NHL playoffs: Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 6 live updates

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For the first time in four seasons, the Lightning won’t be going to the Stanley Cup Final. And for the first time in 19 years, the Maple Leafs will be advancing in the playoffs.

John Tavares scored 4:35 into overtime Saturday night at Amalie Arena to lift the Leafs to a 2-1 victory in Game 6 of their opening-round playoff series, ending the Bolts’ season two months earlier than they have become accustomed in recent seasons.

Tavares’ spinaround shot from the left faceoff dot deflected off the skate of Tampa Bay defenseman Darren Raddysh past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy for the game-winner.

Toronto won the best-of-seven series four games to two, its first postseason series victory since 2004. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, dropped an Eastern Conference playoff series for the first time since 2019.

The loss was the Lightning’s third in overtime at home in the series. They have dropped 10 of their past 11 overtime playoff games overall.

After a scoreless first period, Auston Matthews scored with just over six minutes left in the second to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

Matthews slapped a shot from above the right circle over Vasilevskiy’s left shoulder. Leafs defenseman TJ Brodie kept the play alive at the blue line after Mikhail Sergachev failed to clear the puck out of the zone.

Steven Stamkos scored just over four minutes in the third period to tie the game. Stamkos, from just below the left circle, pushed a rebound of a Raddysh shot from the right point past Ilya Samsonov.

Stamkos had been moved to the second line with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn at the start of the period, with Brandon Hagel moving up to play with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point on the top line.

For the third time in the series, the Lightning were left to wonder why their best effort wasn’t enough to win. Tampa Bay played physical from the start, applied constant pressure in the Toronto zone and outshot the Leafs 32-22, including 11-4 in the third period. Each team had one shot on goal in overtime.

Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced. Samsonov, Toronto’s best player in the game, made 31 saves on 32 Tampa Bay shots.

Here’s how it happened:

Postgame

Overtime

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Nikita Kucherov shot blocked by Jake McCabe

Timothy Liljegren shot from right circle saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy

Mikey Eysimont shot from left circle saved by Ilya Samsonov

Eyssimont shot from the slot is blocked by Mark Giordano

Ian Cole shot just misses the net

Anthony Cirelli shot from slot wide of net

Sergachev shot blocked by McCabe

Morgan Rielly shot from left circle goes wide

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: John Tavares spinaround shot from the left faceoff dot deflects off Darren Raddysh’s shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy for the game-winner. Maple Leafs 2, Lightning 1 (4:36)

(Maple Leafs win game 2-1 and series 4-2)

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Third period

Darren Raddysh shot from right point nearly rebounds to Anthony Cirelli in the slot

Ian Cole shot from center point deflected by Noel Acciari out of play

Zach Bogosian shot from right point saved by Ilya Samsonov

Nick Paul has a chance in front after Brandon Hagel shot from center point

Hagel now playing with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Steven Stamkos moves to Anthony Cirelli’s line

LIGHTNING GOAL! Stamkos ties the game on a rebound from the left post of a Darren Raddysh shot from the right point. Lightning 1, Maple Leafs 1 (15:49 to play)

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops Matthews from the low slot after a Jake McCabe shot from the left circle

David Kampf shot from high slot deflected up out of play

Mitch Marner shot blocked

Hand pass by Maple Leafs will bring faceoff out of the offensive zone

Nick Perbix shot from right point deflects off Point’s skate in on Samsonov, who covers the puck

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Sergachev snap shot from center point deflected up over the net

Matthews misses wide from the right circle after Noel Acciari forces Sergachev turnover in the Lightning zone

William Nylander shot from right side blocked by Cirelli

Nylander shot steered into the corner by Vasilevskiy

Bogosian shot from the neutral zone knocked away by Samsonov

Samsonov sprawls to stop Point from left post after pass from Kucherov from behind the net

Corey Perry decked by Jake McCabe at center ice

Raddysh shot from right point gloved by Samsonov

Nick Paul shot from low in right circle stopped by Samsonov

Colton backhander from the right circle off the rush saved by Samsonov

Nick Perbix shot from center point blocked

Matthews shot from center point blocked by Stamkos

Lightning ice the puck

Hagel takes a stick to the face from Brodie and goes to the bench, but no penalty is called

