The Lightning punched back Thursday in Toronto, winning Game 5 by a 4-2 score to send their first-round series against the Maple Leafs back to Tampa Bay. Tensions are palpably high ahead of Game 6. Since 2018, the Leafs are now 0-10 with a chance to close out a series. The Lightning, meanwhile, still need to pull off back-to-back wins. Here are six players primed to swing the rest of the series.

Ilya Samsonov

In the second period of Game 5, Samsonov slid into his right goal post with an awkward posture and stance. The Maple Leafs goaltender's five-hole open, he whiffed on Mikey Eyssimont's very savable, bad-angle shot, and all of a sudden, the score was 2-1 for Tampa.

Goalies let in bad goals every once in a while. It's part of the gig.

Yet Samsonov's problem in this series is that the odd bad goal has been accompanied by a long reel of shaky moments. The 26-year-old Russian had issues controlling rebounds throughout Game 1. He looked less busy the next time out, stood on his head at times in Game 3, and was decent in Game 4. On Thursday, he was back to swimming in his crease, flailing everywhere, and he seemed to have problems catching the puck with his glove.

For the series, Samsonov owns an .886 save percentage and a minus-5.06 goals saved above expected rating, according to Sportlogiq. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Samsonov's counterpart and arguably the best goalie of his generation, has even worse numbers - an .870 SV% and a minus-6.09 GSAx rating.

Given Vasilevskiy's strong Game 5 and career-long dominance in elimination games, the pressure is on Samsonov to elevate his performance and provide a sense of calm. The Leafs need competent goaltending in Game 6 - and, if necessary, Game 7 - to finally move on to the second round.

Nikita Kucherov

Over the past six regular seasons, Connor McDavid is the only player with a higher points-per-game average than Kucherov. In the playoffs over the same period, Kucherov ranks third in points per game among players who've appeared in at least 50 games and first in total points with 118 in 96 games.

This rock-star level of production has eluded Kucherov in the first round. Sure, he leads Lightning players in scoring, but his counting stats through five games are nothing special - one power-play goal, three power-play assists, and two even-strength assists. Noticeably absent: five-on-five goal-scoring.

Kucherov and linemates Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos have seen a ton of Toronto's shutdown defensemen, Jake McCabe and T.J. Brodie. The Lightning have generated 96 shot attempts to the Leafs' 73 in Kucherov's 78 five-on-five minutes. The high-danger attempt tally is 18-18. Goals are 4-4.

So, to be fair, it's not as if Kucherov's been completely underwhelming. You just want more from the 2019 Hart Trophy winner. Kucherov's off-the-charts hockey IQ leads to such deceptive, creative playmaking. He's a dual threat with that nasty one-timer. And he doesn't back down from physical contact.

The Lightning could use a jolt from Point and Stamkos, too. Four total goals from the line - which is as star-studded as any in the playoffs - isn't enough.

Auston Matthews

Matthews is at his best when he's assertive. You can tell he's in "beast mode" if he's carving up the neutral zone with purposeful strides, puck on his stick.

We've seen that version of Matthews sprinkled throughout the series, notably in Game 4, where he launched a three-goal comeback with a pair of prototypical tallies (a catch-and-release snipe off an odd-man rush, then a nifty deflection after getting lost in the offensive zone). He was also dangerous in Game 5, buzzing all night, especially off the cycle, and potting his fourth goal.

Something to monitor: While Matthews has recorded 39 shot attempts, only 20 have made it to Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay's defenders have blocked nine, while Matthews has missed the net 10 times - one crossbar, two too high, and seven wide (including a couple off good power-play looks in Game 5).

Elite goal-scorers won't register a shot on goal every time, but Matthews' success rate so far could certainly be higher.

Why is he better primed to swing the series than running mate Mitch Marner (tied for the league lead in playoff points), longest-tenured Leaf Morgan Rielly (clutch all series), or any other star-caliber Leaf? Because when he's assertive, nobody can take over a single game like No. 34.

Anthony Cirelli

Straight up, the Lightning would be playing 18 holes on Friday if not for Cirelli.

On a micro level, his goal in Game 5 that came 26 seconds after the Leafs opened the scoring kept the Lightning alive. On a macro level, he and linemates Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel have done a bit of everything through five games.

