TAMPA — Don’t go exorcising those playoff ghosts just yet.

The Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will decide their best-of-seven first-round series in Game 7 on Toronto on Saturday night.

The Leafs’ elimination-game frustration continued on Thursday night at Amalie Arena, as Toronto failed to put away the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion and lost 4-3 in overtime.

Brayden Point scored the winning goal at 18:04 of the extra period, sliding an Alex Killorn rebound past Leafs goalie Jack Campbell.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made nine saves in overtime, including tough stops on Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev.

“Loved how we played in overtime,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We attacked, we had chances, plenty of opportunities to finish it and really gave them nothing until they had the look. They made good on their one look. That’s the difference.”

Since 2018, the Leafs are 0-8 in elimination games. A ninth consecutive loss on Saturday would make a short memory of the best regular season in Leafs history, when the team set franchise records with 54 wins and 115 points.

The game at Scotiabank Arena will mark the 26th Game 7 in Leafs history. At home, it will be their 10th, and perhaps they can take some comfort in knowing that seven of those previous nine Game 7s at home were Toronto victories.

“We can’t change anything now,” Auston Matthews said. “It’s about this next game and going out there with the purpose and details and competing for 60 minutes or whatever it takes.

“We just got to put our balls on the line and go for it.”

Tampa is 17-0 following a loss in the past three post-seasons.

“It was a grind,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “That’s what playoff hockey feels like.

“You just leave it all out there (in overtime). It wasn’t pretty. But it was a win and that’s what we needed to do.”

The Leafs were holding their own with a one-goal lead as the third period progressed, but a pair of high-sticking minors to David Kampf and Kerfoot 16 seconds apart was deadly. The second, on Kerfoot, came as he battled with Tampa defenceman Victor Hedman deep in the Lightning end. The call on Kampf was questionable at best. Defenceman Cal Foote sold it, flinching despite taking Kampf’s stick on his shoulder pad, not his face.

With the offence that Tampa boasts, a goal at 5-on-3 was a solid bet, and it came at 9:20 when Nikita Kucherov beat a screened Campbell to tie the game 3-3.

“In that moment, it’s tough to take,” Keefe said. “But I have the benefit of slow-motion replay, officials don’t, so they’re in a tough position. Certainly, it’s a tough one to take, but that’s the way the game goes.”

Neither Matthews nor captain John Tavares would comment on the officiating.

After an Ilya Mikheyev turnover resulted in a goal by Anthony Cirelli at 10:46 of the second, the Leafs found themselves in an unenviable spot. The shorthanded goal gave Tampa a 2-0 lead, and at that point, Toronto hadn’t got a lot going offensively.

Part of the Leafs’ growth in maturity this season has come in the form of resilience. Nine times out of 10, it’s not a team that goes away when the challenge grows.

And so it went for the remainder of the period. The Leafs scored three goals, including two in the final minute, to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.

Matthews, revealed as one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy earlier in the day, got the rally going less than a minute after Cirelli’s goal.

Matthews deftly got his stick on a point shot by Giordano to redirect the puck past Vasilevskiy at 11:40.

The Leafs kept going at the Tampa net and got doubly rewarded as the seconds ticked off. Just 26 seconds apart, no less.

The first came at 19:26 when Tavares’ shot was stopped by Vasilevskiy and the puck went high above the crease, falling over the goal line. Jason Spezza had been given credit for the goal as it appeared he got his stick on the puck, but it eventually was awarded to Tavares.

The crowd, loud all night and especially so after the Cirelli goal, went quiet when Tavares scored again at 19:52. Tavares cleanly beat Vasilevskiy after William Nylander’s stick work and pass made the play happen.

A blunder on the part of the usually reliable Kerfoot resulted in a 1-0 lead for Tampa in the first period.

As the teams played four-on-four, Kerfoot carried the puck through the neutral zone and dropped a blind pass back to no one. Kerfoot might have thought TJ Brodie was there to take the puck, but the defenceman was headed to the middle of the ice and was in no position to accept a pass.

Ondrej Palat pounced, taking the loose puck and placing a shot past Campbell, off the goalie’s right pad, and into the far side of the net at 17:38.

Now, it comes down to Game 7 at home in front of what will be an amped-up crowd at Scotiabank Arena. And another chance for the Leafs to put five first-round exits squarely in the past.

“It’s up to you guys who you think the pressure is on,” Rielly said. “For us, it’s a chance on home ice to win.

“I thought we played pretty good game for the most part. They’re two-time Stanley Cup champions. They know how to handle these situations. And we’re trying to break through.

“We’re not done. Do what you got to do to take care of your body. And mentally get ready. Whether that’s watching your shifts or talking to your teammates, do what you got to do. It’s not too challenging, honestly.”

From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4

© 2022 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.