Despite being outshot in the game, Toronto's two goals and a Dennis Hildeby shutout gave them the win over the Lightning.
The Toronto Maple Leafs played like the team many expected them to be in the summer during their 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
It wasn't pretty at times, as Toronto was outshot 29-24 (the shot attempts were 56-40) by the Lightning. The high-danger chances, though, were 11-9 in favor of Tampa Bay, and Toronto defended fairly well around their net.
With goals from Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews (an empty-netter), and a shutout from Dennis Hildeby, the Maple Leafs' win moved them two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said he was impressed by the team's ability to keep the Lightning to the outside throughout the game.
"I think just defending the middle of the ice against them, like we talked before the game. It's a very good rush team over there. We wanted to keep it to the outside as much as possible," added Berube.
"And I thought we did a real good job of that. And it wasn't a high-event game, but I'm okay with that."
This game, though, wasn't all about the team's play on the ice. The Maple Leafs acted like a team, defending each other at key moments in the game, especially when Dakota Joshua dropped the gloves with Max Crozier, moments after Dakota Mermis was knee'd by Gage Goncalves.
"That was great," Rielly said. "Loved it."
Not only that, but the Maple Leafs also outhit the Lightning 20-16. When you're getting a heavy Toronto team that's skating fast and throwing their body around, it's a recipe for success. And it's something we haven't seen Toronto cook up much this season.
After 29 games, the Maple Leafs sit fifth in the NHL for hits with 693. They're tied with the Montreal Canadiens for seventh in blocks (458), too.
They played a Berube-esque game against the Lightning on Monday evening. If they can continue to put together games like that, the Maple Leafs could be a difficult team to go up against entering the second half of the season.
"We talked about being physical and competing tonight," Berube said. "We had to. We have to. That's how we need to play. And our guys did a good job."
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