Cirelli, a Selke Trophy candidate every season, has logged the sixth-most five-on-five minutes among Tampa Bay's forwards. Yet the assignment has been laborious, since his most common opponents - Matthews and Marner - can torch you.

The results thus far: Tampa holds a 4-3 edge in goals and a 37-29 advantage in shots on goal in Cirelli's 71 minutes. Oh, and three of those four Lightning goals came off Cirelli's stick. He leads the entire squad in five-on-five markers.

Killorn - who's tied with Matthews and Point for the series lead in Sportlogiq's "quality chances" metric with 10 - has quietly racked up three goals. Hagel's bagged one himself. As a group, the Cirelli line has snuck seven past Samsonov, which is also the combined total from the rest of Tampa's top nine.

Cirelli's impact on Tampa Bay's neutral-zone defense cannot be overstated either. He embodies exactly what coach Jon Cooper wants out of his forwards: pressure, pressure, pressure. And although the Leafs have buried six power-play goals on 19 opportunities (31.6%), Cirelli hasn't suddenly lost his penalty-killing prowess. The Toronto native will remain a factor in that area.

Matthew Knies

It sure feels like Knies, the 20-year-old who doesn't look fresh out of college, is destined to score a goal before this series ends. Since drawing into the lineup for Game 2, he's improved every time out. At no point has the moment looked too big for him - a huge development for the Leafs.

The left winger has deployed his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to outmuscle Tampa defenders en route to the net. He's flashed his playmaking skills with different linemates. No red flags have popped up on defense, either, with his short playoff reel featuring a handful of impressive backchecking sequences.

Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe loves the kid. He's given him a nightly workload of 14:36 - including 13:28 at five-on-five, the sixth-highest among Leaf forwards - and praised him during press conferences. Knies, who's earned two assists and three inner-slot shots, was on the ice for both overtime goals. Overall, the team has outscored Tampa 5-1 with the ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher between the boards.

Knies' role should only increase in Game 6, providing him with additional opportunities to find the back of the net. Barring something unforeseen, he's a permanent fixture in Keefe's lineup - something you can't say about veterans Michael Bunting or Justin Holl, who have both struggled in different ways so far.

Victor Hedman

Hedman's performance has been equal parts surprising and unsurprising.

He's a future Hall of Famer whose career is filled with dominant games and series, so, on one hand, expecting anything less would be foolish. Then again, Hedman's regular season was subpar by his lofty standards, and he suffered an injury early in Game 1 that sidelined him until Game 3. He's clearly not 100%, and expecting a tour de force would be unreasonable.

Yet, here we are ahead of Game 6 and Hedman's body of work jumps off the page: three assists (two primary) and the Lightning outscoring the Leafs 7-3 and controlling play to the tune of a 67.8% expected goals rate with Hedman on the ice at five-on-five. Not bad for a hobbling 32-year-old who leads the NHL in playoff minutes logged since 2013-14 (3,568 in 141 games).

All of this should be excellent news for the Lightning - except it seems as though Hedman is dangerously close to being too hurt to play, or at least too hurt to be highly effective. The Sportsnet broadcast showed a wincing Hedman frantically calling for the trainer during Game 5. He isn't doing well.

The positive angle on this is that Tampa has the last change Saturday. Cooper has done a solid job of keeping Hedman away from Toronto's big guns up front and can double down on that strategy as the home team.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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We had our fourth consecutive winning night Thursday, backing the Golden Knights to take care of business in regulation while splitting our player props.

Let's dive into three more plays for Friday's card as we look to finish the week off on a high.

Bruins (-175) @ Panthers (+150)

The Panthers were holding their own at five-on-five earlier in the series, if not controlling the run of play entirely. That's completely changed over the past couple of games.

The Bruins have really hit their stride and looked the part of the dominant team we watched all season long. They posted a 62.83 expected goal share over Games 4 and 5, finishing above 60% in each contest.

Although they were outshot in Game 4, the Bruins were deserving of the one-sided scoreline in their favor. They were even better in Game 5, generating chance after chance but unable to get anything past Sergei Bobrovsky.

Anything can happen in one game, but I have a hard time believing Bobrovsky will follow up his stellar showing with another one. He hasn't given the Panthers competent goaltending - let alone great goaltending - with any sort of consistency since the day he signed.

