Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs came to town to play the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Mindy being the Leafs fan that she is, it was set in stone months ago that there was going to be a trip to the hockey arena. She even ensured that her jersey was packed and brought to Dunedin.
The tickets we got were cheap when compared to the cost we’re used to in Toronto, so we didn’t hesitate to buy them. The seats weren’t too shabby:
As you can see, Mindy is certainly enjoying herself!
The game started off with the Leafs playing poorly, making a number of bad mistakes. Amazingly enough, though, a random deflection gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead only 41 seconds into the game.
Tampa Bay’s offense kicked it up to the next level, and peppered the Leaf goalie (Gustavsson) with shot after shot. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and the Lightning tied it up on the powerplay midway through the first period.
Despite continued poor passing, the Leafs managed to capitalize twice on their own powerplay, when Kubina was assessed a 4 minute double-minor penalty for high-sticking (from our seats way up high, we couldn’t see the blood, which is the only way that type of penalty is given). The first period ended with the Leafs up 3-1.
The second period was well executed for both teams, with the Leafs tacking on one more goal. Heading into the 3rd and final period, the Leafs with a comfortable 4-1 lead, everyone expected the Lightning to pressure hard. And, for the first 5 minutes or so, that’s exactly what happened. Gustavsson saved the day for the Leafs, making some unbelievable stops.
Perhaps that frustrated the Lightning skaters, because it seemed as though they then self-destructed. The Leafs potted another goal, and then another, and then one more for good measure.
The final score: the Leafs trounced the Lightning 7-1. Way to go, Leafs! Now, if you could make the playoffs this year, Mindy would be forever grateful!
Until next time,
Mindy & Ligeia 🙂 🙂
Mike
You brought them good luck.
Michael Bakker
Wicked, awesome, amazing, cool. Fun. I'm jealous! (and happy to make an exception to the 'never read blogs' rule for this…