The Toronto Maple Leafs won a tough 4-3 overtime win overtime against the Tampa Bay Chargers on Wednesday (April 9) to sweep the season between two rivals. The Maple Leafs’ rebound efforts were impressive after losing 3-1 to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (April 8).
The victory gave the Maple Leafs three-pointers in the Lightning, scoring six points with the Panthers, first in the Atlantic Division. Toronto has a record of 48-26-4 this season, winning the organization’s fourth straight 100-point event and tying the Colorado Avalanche to the NHL’s longest active winning streak.
The Knight’s Dominance in Tampa Bay
Matthew Knies has a skilled attitude toward lightning. He scored 10 goals and 16 points in nine games, including seven goals and two assists in four games this season. After Wednesday’s victory, he said he has been doing his best to replace the disappointment of losing the 2023 NCAA National Championship to Amalie Arena and gaining better memories in the building. He did a great job of this goal, which is the mentality his teammates should accept in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Back on Wednesday’s performance, Nice lamented the team lacked any sort of prep in Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers. The top trio of Maple Leafs in the first stage is the Hockey Hound, which destroys the Lightning transition game and forces the mistake to create scoring opportunities. North Knies and Auston Matthews did it in Mitch Marner’s Icebreaker 1:13, and they did it again two minutes later with the 27th mark of the season.
Related: Maple Leafs uses Matthew Knies Hat Trick to reduce lightning in overtime
The Cavaliers led 3-2 in the third frame with a fifth powerful win in 2024-25. After the standoff victory, Mana quickly grabbed the hockey online, with John Tavares coming up with the title before Knies cleared the rebounds in front of the net. The 22-year-old Cavaliers finished his second hat-trick in overtime as he parked himself on the left side of Andrei Vasilevskiy and shot the match-winning Matthews from Matthews. Knies became the seventh player in franchise history, completing a hat-trick in overtime, the first since Mats Sundin completed the feat on October 14, 2006, while the Calgary Flames accomplished it.
The Cavaliers made a huge offense in the offensive end of 2024-25, with 29 goals and 26 assists on 74 appearances. He is a restricted free agent and the topic of his next contract will be a fascinating storyline. He has proven to be a valuable strength winger, showing his physical and scoring ability, and should have been an integral part of the organizational group for a long time.
Fines killing still needs improvement
Since the calendar turned to 2025, the Maple Leafs ranked 29th in the league with free throw percentage (73.6), allowing the third largest goal (28). Only the San Jose Sharks (36) and the Anaheim Ducks (33) surrendered more. The Lightning had two chances of four power games on Wednesday, with the Maple Leafs ranked 31st in the league in four games in April.
Toronto’s strength performance has been the best in the league since March 1 (36.4%), but the free throw kills have to be better. The powerful role of Tampa Bay brought them back to the game, although some controversial calls from ice officials helped the effort. Still, suspicious referees will happen, and players need to come up with more kills when it matters. The fine killing is a problem that needs to be resolved before the playoffs.
Better efforts, and a quick start to emphasize
Maple Leaf is not satisfied with their performances as the Panthers. They didn’t produce much offense offense and were under heels for most of the game while allowing Florida to rule the attack freely. However, the script was flipped on Wednesday’s performance.
The top line buzzed early and set the tone by establishing a 2-0 lead. Marner and Matthews rebounded with a huge performance after having little apparent meaning to the Panthers. Marner had one goal and two assistants, while lightning strikes had lightning, and Matthews contributed three assists.
The Maple Leafs blocked 33 shots in Wednesday’s victory, which was always a double-edged sword. It is commendable for taking the space and making the goalkeeper easier, but the risk of injury is worrying. Matthews appeared to be injured after shooting out in the third stage Lightning Force game. Fortunately, he returned to the ice for his next shift and stayed in the game.
Anthony Stolarz won for the sixth straight win, including several excellent stops in overtime. During that time, his average goal averaged 1.82, with a percentage saving of .936. The 31-year-old Netminder has only won 20 away, and his internal track is the team’s first choice for the playoffs.
What’s next for maple leaves?
The Maple Leafs have four games left in the 2024-25 season schedule. The group hosted the Montreal Canadiens before visiting the Carolina Hurricane on Saturday (April 13). After that, Toronto had another road against the Buffalo Saber on Tuesday (April 15), followed by the regular season finale, compared to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (April 17).
Maple leaves remain in the driver’s seat in the Atlantic subdivision, which should be a priority at home. However, if the kill kill fines make meaningful improvements and avoid other harm, this will greatly benefit the team.
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