthanded opportunity

Giordano misses just wide from left side after Vasilevskiy stretches out his right leg

Giordano clears the zone with 1:25 left in the power play

Campbell stops sharp-angle shot from Stamkos low in the left circle

Brodie blocks Kucherov’s backhand pass through the slot for Stamkos. Kucherov receives a frustration penalty for cross-checking Brodie from behind as the Clifford penalty expires

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare clears the Lightning zone

Willam Nylander shot knocked wide of the net

Vasilevskiy goes post to post to stop Auston Matthews wraparound attempt.

Matthews one-timer from top of right circle stopped by Vasilevskiy, who had clear view of it

Lightning kill the Kucherov penalty

Kerfoot gets his own rebound off the end boards, but Vasilevskiy stops his chance from in front

Brodie centering attempt for Kerfoot knocked wide by Kucherov

Nylander draws holding penalty against Sergachev after driving the net following Kucherov turnover in the neutral zone

Marner shot deflected into the corner

Delayed offsides call forces Maple Leafs to depart the offensive zone

Morgan Rielly blast from the left point goes wide

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Jake Muzzin scores on a slapshot from the left point with two players, including Cernak blocking Vasilevskiiy’s view. Maple Leafs lead 1-0, 1:41.

Ross Colton quick shot saved by Campbell

Campell makes save on Cal Foote

Brodie knocks down Pat Maroon shot

Vasilevskiy stops Nyander on breakaway attempt in closing seconds of period

(Toronto leads 1-0 after one period)

Pregame scouting report

Remember when the Lightning seemed to represent nothing more to the rest of the NHL than wasted talent and unfulfilled potential?

Me, neither.

Their first-round ouster at the hands of the Blue Jackets after setting a league record for regular-season wins (62) in 2018-19 now seems so long ago, it’s easy to forget it ever happened.

Tampa Bay came back to beat Columbus in five games in the opening round of the 2020 playoffs on its way to the first of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

As a result, we can look at the past seven seasons (six playoff berths, five conference final appearances, three Stanley Cup finals appearances and two Cups) as a stretch of sustained excellence, rather than squandered opportunity. Tampa Bay’s 70 playoff wins during that span are more than any other NHL team.

Tonight, the Lightning begin the two-month slog toward what they hope will be a third consecutive title, something no other team has accomplished in the salary-cap era. In fact, only the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Penguins have matched the Lightning’s two straight Cups since the cap was first introduced in 2005-06.

Oddly, Tampa Bay enters this series in the eyes of many as an underdog to a Toronto team that has not won a Cup since 1967 or so much as a playoff series since 2004. Colorado, Florida, Calgary and in some cases Carolina also are bigger favorites to win the Cup than Tampa Bay.

But do not for a moment count out the Lightning.

Yes, they lost their entire third line in the offseason. They finished third in the Atlantic Division, five points behind the second-place Maple Leafs and 12 behind the Panthers. And Toronto possesses the NHL’s second-highest scoring team, led by league goal-scoring leader Auston Matthews (60).

But the acquisitions of Corey Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the offseason and Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul at the trade deadline, as well as the development of Ross Colton, have helped to offset the losses of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow.

The Lightning appeared to rediscover their game with victories in seven of their final nine games (including convincing wins over the playoff-qualifying Predators, Panthers and Maple Leafs) after meandering for much of March and early April.

They know what it takes to win in the playoffs and have a habit of turning up their game when it matters most. They have top-tier talent, scoring depth, great defense, toughness, veteran leadership, playoff experience and, when everything else breaks down, the best goaltender in the world in reigning Conn Smythe winner Andrei Vasilevskiy.

On top of that, they’re at full strength, with center Brayden Point back in the lineup after sitting out two of the final six games of the regular season.

It’s hard to imagine a team beating them four times over seven games. But, as Columbus showed us in 2019, anything is possible. And no team is hungrier for a title than Toronto.

So, will we see history or heartbreak? We’ll find out together, starting at 7:30 p.m., as the Lightning take their first step in what they hope will be a momentous postseason run.

Gameday scene

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