Nick Paul scored twice, including an incredible individual effort on the winner late in the second period when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in Game 7 on Saturday to end their first-round playoff series 4-3. to win.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion.
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Morgan Rielly answered for Toronto, which has not progressed to the second round since 2004 and is now 0-9 in elimination games in the past five postseason after also losing Game 6 trailing 4-3 in Tampa two nights earlier.
Jack Campbell stopped 23 shots.
Despite their best efforts, the Leafs were again unable to push through, ultimately turning around a long, ugly story of playoff failures for a franchise that has now lost its last seven series, including six straights dating back to 2017.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) reacts after a first-round NHL defeat of the playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Toronto on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Toronto is now home 7-3 all-time in Game 7s, including a loss at Scotiabank Arena last season after leading the series 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens.
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