TORONTO — If the previous ones stung, this one devastated.
Despite demonstrating fire, fight, and many of the important winning intangibles that they hadn't in previous first-round exits, the Toronto Maple Leafs still fell short in their desperate efforts to win a postseason series, falling 2-1 versus the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 on Saturday night.
Nick Paul scored both goals for the Lightning, while Andrei Vasilevskiy extended his remarkable run of resiliency in elimination scenarios, making 24 saves. Morgan Rielly's second period goal on Vasilevskiy serves as, rather remarkably, the only one the superstar netminder has allowed in his last six series-clinching games for Tampa Bay.