LEAFS TAKEAWAYS: Ilya Samsonov, Ryan O'Reilly, resilience add up to an unlikely Game 3 victory

Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov makes a save against Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nicholas Paul during the third period in Game 3 at Amalie Arena on Saturday night. Photo by Kim Klement /USA TODAY Sports

Never mind that there were long stretches when we didn’t think the Maple Leafs deserved to win on Saturday night.

The simple truth: They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime at Amalie Arena.

The 4-3 victory, which came when Morgan Rielly’s shot eluded goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy at 19:15 of the extra period, puts the Leafs in control of the best-of-seven series heading into Game 4. It’s a 2-1 Toronto lead, and a victory on Monday would put the Leafs to within one win of advancing to the second round.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Our takeaways from the win:

BETTER THAN ANDREI

Consider that in all situations the Lightning had 91 shot attempts and the Leafs had 52.

The Leafs couldn’t get much penetration offensively as Tampa smothered them and made passage through the neutral zone a challenge.

Yet, the Lightning couldn’t put the Leafs away.

Put that on the shoulders of goalie Ilya Samsonov, who made 36 saves.

None was bigger than a stop on a Nikita Kucherov backhand six minutes into overtime. As Kucherov got space and moved to his backhand across the front of the net, Samsonov tracked him and got a glove on the shot.

Early in the second with the game tied 2-2, Tampa had two terrific scoring chances. Had the Lightning scored on either — or both — the outcome probably would have been different.

Instead, as his teammates couldn’t get untracked, Samsonov stopped Tanner Jeannot on a breakaway. Moments later, Samsonov stretched to deny Victor Hedman, who otherwise thought he had much of the net to shoot at.

“Sammy was the biggest thing (in giving the Leafs a chance to win),” Ryan O’Reilly said. “Getting out of that second period, only down one, was huge. They dominated us and had some great chances.”

At the other end, Vasilevskiy couldn’t make saves at crucial times. He was ordinary, not the guy who, since 2020, boasted a record of 21-2 following a loss in the playoffs.

Neither goalie has been consistent through the first three games. Expect that to change.

THE FACTOR

O’Reilly comes by his nickname honestly.

When the Leafs acquired the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner from the St. Louis Blues at this season’s trade deadline, the desire on their end was that O’Reilly, four years after leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup, would bring savvy to the dressing room, but most importantly, become a crucial cog on the ice.

Well, the bearded veteran has 16 points in 16 games with Toronto, totals that would have been higher had he not missed significant time with a broken finger.

That includes five points in three playoff games. On a night the Leafs weren’t great, O’Reilly was key in driving the visitors to the positive outcome.

After tying the game with one minute to play in the third (thanks to a fine play by William Nylander), O’Reilly beat Brayden Point on the faceoff in the offensive zone, feeding Rielly in OT. He also had an assist on the opening goal by Noel Acciari.

O’Reilly won 62% of his draws (8-for-13), had three hits and three blocks.

Big things, little things, O’Reilly did it all.

There was no player of O’Reilly’s stature that has been added by general manager Kyle Dubas in trade deadlines before this year. If the Leafs advance — and Tampa has to win three of four to stop that from happening — O’Reilly will be at the forefront.

What’s unfolding now is why the Leafs got O’Reilly.

“That’s just how he rolls,” Rielly said of O’Reilly’s composure. “Playing against him and now with him, you can tell he really likes those moments and those challenges. He’s not fazed by the pressure or anything like that when we’re down late in games.

“You really appreciate the way he plays. We’re very fortunate he came to play. His name is all over this game.”

ADJUSTMENTS COMING

When the puck drops in Game 4, provided the Lightning plays with the same kind of persistence it brought on Saturday, the Leafs are going to have to come up ways to combat Tampa’s speed and pressure.

The Leafs can take some solace that they won without an overly effective forecheck. In fact, that the Leafs persevered and came out on the other side with a victory says something about the way this resilient team has grown.

As a few said, they bent, but did not break.

“Their pressure on the puck presented real problems for us,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We did not have a lot of space or time to make plays. In the regular season, they were elite at a number of things, and one of them was time spent in the offensive zone.

“That’s because of how they play. Puck pressure, half-ice game, quick ups, and they got us in that trap and we couldn’t get through that consistently. Because they’ve got you on your heels, it’s hard to get on your toes and establish your own game. Not getting frustrated is critical. We’re one shot away and we’re standing right there.”

THEY SAID IT

“Not in the NHL. Fair share of practice scuffles and stuff like that, but not really.” — Auston Matthews on whether he had fought in hockey before he scrapped with Steven Stamkos in the third period

“The fight itself, it’s a classic example of a veteran championship team like Tampa Bay manipulating the officials and taking advantage of a situation … it’s a free-for-all, they can do whatever they want and they just know the way the games get called they are not going to get another penalty. You watch that sequence back. To say we should not be on a five-on-three … Credit to Tampa for recognizing that situation. It’s a free pass. You can do what you want. Not only do they get out of it unscathed, they take Matthews and O’Reilly to the box. Brilliant play by the Lightning there, manipulating that situation.” — Keefe on fracas that broke out after Rielly and Point collided, leading to fights between Stamkos and Matthews, and Kucherov and O’Reilly

“I really liked our game. We had ample chances to score some goals. I leave that game unfortunate that we lost, but I loved our guts. Give Toronto credit. They stuck with it. It sucks losing these games, but we are still in this series.” — Lightning coach Jon Cooper

THE LAST WORDS

Rielly became the seventh Leafs defenceman in franchise history to score in overtime in the playoffs, joining Tomas Kaberle (2003), Cory Cross (2001), Todd Gill (1994), Rick Lanz (1987), Bob Baun (1964) and Bill Barilko (1951) … Captain John Tavares was minus-3 and had one shot on goal. Almost all of his other games with the Leafs have been better … Veteran TJ Brodie struggled on the blue line. When he was on the ice at five-on-five, the Leafs were outshot 12-4 … Just three Leafs — Matthews, Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok — finished above 50% in possession at five-on-five … Matthew Knies lost Darren Raddysh along the boards when the latter scored Tampa’s third goal, but otherwise the 20-year-old rookie continued to prove he belonged. Knies played 19 minutes 15 seconds in total and got a regular shift in overtime, proof that Keefe already has trust in him. Knies had his first playoff point on Acciari’s goal and was on the ice for the winner … After missing Game 2 with an undisclosed injury, Hedman played 32 minutes 35 seconds. He’s the definition of playoff warrior, not that further evidence was required … The Leafs finished with a 62-60 edge in hits, led by Acciari’s nine. Jeannot had a team-high 11 for Tampa … Nylander had seven of the Leafs’ 28 shots on goal. Point led the Lightning with seven … As previously announced by the NHL, Game 5 in Toronto on Thursday will be a 7 p.m. start.