Lightning Round: The Cost of Victory

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the opening game of their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in style, finishing them off in their own barn with a final score of 7-3. A touchdown to a field goal.

But it came at a cost.

Victor Hedman left the game at the start of the second period for unknown reasons, and was seen testing out his legs before eventually going to the locker room and not returning. No idea what ailed him.

Michael Eyssimont left the game after getting stepped up on and taking a high hit from Jake McCabe at the offensive blueline. Contact was on the shoulder but the elbow came up on the follow-through. He left the game pretty much right away and didn't return.

Erik Cernak left the game after taking a full-on headshot from Michael Bunting. It left him knocked out on the ice and needing assistance to get to the locker room. Bunting was assessed a 5 minute major for a hit to the head – which solidified the win for the Lightning because they scored multiple goals during that power play – and a match penalty. He might get suspended for it, too.

That was the cost. Was it worth it? Obviously not, because there's no guarantee not getting two guys brained would've resulted in a loss. Right now it is what it is, and the injuries are separate from the win.

The next game is on Thursday, also in Toronto, where the Lightning have a good shot at a commanding series lead heading back to Tampa.

As for the lineups, if none of the three skaters can go, expect Zach Bogosian and Haydn Fleury to come in on defense, and a lucky Syracuse Crunch player gets to come up from the AHL. The Crunch start their first round series on Friday, so everyone will be hoping or more of the Lightning players are good to go for Game 2.

Here is our recap, from Justin.

Lightning ride power play to Game One victory over Toronto, 7-3.

In a reversal from last season’s Game One, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning that blew out the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening match of their first round series. Six different Lightning players found the back of the net as they jumped to an early three-goal lead, and then

Raw ChargeJustin Godfrey

For our paid subscribers, Justin also had some pre-game analysis that hit the nail on the head as the Lightning scored four goals on the power play in their win.

Can the Lightning take advantage on the power play?

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Raw ChargeJustin Godfrey

Tracey closed the book on her time at Raw Charge with the final Solar Bears Den. Trace is still part of the family and has promised to not be a stranger as she moves on in a new direction.

Solar Bears Den: That’s All Folks

After six months and 72 games, we have reached the end of the rope for the Orlando Solar Bears, as they finished out their season short again of a postseason invite. After going 0-2-1 in their final weekend, the team appears to be limping into the offseason. However, a few

Raw ChargeTracey Lake

As for the rest of the first round, here are the scores:

Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3 over Toronto Maple Leafs
1-0 for the lower seed

New York Rangers 5-1 over New Jersey Devils
1-0 for the lower seed

Seattle Kraken 3-1 over Colorado Avalanche
Seattle is the only undefeated team in playoff history!

Winnipeg Jets 5-1 over Vegas Golden Knights
Another loss for the home team as the Jets take the 1-0 series lead.

So, home teams went 0-4 on the night and were outscored 20-6. That's some home-ice advantage, eh?