Lightning keep season going with road win over Leafs

*Photo from CP24*

Toronto leads series 3-2

   Yeah, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren't done yet. Nick Paul scored, Mikey Eyssimont had a goal and an assist, and the Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-2 victory on Thursday night in Toronto.

   Both Eyssimont and Anthony Cirelli had a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who staved off elimination and forced a game 6 in the series. As a result, they head home with their season still alive, with a chance to pull off a comeback win.

   Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said that "When you have a team like this, you don't want to let these opportunities slide. We've got a phenomenal team. Have all the tools, and these are the type of games you want to play. There's question in that room about fatigue or that we've played a lot of hockey. These are the type of games we want to play. It was a tough situation going into a place like this with our backs up against the wall, but I think we responded really well."

   Starting the scoring in the game was Morgan Rielly, who gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead with his 3rd goal of the playoffs. Cirelli answered right back for the Lightning, tying the game 1-1 just 26 seconds later. The only goal of the second period came from Eyssimont, who made it a 2-1 score after two periods in favor of the Lightning.

   Paul kept the Lightning rolling in the 3rd period, scoring 11:53 into the period to make it a 3-1 lead. With time dwindling, Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with his 4th goal of the playoffs. Alex Killorn scored on the empty net with 5 seconds left to seal the Lightning win.

   Keeping the Lightning season alive in net was Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had a big game. Vasilevskiy stopped 28 of the 30 shots he saw from the Maple Leafs, giving him a .933 save percentage on the night.

   Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said that "They dug their heels in tonight, and I think who really dug his heels in tonight was Vasilevskiy. His name has come up a lot for various reasons over the last couple days, and I think he proved he could handle the high shots."

   Getting the start for the Maple Leafs was Ilya Samsonov, who couldn't win his 4th straight game and the series. Samsonov turned away 34 out of the 37 shots on goal the Maple Leafs had, recording a .919 save percentage.

   Matthews said of the loss at home that "We had some good chances and didn't capitalize on them. We were in a good position at 2-1 heading into the third, and I just think the third goal puts ourselves in a tough hole to get out of. We kept fighting to the end, but obviously it wasn't enough."

   Up next, game 6 is on Saturday in Tampa Bay. The Maple Leafs will once again look to win to secure a spot in the second round, while the Lightning need to win to stay alive and force a game 7.