Toronto Maple Leafs edge out Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in overtime - NHL Update
For a game in which both teams had nothing left to play for, it turned into an exciting encounter as the Toronto Maple Leafs just managed to run out the winners with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, April 5, 2012.
Playing in front of a 19,369 capacity crowd the Maple Leafs looked pumped up to give the home fans something to cheer about as another disappointing season came to a close.
The Leafs remain 13th in the Eastern Conference with 80-points.
Tampa Bay Lightning gave the Leafs a big fight in this game and played relatively well but could not stop Jake Gardiner from equalising the scores at 2-2 just three minutes from the end of regulation time.
The loss is a second straight defeat for the Lightning as they lie 11thin the Eastern Conference with 82-points.
The most important aspect of the game was Lightning’s highest scorer Steven Stamkos’ bid to become the first player since the 2007-08 season to score 60 goals in a season.
The forward made it 59 goals this season after he put the Lightning up 2-1 in the eighth minute of the third period, however, the Leafs held him off from scoring another.
Leafs, coach Randy Carlyle said after the game about Stamkos.
"You could see definitely that their hockey club is trying to push the puck in his direction. We were fortunate I think tonight to only hold him to one. He had lots of chances."
Lightning coach Guy Boucher tried to take some of the attention away from the record as he praised his forward’s quality.
"He's a team player and he cares about the right things for the right reasons. Whether it's 59 or 60, it doesn't make a difference in the quality of the player."
Tampa Bay took the lead in the first period as Martin St. Louis beat Leafs goaltender Ben Scrivens at 5:49.
It took Toronto less than a minute to equalise with Tim Connolly getting onto the score sheet.
Tampa Bay dominated proceedings in the second period but failed to put the puck past Scrivens. It took Stamkos till the eighth minute of the third period to regain the Lightning’s one goal lead.
Once again though the Leafs fought themselves back into the game as Jake Gardiner scored at 17:05 to equalise the scoring at 2-2.
Dion Phaneuf scored the winner in overtime to give the Maple Leafs a much needed win as they left the rink with the fans cheers ringing in their ears.
"We've got great fans," Phaneuf said. “We have not been playing the way that we want to play.
"But we wanted to finish our year off, our last game at home in front of our fans, the way we (did)."
Toronto play their last game on Saturday, April 7 on the road to Montreal Canadiens while Tampa Bay and Stamkos will look for that elusive 60th goal at home ice against the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
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