The unsung heroes get to Andrei Vasilevskiy as the Leafs’ regain their advantage in series with Lightning

TAMPA, FLA.-The Maple Leafs have no shortage of goal-scoring heroes in their midst. But it was their unsung heroes - chief among them David Kampf - who got the job done on Friday night.

Kampf scored what held up as the winner as the Leafs reasserted control over their first-round series, leading two games to one after a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

He doesn't score unimportant goals," Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. He's been really good in that regard. It speaks to his character that he's level-headed and even-keeled. He doesn't have any huge swings in emotion or energy. In those moments, he can make a play and doesn't panic or anything like that."

The goal was Kampf's second of the playoffs. The Leafs are a perfect 13-0 this season when he scores a goal.

I didn't know that," Kampf said. Hopefully, it will keep going."

Kampf's offensive output is a big improvement than the single goal he scored last year with the Blackhawks. The Leafs signed him for his defensive ability but they believed there was more to his game.

We certainly knew that he had way more ability than a one-goal scorer," Keefe said. He's got a good skill set. Watch the way he can handle the puck, the way he protects the puck. He can skate with it, can make a pass and shoot it. So we knew we had way more offence in him but that's not what he's here for, especially on this team. He's got other guys that do that.

But he does a ton of little things that help us win. And it just so happens, this time of year, you need some people at different times to step out of character a little bit. Tonight I think that was the case."

Building belief

It's getting to the point where Leafs Nation might actually believe the team will win a series for the first time since 2004. They're halfway there, doing things to the Lightning no one has been able to do through the previous two Stanley Cup playoffs. The Leafs are winning puck battles, thwarting Tampa Bay's top stars and scoring in bunches on Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Leafs are familiar with facing elite goalies in the playoffs. Boston's Tuukka Rask and Montreal's Carey Price are big reasons why the Leafs didn't get out of the first round in recent years. And beating Vasilevskiy seemed like it might be an impossible task. He was next to unbeatable in Tampa's consecutive Cup runs.

Vasilevskiy entered Game 3 having allowed one goal or fewer in each of his last five playoff starts at home. But the Leafs ended that run as Morgan Rielly, Colin Blackwell and Kampf built a 3-0 lead against Vasilevskiy, and Ilya Mikheyev scored twice into an empty net to seal the win.

We stuck with it," Auston Matthews said. Getting out to a lead early really benefitted us and (Jack) Campbell made some unbelievable saves. All throughout our lineup, guys stepped up when they had to and made plays when they needed to.

That's what the playoffs are all about. There's always guys that elevate their game and come through at certain times."

The Leafs have now managed 13 goals in three games, 11 against Vasilevskiy.

We've had some good fortune on some shots but we've done a good job of generating chances and good looks," Keefe said. Seems like some of our best chances haven't gone in."

That was a reference to a Matthews opportunity and a missed breakaway by Mikheyev.

We found a way, in two out of three games, to get enough (goals) to win. Getting to three was important. It would have been nice to get to four. Little bit less stressful."

Campbell stars

Campbell outdueled Vasilevskiy, a former Vezina and Conn Smythe winner. Ross Colton and Ondrej Palat beat Campbell but he weathered the Lightning storm in the third period and stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced overall, including a big stop on a Steve Stamkos one-timer. The Lightning have managed just seven goals over the three games.

We bent a little bit," Keefe said. We knew that they're going to push. But we didn't break."

History says the third game can be pivotal. Teams that take a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven series hold a series record of 369-158 (.700), including a 7-4 mark in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Both teams played a more disciplined version of hockey compared to the first two penalty-filled contests, something both coaches expected as players adapted to the high standards the referees have set in terms of not letting players get away with shenanigans after the whistle.

However the game's called or however the mistakes that are made, it's about execution," Keefe said. It's just a matter of playing hard and being smart. That's the biggest thing. Keep our sticks down and keep our hands to ourselves and get body positioning."

Shuffled lines

Keefe jumbled his lines a fair bit toward the end of the regular season. It wasn't because the players weren't playing well; he simply wanted his players to be comfortable with multiple linemates and multiple positions. And, when the puck dropped for Game 3, the Leafs were ready for Keefe's game of line chess. The Lightning, with the last change, could focus on shutting down Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who combined for 10 points in the first two games. So Keefe reunited William Nylander and John Tavares.

Keefe had an interesting take on matching lines when you're the visiting team.

You have a pretty good sense of who is going to be coming over the boards for them and then you can put out the line you want in that case," he said. Then, if they don't put them out, well, that's a bit of a win because their best people aren't going out. That's why, oftentimes, sometimes even if you control the matchup, maybe it's not the ideal matchup. You need to get your best people in those offensive spots as much as you can."

Those top two lines essentially played each other to standstill while the Leafs' third- and fourth-liners did most of the damage. Pierre Engvall had three assists, two on Mikheyev's empty netters, and he started the 3-on-1 rush that resulted in Blackwell's goal.

Building the lead

The Leafs built a 3-1 lead after two periods with hard work. They were by far the better team in the first period, winning more puck battles and dominating play and keeping Tampa Bay hemmed in its own zone.

But just like Games 1 and 2, special teams were the story of the period, with Rielly scoring on a power play. It was his 22nd point in the playoffs, and he moved past Dmitri Mironov for 10th all time among Leafs defencemen.

The prettiest goal, off Blackwell's stick, gave Toronto a 2-0 lead. The Leafs had just killed a penalty to Ilya Lyubushkin when the defenceman came out of the box, joined what turned into a 3-on-1 rush, and fooled everyone in the building with a pass to Blackwell, who made no mistake with Vasilevskiy well out of his net.

The Leafs added to the lead in the second period with Kampf's second goal of the playoffs, before Ross Colton got Tampa Bay on the board.

Spezza time

It was the first game of this year's playoffs for Jason Spezza and Justin Holl after both were healthy scratches in the first two games.

It's the best time of year to play hockey," Spezza said. I don't think words can describe how hard it is to watch a game when you're a player. It was difficult, but it's part of the process of being on a team. And we have a great team here. We need to use our depth through the playoffs. But as a player, (sitting) is one of the hardest things to do."

Timothy Liljegren and Wayne Simmonds were scratched Friday.

We were just at point in the series where we need to get Spezza involved," Keefe said. We've moved our defence around all season. In the first couple of games, there's been times Liljegren's inexperience has showed up a little bit. It's been a lot for him to take on. And now we're on the road. We don't control the matchups. Holl has been a really big part of our penalty-killing all season."

Spezza played 8:23, with two shots, and won three of his four faceoffs.

Spezza gave us some really good touches," Keefe said. You can see his poise and confidence out there. He made a lot of smart plays with the puck. I was really happy with that."

Kevin McGran is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran