5 Takeaways from Lightning vs. Leafs Game 4

The Tampa Bay Lightning have now won 16 straight games following a loss in the playoffs. After splitting both games at Amalie Arena, the series with the Toronto Maple Leafs now becomes a best of three after the Lightning won game four 7-3.

The final score ended up looking a little closer than the game truly was as Tampa Bay was all over Toronto from the get-go and led 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Let’s get into what we took away from the win.

1. Starting Out Strong

The team to score first has won all four games of this series and the Lightning made sure that they were that team in game four. They did not come out of the gate with much jump in the first period in game three on Friday, but they came out with a sense of urgency Sunday night. Tampa Bay went ahead 3-0 before the eight-minute mark, even before the first media timeout.

All three of those Lightning goals came from players getting their first goals of the playoffs. Steven Stamkos opened things up right at the one-minute mark on a one timer from way out. Pierre- Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon would follow up with goals of their own shortly after to keep the strong start going.

2. Big Night for the School Bus Line

So much has been made about the play between Toronto and Tampa Bay’s fourth lines. Corey Perry scored a powerplay goal after the goals by Bellemare and Maroon. With both of these teams having such strong talent at the top of their lineup, these players lower down the lineup may ultimately prove to make the biggest difference as Tampa Bay’s fourth line has significantly outplayed that of Toronto.

3. Brayden Point Setting the Tone

He may have only had one point, but Brayden Point really got the Lightning going in this game. He was skating with a purpose and possessing the puck exceptionally well to create offense as the Lightning dominated the early parts of the game. Point was all over the ice and was a huge part of the energy that Tampa Bay was riding throughout.

5. Needing to String Together Performances.

The Lightning’s ability to bounce back from a loss is truly incredible. They won’t be able to rely on that exclusively in this series because they will run out of games. At some point, they are going to have to put together two straight strong outings after having rather poor performances in games one and three. If they are able to get another win on Tuesday in Toronto, they will have a chance to close out the series in game six on home ice.