Leafs Roll Over Lightning

The Maple Leafs held their annual Christmas themed game last night at Air Canada Centre against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Holiday themed music, Christmas style fan contests and visits from numerous different Santa Clauses were all in store for those in attendance. Why so early though on December 10th did the Maple Leafs decide to hold this Christmas shindig? By the time the next Maple Leaf home game roles around, the big show will be all over – all the presents delivered, all the eggnog consumed, all the chestnuts roasted. The Buds will now embark on a seven game road trip – arguably their most critical stretch of this season – before finally returning home on December 29th to take on the New York Rangers.

With this ominous road trip facing them, it made last night’s game against the Lightning all the more important. After cruising to a 6-1 victory over Tampa Bay - a win that gave them five wins in their last six games - the Maple Leafs will now set out on the heels of their best stretch of hockey all season long which bodes well for a road trip that they not only hope will be successful but in fact must be successful to keep their playoff hopes afloat.

Both teams kept the play tight in the first period with neither side generating much in the way of quality offense. In the second period, the Lightning came out strong but Vesa Toskala was outstanding keeping Tampa Bay off the board. Midway through the middle frame, Jason Blake scored to begin a stretch of four goals in four and a half minutes for the Maple Leafs. Sundin followed Blake’s marker after he was set up with a tremendous stretch pass from Tomas Kaberle. Sundin knocked down the waist high pass at the Lightning blueline while fighting off a defenseman and managing to stay onside, leaving him with a breakaway on Lightning netminder, Johan Holmqvist.

Nik Antropov scored moments later on the power play to grow the Maple Leafs lead to three goals. Chad Kilger scored thirty four seconds later on a wrist shot from the blueline that fooled Holmqvist; prompting Lightning head coach John Tortorella to pull him in favour of Marc Denis. Michel Ouellet put Tampa Bay on the board late in the second period snapping Toskala’s bid for a shutout.

The Maple Leafs responded with a strong third period picking up goals from Matt Stajan and Chad Kilger. Toskala made thirteen stops in the final frame and twenty six overall en route to his eleventh win of the season.

The Maple Leafs will travel to Atlanta to take on the Thrashers on Friday night.