It had been almost six years since Corey Perry recorded three points in a playoff game. The veteran Tampa Bay Lightning forward broke that streak with a goal and two assists Tuesday in a 7-3 win against the Maple Leafs, because of course he did. (It should be noted that Perry had one point in his final 25 regular-season games.)
“He’s here to play this time of year,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters Wednesday. “Whether he gets 10 minutes of ice time, Corey has an impact on our team in such a positive way. …. The fact that he’s been to three straight finals on three different teams (is) not a coincidence.”
Perry and linemates Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon immediately set the tone in Game 1 Tuesday, scoring on their first shift. Bellemare’s goal at 1:18 of the first period was the fastest to begin a playoff year in franchise history, beating the previous record by nearly three minutes.
Tampa Bay’s fourth line was highly effective when on the ice against Toronto’s bottom six. In 3:10 of head-to-head ice time against the Maple Leafs’ third and fourth lines at 5-on-5, the Maroon-Bellemare-Perry combo had a 5-1 edge in shots on net, including 4-1 from the slot. Overall, Maroon-Bellemare-Perry had an 87.1 xGF% in 6:07 of ice time.
Unlike in years past, the Lightning did not enter the playoffs with a clear advantage in the bottom six. Maroon, Bellemare and Perry were outscored 7-1 at even strength in 127:03 of ice time during the regular season. The third line that started Game 1 — Ross Colton, Nick Paul and Mikey Eyssimont — had barely played together (8:01).
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, found a fourth line that worked. Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf and Sam Lafferty were solid down the stretch, controlling 57.1 per cent of expected goals and outscoring opponents 4-3 at even strength.
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe overhauled his third line at practice Wednesday, putting Ryan O’Reilly at centre and rookie Matthew Knies at left wing opposite Noel Acciari. Alex Kerfoot moved up to the second line in response to Michael Bunting’s three-game suspension.
Knies had seven scoring chances at 5-on-5 in his first three NHL games earlier this month.
“We brought (Knies) in here for a reason and gave him the (regular-season) games we gave him for a reason, because we felt he’d be a good option for us if needed,” Keefe told reporters Wednesday.
The Lightning could also have a new-look bottom six Thursday. Maroon skated on the third line with Colton and Paul at practice after Eyssimont was on the receiving end of a crushing check from Jake McCabe. Tanner Jeannot, who has been out since April 6 because of a lower-body injury, worked with Bellemare and Perry.
Whatever the Maple Leafs decide to do with the bottom of their lineup, they will need more from their depth forwards to get back in the series.
