Fired-up Maple Leafs flatten Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1

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Wayne Simmonds spoke Monday morning of it being up to the Maple Leafs to “change the narrative” on their playoff failings.

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There is certainly a lot of hot topics after Game 1, a night where Toronto plugged into a boisterous crowd, zapped the Tampa Lightning 5-0 while dominating special teams, goaltending, surviving a five-minute major and some of the “borderline violent” moments that were forecast.

Mist significantly, the focus has switched from Toronto’s five straight first-round flops to the two-time and defending Stanley Cup champions playing from behind.

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“We played fast, played through the contact,” said Auston Matthews. “Our penalty kill was huge, Soupy (Jack Campbell) was incredible and we capitalized. But it’s a long series.”

Over-coming a potential early setback when Kyle Clifford stumbled into a major penalty for boarding seven minutes in, the Leafs met the challenge head on and kept the gas on. Mitch Marner scored to end a two-series’ drought, Matthews had two, David Kampf a dramatic short-handed goal and yet coach Sheldon Keefe looked beyond the bench to recognize another contribution.

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“I thought the crowd (19,338) was the first star tonight. They were unbelievable. I thought they carried us through that kill and didn’t let up the rest of the game,” Keefe said.

“I was asked down the stretch about home ice, but I didn’t feel it would be that important. That was my first playoff game coaching in a full building and you could feel the love for this team.

“It was a good night, but it was one night.”

Indeed, that’s not the first time in winning eight straight series that the Lightning has been lit up. Though not ever against the Leafs and not with Steven Stamkos getting razzed in his hometown while star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was down and out a few times.

“There is a great belief on our team,” Keefe said after the morning skate. “We know what’s at stake, what we’ve been through to get to this point and know what we’re playing for; our fans, our city and each other.

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“It’s a great challenge, but a great opportunity to push past this (first-round hump).”

If killing an early five-minute major didn’t show the Leafs had no opening night playoff jitters, fighting through three more power plays and scoring twice on special teams in the middle period removed all doubt.

The game got away from the Bolts when Matthews cashed a 5-on-3 chance as the Lightning failed to grasp that cross checking will be called closely in this series. Then Kampf put an exclamation mark on his PK work, blocking a shot and out-racing big defenseman Victor Hedman to a puck in neutral ice, scoring and then leaping into the glass in a characteristic emotion.

Marner had collected two assists before ending a painful two-series’ goal drought. He was slapping his stick loudly for a Morgan Rielly drop pass, got it and buried it. Matthews added another in the third.

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It was Toronto’s first Leaf win against a defending Cup champion since May 5, 2001 at New Jersey and reversed a 1-4 record in Game 1 in series that have begun at SBA since 2002. Campbell was good when he had to be on 24 shots , his second playoff shutout and first for a Leaf at home since Ed Belfour in 2002.

Much was made of the Leafs setting a franchise record 54 wins and 115 points, 315 goals, a plus-62 differential, but mostly if they could keep that domination against such a seasoned foe in May, home ice advantage or not.

Last year it was the injury to John Tavares that brought Game 1 momentum to a halt and this time it was a self-inflicted wound. Clifford, one of the fourth-line forwards Keefe thought he could trust not to cross the line of intensity, did just that. His blind side hit of Ross Colton with the puck nowhere in view was worthy of a game misconduct and put the Leafs in a hole.

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“A poor decision,” Keefe agreed, but he insisted Clifford was not done in the series.

The top six Lightning scorers in team playoff history are sprinkled through their power play, but the Leafs were totally dedicated on the kill, the same fervor that earned them a league high 13 short-handed goals this year.

The Lightning stumbled around as if not believing their early good fortune on the Clifford call, while Toronto generated three 2-on-1s and scoring chances by Alex Kerfoot, TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano, allowing only one shot.

The crowd was in a towel-waving frenzy by the time the major ended on a Nikita Kucherov penalty.

At even strength, the returning Ondrej Kase dug a corner puck out for Jake Muzzin to fire through traffic past Vasilevskiy. William Nylander was denied by Vasilevskiy on a late breakaway.

Keefe elected to start Matthews and Marner head to head against Steven Stamkos and Kucherov

At the 10:09 mark of the third, Lightning anger boiled over as several fights broke out and time was needed to scrape some blood off the ice. It enabled players to blow off steam as well as the fans.

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