Toronto Maple Leafs Make Lineup Changes For Game 3

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to get back on track for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions delivered quite the counterpunch in Game 2 and Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is hopeful some lineup tinkering will help keep his team in the fight.

Keefe has decided to sit forward Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Timothy Liljegren in favor of Jason Spezza to center the fourth line and Justin Holl to join the blue line. Simmonds was a huge factor in Game 2 for all the wrong reasons and this move could be seen from a mile away. You'll notice Keefe's tone with his lineup has completely changed since Game 1 after Kyle Clifford and Simmonds went from fourth-line staples to watching the game together in the press box:

Nylander and Tavares reunite.
Holl, Spezza appear to enter series.

Leafs Game 3 morning skate:

Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Nylander-Tavares-Anderson (likely placeholder for Kase)
Mikheyev-Kampf-Kerfoot
Engvall-Blackwell-Spezza

Rielly-Lyubushkin
Muzzin-Brodie
Giordano-Holl
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 6, 2022

For the Lightning it's been a story of two very different hockey games as their giants woke up in Game 2. Tampa Bay's been led by Victor Hedman's four points, and all five of the Stanley Cup playoff goals have been scored by different players.

Maple Leafs Bus Ride Causing a Stir

If you noticed a ton of questions regarding a bus ride the past 24 hours you weren't alone. The Maple Leafs decided to bus to Buffalo and board a plane to Tampa Bay instead of dealing with the COVID testing required to fly from Toronto to Tampa Bay direct. 'Vintage' Spezza had this to say about the ordeal:

Jason Spezza, on the #leafs decision to bus to Buffalo before flying to Tampa: "That's above my pay grade. I get on the bus when they tell me to get on the bus. I get on the plane when they tell me to get on the plane. As long as it all leads to the arena I'm pretty happy."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 6, 2022