The Bruins are loaded with talent and experience. They won't be the least bit phased, or thrown off, by coming up short in one close-out game.

I expect they'll come forth with another strong, disciplined performance and put this series to bed.

Look for Boston to lead late and perhaps tuck in an empty-netter to ensure a clean win within 60 minutes.

Bet: Bruins in regulation (-105)

David Pastrnak over 4.5 shots (-115)

Pastrnak hasn't enjoyed a lot of shooting success in this series. He's gone under the number in four or five contests and scored only once since the opening game.

There's reason to believe the tide is turning, though. For one, Pastrnak's shot volume is significantly rising. He attempted only eight shots over the first couple of games but has combined for 30 since, hitting double digits in two contests. And he wants more.

Speaking to the media following Game 5, Pastrnak hinted he wasn't aggressive enough and will play with more of a shooting mentality in Game 6.

Look for the Bruins' star sniper to put the puck on net every chance he gets. He should have plenty of opportunities with the way Boston has started to dominate the series.

Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots (-135)

The Wild have their backs up against the wall. After suffering back-to-back losses, they now find themselves on the brink of elimination.

With no margin for error, the Wild will no doubt be leaning heavily on their star players. Kaprizov should get all the ice time he can handle in more advantageous matchups than he'd get on the road.

That's been a key for Kaprizov all season long. He's averaged 4.3 shots on goal per game and has hit at a 61% clip when playing in Minnesota. He hasn't enjoyed nearly the same level of success on the road, where he has a hit rate of just 32%.

Kaprizov registered 11 attempts and four shots on goal in the last home game the Wild played. I'd expect something similar this time around.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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By triumphing 4-0 at home Thursday, the New Jersey Devils moved within a win of eliminating the cross-river rival New York Rangers from the Stanley Cup chase. Keep an eye on these four key battlegrounds as the Rangers try to wake up and prolong their season Saturday night in Game 6.

Rangers' shooters vs. Schmid

Of the NHL's 16 playoff qualifiers, only the Devils, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild have started multiple goalies in the first round.

New Jersey's switcheroo was transformative. En route to an embarrassing exit after losing Games 1 and 2 in blowouts, head coach Lindy Ruff yanked Vitek Vanecek and replaced him with the postseason's 22-year-old breakout star. Akira Schmid has stoned 80 of the 82 shots he's faced to rock a .976 save percentage, squeezing the life out of New York's offense while rendering Vanecek's .827 mark irrelevant.

Schmid, the 10th netminder drafted in 2018 at No. 136 overall, was summoned from the AHL this year when injuries befell Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Schmid's save percentage over 18 games was .922. He pitched a 20-save shutout in relief of Blackwood in the regular-season finale, his first appearance for the Devils in three weeks.

Tapped as Vanecek's backup for the playoffs, Schmid entered the series in Game 3 and narrowly outshone Igor Shesterkin in consecutive goalie duels. His best plays in Game 5 included glove denials of Artemi Panarin's odd-man chance and Kaapo Kakko's mid-air flick. One long Rangers cycle sequence ended when Schmid swallowed Jacob Trouba's point blast, allowing exhausted checker Nico Hischier to slump to the ice.

New York's power play is firing blanks at Schmid. Chris Kreider shelled Vanecek by deflecting in four goals on the Rangers' first seven attempts, but they're now mired in an 0-for-13 slide. Devils penalty killers are rushing Adam Fox at the blue line and bodying Kreider near the net, confident that Schmid will snare any puck he sees.

Shesterkin has been solid in defeat, posting a .924 save percentage across New York's three losses. A dormant offense is his team's issue. Kreider, Patrick Kane, and Mika Zibanejad only generated one scoring chance together at five-on-five in Game 5, per Natural Stat Trick. Slammed by coach Gerard Gallant for their sluggish effort in Game 4, the Rangers were outshot 20-2 in the third period Thursday in a pathetic showing.

Hughes vs. Blueshirts' D

Jack Hughes' hands, shot, evasiveness, and panache have been on display every time he's scored in this round. The 21-year-old center is speedy and stylish, as his breakaway deke of Shesterkin in Game 4 reminded the Madison Square Garden faithful.

Hughes' series-high 21 shots on net include his penalty-shot conversion in the opener and pivotal power-play snipe in Game 3. New Jersey's two-win deficit is a distant memory, but the Devils needed Hughes to drag them into the series at a precarious moment. He chipped in a little in Game 5, drawing the tripping penalty Kane took that led to Erik Haula's tip goal.

Picked first overall in 2019, Hughes already leads his draft class in scoring by a 68-point margin. His rise to superstardom explains how New Jersey, a divisional also-ran for several years, rocketed up the standings this season. Stifling him won't cure all the Rangers' woes, but letting him cook in Game 6 would seal their elimination.

When Hughes rests, Devils defensemen have sparked offense by activating up ice, presenting themselves as threats to shoot as the trailer off the rush. That's how Dougie Hamilton netted the Game 3 overtime winner and Jonas Siegenthaler rewarded Hischier's pinpoint feed in Game 4. Haula, Dawson Mercer, and Ondrej Palat carried the load Thursday to spotlight the Devils' forward depth.

Subdued forwards to watch

Timo Meier, New Jersey's 40-goal sniper and prized deadline acquisition, hasn't recorded a point despite leading the Devils at five-on-five in shots on net and high-danger shot attempts. He paces the team in hits, drawn penalties, and penalty minutes. Meier's been in the mix, teaming with Hischier and Jesper Bratt to cave in the Rangers and post a 79.8% expected goals rate in their shared minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.

Meier endured two four-game pointless skids in the regular season - one with the Sharks in October and one with the Devils in March. He's stuck in his longest drought since November 2019, though it almost ended Thursday. Demoted to the third line, Meier forced Shesterkin to make splendid glove and arm saves and also drew a holding minor, signaling he has the pep in his step to potentially take over Game 6 no matter where he's deployed.

Meanwhile, the Rangers' second line hung on by a thread over the first four games. Outchanced 27-12 when they skated together at five-on-five, Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Vladimir Tarasenko somehow held the Devils scoreless and punched in two goals themselves, both when Tarasenko ripped a wrister past Vanecek.

That line's luck waned Thursday. Scored against 39 seconds into Game 5, the trio failed to tap the puck over the goal line during a frenzied third-period scramble. Collectively, those three have accounted for one point over the Rangers' three losses. That's obviously insufficient.

The home-road split

The trend that dictated the outcome of Games 1 through 4 was unpersuasive Thursday. The home team is no longer winless in the series, disappointing the Rangers fans who infiltrated Prudential Center but never had reason to cheer.

Game 5 aside, it makes sense that the hosts have struggled in this matchup. New Jersey's rink is a dozen miles from Madison Square Garden, so travel isn't a slog. The Devils and Rangers both collected more points on the road in the regular season than they did at home. Around the NHL, the visitor has prevailed in 24 of 40 playoff games (60%) contested through Thursday. Four playoff clubs, the Rangers among them, have yet to win at home.

Last year, the road team won a mere 35 of 89 playoff games, triumphing at a 39.3% clip. Road squads went 42-45 (48.3% win rate) in the 2018-19 postseason, the year before pandemic protocols barred fans from arenas. The Rangers bouncing back at MSG is statistically probable, but momentum favors the Devils heading into Game 6.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

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The Remington Group, led by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and real estate mogul Christopher Bratty, is prepared to bid $1 billion to purchase the Ottawa Senators, sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

New York-based bank Galatioto Sports Partners, which was hired by the family of Eugene Melnyk to sell the franchise, has set a May 15 deadline for offers.

Reynolds and Bratty are expected to commit to building a new rink close to downtown Ottawa that'll be surrounded by an entertainment district.

The Senators currently play at the Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 and is located in Kanata - more than a 20-minute drive from the city's downtown.

The Remington Group, which is primarily based out of Markham, Ontario, is reportedly just one of seven groups to have met with chief financial officer Erin Crowe, president of business operations Anthony LeBlanc, and general manager Pierre Dorion.

The others include Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, who recently made a $6-billion bid to purchase the NFL's Washington Commanders; Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer; Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, who recently sold their share in the Pittsburgh Penguins; and Vivek Ranadive, who owns the NBA's Sacramento Kings.

Reynolds was born and raised in Vancouver, but he lived in the Ottawa neighborhood of Vanier for a period during his childhood. He has a street named after him in the city after he made a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank early in the pandemic.

