The Tampa Bay Lightning have their back up against the wall in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday has the team on the brink of elimination.
The way Tampa lost this game is incredibly brutal. After entering the third period with a 4-1 lead, the Lightning lost in overtime after Alexander Kerfoot tipped in the game-winner.
The loss on Monday is bad all on its own. However, it gets worse when put into perspective. Monday's loss is the first time the Lightning have lost a playoff game while holding a three-goal lead in the third period.
To their credit, the Lightning didn't necessarily look bad during their collapse. They had their chances after the Maple Leafs came within a goal. Even with the game tied, they had chances to pull away.
In the end, it wasn't to be. Auston Matthews scored his first of two goals about halfway through the period. He added another one on the power play after Zach Bogosian got called for hooking.
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly added Toronto's fourth of the game with a little under four minutes left in the third. The goal eventually forced overtime, where Kerfoot won it on the power play.
The Lightning are not bowing out of this thing just yet. “You have to look at the big picture. We are still going to the rink,” Tampa head coach Jon Cooper said. “The series is not done yet.”
Tampa can climb their way back into the series on Thursday for Game 5. Doing so forces the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 6, where the Lightning have played far better throughout the regular season.
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