(Lightning and Maple Leafs tied 1-1 after regulation)

Second period

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Luke Schen penalized for high-sticking, and the Lightning get their first power play (19:37 left in period)

Steven Stamkos shot from left circle deflects off a skate into the corner

Nikita Kucherov shot deflected wide

Mikhail Sergachev shot from center point tipped wide by Alex Killorn

Killorn shot from low in right circle saved by Ilya Samsonov

Sergachev can’t keep the puck in the zone

Pass for Sergachev is wide of the mark, and the puck leaves the zone

Brandon Hagel shot from low slot saved by Samsonov

Maple Leafs kill the Schenn penalty

Schenn unable to jam the puck past Vasilevskiy

Michael Bunting hits the post from left circle

Ian Cole shot from left circle deflected up out of play

Sergachev sharp-angle shot blocked by Auston Matthews

Killorn shot knocked down

Sergachev slap shot from left point blocked by TJ Brodie

Killorn shot from high slot blocked by Matthews

David Kampf sends the puck in on Vasilevskiy from the right point

Centering pass just missed Morgan Rielly in the slot

Mark Giordano shot from left point

Erik Gustafsson shot from right point steered aside

Anthony Cirelli just misses Brandon Hagel with pass off the rush

Cirelli tip-in covered by Samsonov

Kucherov has two chances from the slot after faceoff win, the second hits Stamkos

Stamkos breaks up Toronto pass at Tampa Bay blue line

Bunting knocked off the puck in the Lightning zone

Matthews drive from center point blocked by Ross Colton

Timothy Liljegren shot from right circle misses wide

Vasilevskiy stones Nylander backhander from the top of the crease after centering pass from Marner

Hagel shot from right circle goes wide

Brodie shaken up after being driven into the end boards behind Lightning net

Kucherov shot misses wide after offensive-zone faceoff win

Alex Kerfoot backhander steered aside by Vasilevskiy

Colton shot from right circle misses wide on the stick side

Liljegren shot from behind the circles saved by Vasilevskiy

Liljegren takes puck away from Brayden Point in right circle

Matthews shot from left circle saved by Vasilevskiy

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Auston Matthews scores on a slap shot from above the right circle over Andrei Vasilevskiy’s left shoulder after TJ Brodie keeps the puck in at the blue line. Maple Leafs 1, Lightning 0 (6:13 left in period)

Brodie is penalized for tripping Anthony Cirelli, and the Lightning go on the power play (3:24 left in period)

Marner lifts the puck out of the zone

Stamkos one-timer from left circle saved by Samsonov

Calle Jarnkrok sends the puck the length of the ice

Stamkos hits post from left circle

Mark Giordano clears the puck

Pass gets past Victor Hedman and goes out to center ice

Leafs kill the penalty

Hedman shot goes wide

Brodie strips puck from Nick Paul and sends it down the ice

Matthews shot from right circle blocked by Sergachev

(Maple Leafs lead 1-0 after two periods)

First period

Mikhail Sergachev shot blocked by Luke Schenn

Mikey Eyssimont shot saved by Ilya Samsonov

Zach Bogosian shot blocked by Ryan O’Reilly

Giveaway by O’Reilly

Giveaway by Nick Paul

Nikita Kucherov wrist shot saved by Samsonov

Victor Hedman wrist shot saved by Samsonov

Ryan O’Reilly shot from left point saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy

Schenn snap shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Schenn wrist shot saved deflected wide

Schenn pass deflected back in on Samsonov, who covers the puck

Pat Maroon and Schenn come together after the whistle

Matthrew Knies knocked down as he tries to shoot from slot

Brandon Hagel backhander from right circle grabbed and held by Samsonov

Nick Perbix shot blocked by Erik Gustafsson

Michael Bunting backhander from right circle off the rush saved by Vasilevskiy

Hedman drive goes wide of the net

Darren Raddysh shot misses wide

Hagel centering pass doesn’t get to Alex Killorn, who is tied up in front of the net

Samsonov stops Bogosian from low in right circle and then covers puck after it deflects off Brayden Point, setting up a scramble in front

Samsonov robs Ross Colton off the rush

Point loses the puck as he makes a spin move while moving toward the slot

Maple Leafs get their first power play as Steven Stamkos penalized for tripping William Nylander (12:21 left in period)