The "Deadpool" star has experience in sports ownership. Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney own Welsh football club Wrexham AFC, which has been extremely successful under their watch.

The Senators were given a $655-million valuation by Sportico when they were first set to go up for sale in November. Forbes valued the club at $800 million in December.

The Sens are currently owned by Anna and Olivia Melnyk. They inherited the franchise as part of the estate left to them by their father, Eugene, after he died in March 2022.

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The Vegas Golden Knights cruised to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

The Jets took the first game of the opening-round series, but the Golden Knights won four straight to doom Winnipeg into becoming the first team to be eliminated this spring.

Vegas was in control as soon as the puck dropped on Game 5, with forward Chandler Stephenson scoring less than a minute into the first period.

That trend continued in a three-goal second period, as Mark Stone struck just 42 seconds in. William Karlsson tacked on a little extra insurance, while Stephenson netted his second goal of the game on the power play.

Jets sniper Kyle Connor spoiled ex-teammate Laurent Brossoit's shutout in the third period with the goalie pulled, but it was ultimately too late for Winnipeg to mount a comeback. Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal called back for a missed game stoppage in the final minutes of regulation.

Winnipeg outshot the Golden Knights 31-25, but Brossoit stood tall with a 30-save effort, good for a series-best .968 save percentage on the night. Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 21 shots and he was pulled for the extra attacker with over eight minutes remaining in the contest.

Dynamic Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers made his series debut during the contest, but his return wasn't enough to help Winnipeg overcome absences to key cogs Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele, who were both out with injuries.

The Golden Knights were without a key defenseman of their own - Shea Theodore was a late scratch from the clash with an illness.

Vegas, which failed to make the playoffs for the first time last season, will take on either the Edmonton Oilers or the Los Angeles Kings in Round 2. The Oilers currently hold a 3-2 series lead.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been under siege whenever defenseman Justin Holl has been on the ice during their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but head coach Sheldon Keefe stood by his beleaguered blue-liner after Game 5.

"He's not out there by himself in those situations when he's getting scored on," Keefe said postgame, per Sportsnet.

Holl has been on the ice for 14 of the Bolts' 20 goals through five games - the most of any Maple Leafs player in a single playoff series over the last 10 years, according to Sportsnet Stats. No other Maple Leaf has been out for more than nine this spring.

Holl and partner Mark Giordano were on the ice for three goals against in Thursday's 4-2 Game 5, in which Toronto squandered its first chance to eliminate the Lightning.

Most notably, Holl - who's a league-worst minus-seven in these playoffs - turned around while Mikey Eyssimont rushed down the wing in the Leafs' zone, allowing the Lightning forward to gain more space before scoring from a sharp angle to make it 2-1.

"We need those guys to be better," Keefe conceded. "They were involved in the goals for tonight. … At the same time, they've also done a good job for us at different times in this series."

Holl ranks second on the Maple Leafs in shorthanded ice time per game (3:28) this postseason. The Lightning have scored five power-play goals in 19 opportunities so far.

If Keefe opts to switch up his back end in Game 6, he does have a fresh option in 23-year-old Timothy Liljegren, who has yet to see any action in these playoffs. Liljegren put up 18 points and was plus-24 in 67 regular-season contests in 2022-23.

Toronto's next chance to advance to the second round for the first time since 2004 will come Saturday in Tampa Bay.

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The New Jersey Devils cruised to a 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead over their Metropolitan Division rivals.

Ondrej Palat opened the scoring 39 seconds into the pivotal contest, leading the way for New Jersey to earn its third consecutive victory. Erik Haula scored twice, and Dawson Mercer also found twine in the emphatic win.

Goaltender Akira Schmid made 23 stops to continue an impressive start to his playoff career. Schmid took over the Devils' crease for Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 and only allowed two goals since. He joined Martin Brodeur and Sean Burke as the only goaltenders in New Jersey franchise history to record a playoff shutout.

Although New York didn't manage many shots on target, Schmid's play made a significant impact as the Rangers outchanced the Devils 24-20 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Devils can close out the series Saturday night with a win at Madison Square Garden. A potential Game 7 would be May 1.

New Jersey hasn't advanced past the first round since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

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