NHL 2022-23 Playoffs RD 1: Toronto (A2) vs. Tampa Bay (A3) - (Toronto wins series 4-2)

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Nick Paul puts the Eastern Champs up by 2 in the 3rd, with 7:30 to play.
Putting some doubt in the mind of Samsonov and Leaves® fans? This Bolts fan can only hope.

Yea, yea...the Lightning had a 4-1 lead they coughed up, but I would LIKE to think they learned not to let up on the other team...even if that team hasn't won a damned thing in over half a century...

[SaucyJack]

You can just smell Game Seven coming.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, SaucyJack said:

You can just smell Game Seven coming.

 

Tampa Bay actually hasn't dominated anything like they did in some earlier games, but maybe that is a blessing in disguise as they know, with everything so close, they can't afford to look past the current game, or the Leaves®, and keep their minds on business.

That said, if it weren't for Vasilevskiy, this game could be very different.
A Vezina quality TB netminder (and some help from the post!), is going a long way towards trying to push this into Game 6!

[SaucyJack]

3-2.  Vellllly Intellllesting….

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

TB had to hang on and win ugly, but a win's a win, a win.

3-2 series now, heading home for the Lightning, both teams with big pressure for Game 6.... for TB, in front of the home crowd, and could be sent home for the season... for Toronto to avoid that "oh no, not again" feeling of futility.

[SaucyJack]

The question remains:  is Samsonov good enough to anchor a team capable of beating the Lightning?  
 

He wasn’t his best on the Nick Paul 3-1 goal.

 

There are many good first round series but this remains the Showcase Series imho.

[Puck_Pun]

Well, this series has finally gotten interesting

[pilldoc]

Counting down to a Leafs complete meltdown in 3…2….1……

[Math]

If Toronto manage to lose another series, there will be no more Toronto on this planet. The city will burn down.

 

When you see Keefe, Dubas and Spezza reacting after a win or a loss, the pressure on them is absolutely insane. These guys are losing three years of life expectancy every game.

[SaucyJack]

4 hours ago, pilldoc said:

Counting down to a Leafs complete meltdown in 3…2….1……

Yes.  Some might think, “No, Toronto is due; they’ll finally win.”  But they’re ignoring history.  Repeated failures to win series when up 3-1 traumatized Caps fans for decades.  It has also happened to Jets fans to a lesser extent.

 

I’ve seen this story before.  I just put down a bet at +330 odds, more than 3-to-1, for the Lightning to pull this series out.  (Well, risking about $15 it can’t change my life financial circumstances lol.)

[JR Ewing]

 

Oof

[radoran]

10 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

Oof

 

[pilldoc]

7 hours ago, Math said:

If Toronto manage to lose another series, there will be no more Toronto on this planet. The city will burn down.

 

[pilldoc]

LOL ....some classic Leaf fan reactions...

 

"If it goes back to Tampa it's coming back to Toronto."

 

"Of course, we all infer that should the Leafs lose tonight, Chicken Little will make an appearance, and if she sees her shadow, that means 6 more years of bad Leafs' playoff hockey."

 

"If this roster, again, cannot win 1 out of 3 games to take the series, the carnage will be monstrous."

 

"Already put down 20 bucks on Tampa before lasts night's game, cuz if the leafs gonna f*** around, I wanna at least make some money off them." -- LOL

 

"This cannot go to Game 7. If it does, we all know how it ends. Then it's Fire Everybody.

Shanahan, Dubas, Keefe, trade Matthews before he goes away for nothing, don't sign any of the UFA's, rebuild from scratch with a new vision. To have this much talent and just fail year after year, its gotta end."

 

"Yep. I put $20 on Tampa winning the series before the game today. I'm one game closer to a $186 payout."

[J0e Th0rnton]

On 4/27/2023 at 11:05 PM, Puck_Pun said:

Well, this series has finally gotten interesting

If it goes to game 7, I look forward to the total panic I'll see from my buds lol

 

They used to give me a lot of grief over the sharks choking despite the finals and conference finals appearances , but I recent years I've just been living off of the fact that they would act like they won a cup if they just got out of the 1st round.

 

It takes some serious choking to not win a series in nearly 20 years while making the playoffs for most of them.

 

I can actually act happy the sharks are crap right now because this draft is good lol

Edited April 29, 2023 by J0e Th0rnton

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Pat Maroon, when asked by TBS if he could elaborate on what he was chirping towards the Toronto bench during warmups:
"Well, if I did, we'd get tossed off the air"
 

Yep.
Sounds like Maroon alright...starting chit even before the game starts.

[pilldoc]

34 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Pat Maroon, when asked by TBS if he could elaborate on what he was chirping towards the Toronto bench during warmups:
"Well, if I did, we'd get tossed off the air"
 

Yep.
Sounds like Maroon alright...starting chit even before the game starts.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Nail biting first period.

My manicurist LOVES  hockey playoff time. I keep her in business!

Bolts with most of the Grade A chances...BUT, the score remains 0-0 after 1.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, pilldoc said:

 

I can only hope.
I am really not ready to give up my patent on "Leaves®" yet  

[SaucyJack]

How will Samsonov perform in the third period?  (Solid enough so far, and he sent at least one friend request to a goal-post.)

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, SaucyJack said:

How will Samsonov perform in the third period?  (Solid enough so far, and he sent at least one friend request to a goal-post.)

 

Samsonov has been fantastic. Great. Super. On his freakin game!
If the Leaves® win, they can attribute it to him because if it weren't for him, the Lightning likely would be up at least 3-1 by now.

This could catapult Samsonov to Conn Smythe status!

(Obviously, I am trying to work my TFG mumbo jumbo here  )

[SaucyJack]

12 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I am trying to work my TFG mumbo jumbo here

We’ll know soon enough if you wield Powerful Juju tonight…

[SaucyJack]

1-1.  That’s whatcha call an Offensive Rebound!  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, SaucyJack said:

1-1.  That’s whatcha call an Offensive Rebound!  

 

Juju working??

Quick...I need more lizard tail...and some eye of moth....  

[Buffalo Rick]

So scary to see a bum like Jake McCabe in playoffs.