Vasilevskiy gets a piece of Nylander shot

Morgan Rielly shot from center point tipped wide

Victor Hedman clears the puck

Mitch Marner shot from left circle misses wide

Lightning clear the puck

Michael Bunting pass intercepted, and Lightning clear the puck

Alex Killorn skates the puck out of the zone and shoots from the left circle. Samsonov makes the save

Lightning kill the Stamkos penalty

Auston Matthews spinaround shot from above right circle saved by Vasilevskiy

Jake McCabe shot from left circle saved by Vasilevskiy

Vasilevskiy stops TJ Brodie shot from the right post

Samsonov stops jam attempt by Stamkos at right post after turnover in Toronto zone

Maple Leafs get their second power play, as Kucherov is penalized for tripping Brodie (5:05 left in period)

Marner shot from center point blocked, and Hagel skates the puck out of the zone

Rielly shot from point misses wide

Cirelli blocks Matthews shot from right circle. Killorn knocks the puck out of the zone and gets a shorthanded opportunity at the other end. Samsonov makes the save and stops a follow-up opportunity from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare from the slot

Gustafsson shot from left point is blocked, and Lightning kill the Kucherov penalty

Kucherov shot blocked

Stamkos centering pass doesn’t get through

Sergachev shot from left circle blocked

Raddysh shot from right point deflected wide

Hedman pass for Perbix in the slot tipped wide

Bunting shot from left circle off the rush misses wide

Tavares shot just ahead of the horn misses the net

(Lightning and Maple Leafs tied 0-0 after one period)

The end ... or just the beginning?

They’re not done yet.

And they might just be getting started.

With a victory Thursday in Game 5 in Toronto, the Lightning narrowed their deficit in their opening-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs to three games to two. Win tonight in Tampa and again Monday in Toronto, and a whole world of possibilities opens up.

The Lightning no doubt noticed that the Panthers took the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins to a Game 7, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche needed a win Friday night in Seattle to extend their series against the Kraken to a seventh game.

The Rangers, who led the Lightning by two games in last season’s Eastern Conference final before succumbing in six, are on the ropes against the the Devils.

And, of course, the Lightning have the chance to eliminate the Maple Leafs.

Survive this series, and the Stanley Cup is there for the taking in a wide-open playoff field (OK, yes, the Metropolitan Division champion Hurricanes still lurk in the East).

But first, the Lightning have to take care of their own business, or they’ll be on the outside looking in.

For the third straight game, they looked like the better team in Game 5. But for the first time in that span, they were rewarded for their efforts, with a 4-2 victory that Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe called “as perfect of a road game as you could probably ask for if you are them.”

The Lightning were ferocious on the forecheck, forcing 19 giveaways (to their own 8), dominated zone time, responded immediately to the Leafs’ game-opening goal with one of their own, held the red line, killed both of their penalties and did a great job of filling shooting lanes and protecting the net in front of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

To be sure, Tampa Bay still has an uphill climb to reach the second round. But that ascent is one step shorter than it was two nights ago, and the Lightning will be playing in front of a friendly crowd at Amalie Arena, where they will have the advantage of the last line change.

If the pressure hasn’t shifted to the Maple Leafs, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2004, it’s quickly moving in that direction.

Imagine the pressure-cooker Scotiabank Arena will become for the Leafs Monday night if the Lightning can force a Game 7.

Who’s in/who’s out

Lightning waiting to see if Bunting will play

Sheldon Keefe was holding his cards close to his vest at this morning’s skate. Citing some possible injuries, the Toronto coach refused to discuss his lineup for tonight’s game.

So, the Lightning do not know if they will see physical forward Michael Bunting — whose errant elbow has sidelined defenseman Erik Cernak since Game 1 — on the ice for the possible elimination game or not.

Read Kristie Ackert’s full story here.

What Lightning learned from previous Game 6s

Ahead of Game 6 down three games to two, the Lightning were asked this morning at Amalie Arena what they learned from being in the same situation during last season’s Stanley Cup Final against the Avalanche.

It was the same situation, though with higher stakes. But head coach Jon Cooper said his team might be able to draw even more from the Game 6 it played against Toronto in last year’s first round.

Read Eduardo A. Encina’s full story here.

Game day scene

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