TAMPA, Fla. _ Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman called it Thursday morning.
He first mentioned All-Stars John Tavares and Auston Matthews when discussing the challenges that Toronto presents after Thursday's morning skate. But he spent the most time talking about Mitch Marner. Don't forget about the 21-year-old, Hedman warned. Not for a second.
"Marner is an unbelievable player and pretty underrated in my mind," Hedman said. "He just finds openings."
Marner did Thursday night when it mattered most. Left alone to Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy's left, Tavares hit him with a pass across the slot that Marner buried. The goal gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the second period. An empty-net goal in the final minute of the game gave the Maple Leafs a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena.
The season series is now split 1-1 after the Lightning won 4-1 in December.
In that game, Toronto fired off 49 shots to little avail. This time, the Maple Leafs mustered only 17 shots through the first two periods. But this time, it was quality over quantity.
The Maple Leafs made their shots count Thursday.
The first came from Nazem Kadri when he scored an equalizing goal in a first period in which Toronto mustered nine shots. Brayden Point scored the first goal of the game, his 30th of the season, off the power play.
That 1-1 score held 13 minutes into the second when Patrick Marleau gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead. That was one of Toronto's eight shots in the period. Marner's game-winning goal was the other.
Zach Hyman scored an empty-net goal in the final minute.
