Schedule and 2021-22 Results:
Regular Season Records: Toronto 54-21-7=115pts, Tampa Bay 51-23-8=110pts
Game 1 on Monday, 02 May: Tampa Bay loses at Toronto, 5-goals-nil
Game 2 on Wednesday, 04 May: Tampa Bay wins at Toronto, 5-goals-3
Game 3 on Friday, 06 May: Toronto wins at Tampa Bay, 5-goals-2
Game 4 on Sunday, 08 May: Toronto loses at Tampa Bay, 7-goals-3
Game 5 on Tuesday, 10 May: Tampa Bay loses at Toronto, 4-goals-3
Game 6 on Thursday, 12 May: Toronto loses at Tampa Bay, 4-goals-3(OT)
Game 7 on Saturday, 14 May: Tampa Bay wins at Toronto, 2-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-goals-1 to complete a 4-games-3 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 victory. With the series 1486 win, the Tampa Bay Lightning improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 23-10 (with a nine-series winning streak befitting a two-time defending NHL champion) overall and 9-5 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1486 loss, the Toronto Maple Leafs see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 35-44 (with an active seven-series losing streak) overall and 8-11 (with an active six-series losing streak in the Preliminary round) in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Tampa Bay Lightning in series 1486 was LWLWLWW: Series 1486 thus becomes the sixth NHL Preliminary-round series, the 15th NHL series (all rounds), and the 25th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The Tampa Bay Lightning also won series 1255 (in the 2014 NHL Preliminary round) and series 920 (the 2004 NHL Finals) via a LWLWLWW win order.

After Game 6: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and bested the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-goals-3(OT) to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 at 3-games-all. When tied 3-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a Game 7 record of 12-13, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have a Game 7 record of 6-3. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 7-2 Game 7 record at home. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a 2-2 Game 7 record on road ice. The Tampa Bay Lightning trailed the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by a goal as late as 9:19 into the third period, but won series 1486 Game 6: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games (1939-2021, inclusive), home teams down a goal as late as 9:19 into the third period had a game record of 123-526 (.190); Tampa Bay thus achieves a Grade-B (.100 - .199) comeback victory in series 1486 Game 6.

After Game 5: The Toronto Maple Leafs hosted and bested the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-goals-3 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series record of 19-7 and a Game 6 record of 13-13 (with an active five-Game 6 losing streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 3-4 and a Game 6 record of 4-3. The Toronto Maple Leafs trailed by two goals at home as late as 3:34 into the second period, but won their series 1486 Game 5 against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games (1939-2021, inclusive), home teams down two goals 3:34 into the second period had a game record of 54-289 (.157). So it is that the Toronto Maple Leafs achieve a Grade-B (.100 - .199) comeback in series 1486 Game 5.

After Game 4: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-goals-3 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series record of 20-17 and a Game 5 record of 20-17, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 6-6 and a Game 5 record of 6-6.

After Game 3: The Toronto Maple Leafs visited and defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-goals-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series record of 18-11 and a Game 4 record of 10-19. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 4-5 and a Game 4 record of 6-3 (with an active four-Game 4 winning streak). Leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series WLW @ HHV (as the Toronto Maple Leafs now do in series 1486), Toronto has a 2-0 series record; trailing such a series LWL @ VVH (as the Tampa Bay Lightning now do in series 1486), Tampa Bay has a 1-1 series record.

After Game 2: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and bested the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-goals-3 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series record of 16-23 (with an active four-series losing streak) and a Game 3 record of 17-22, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 12-6 (with an active five-series winning streak) and a Game 3 record of 12-6 (with an active five-Game 3 winning streak). The series 1486 Game 2 victory by the Tampa Bay Lightning extends their best-of-7 NHL playoff Game 2 winning streak (irrespective of Game 1 outcome) to eight games.

After Game 1: The Toronto Maple Leafs hosted and shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-goals-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1486 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series record of 19-14 and a Game 2 record of 18-15. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 10-8 and a Game 2 record of 13-5. The Toronto Maple Leafs win a Game 1 by shutout for the first time since series 831 in the 2001 NHL Quarterfinals, when the Leafs whitewashed the New Jersey Devils. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series, teams winning Game 1 by shutout at home with five or more goals have a 16-2 series record with an active 16-series winning streak. Leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Toronto Maple Leafs have seen their Game 2 outcome presage their series outcome in their last eight such series (three wins, five losses). Trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have seen their Game 2 outcome presage their series outcome in their last seven such series (five wins, two losses). Irrespective of Game 1 outcome, the Tampa Bay Lightning own an active seven-Game 2 winning streak in best-of-7 NHL playoff series.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2021-22 NHL regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs finished five points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. From 1939 through the 2021 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by five regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 27-17 (.614) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1486 is the 79th best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the 33rd for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an all-rounds series record of 35-43 (with an active six-series losing streak), a Preliminary-round series record of 8-10 (with an active five-series losing streak in the Preliminary round), and a Game 1 record of 33-45, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have an all-rounds series record of 22-10 (with an active eight-series winning streak befitting a reigning two-time defending NHL champion), a Preliminary-round series record of 8-5, and a Game 1 record of 14-18. Series 1486 is the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning.