The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ playoff drought will continue for at least two more days.
The Leafs missed a chance to win their first playoff series since 2004 on Thursday, losing 4-2 to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5.
Toronto now leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2, with Game 6 on Saturday in Tampa. Game 7, if necessary, is Monday back in Toronto.
The Leafs have lost six consecutive first-round series and fell in the qualifying round in the 2020 COVID bubble playoffs.
Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly opened the scoring Thursday early in the first period, but Tampa’s Anthony Cirelli tied it 25 seconds later.
Tampa’s Michael Eyssimont, playing for the first time since suffering an injury in Game 1, put the Lightning ahead 2-1 in the second.
Nick Paul gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead midway through the third before Auston Matthews cut the deficit in half with 3:33 left after the Leafs pulled goalie Ilya Samsonov for an extra attacker.
Alex Killorn added an empty-netter for Tampa with less than five seconds left.
More to come.
