John Tavares hailed by Toronto Maple Leafs fans as he scores hat trick in Game 2

John Tavares has cemented his place as a hero among Toronto Maple Leafs fans after his impressive hat trick in Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs responded in style after their Game 1 disappointment with a dominant 7-2 victory to level the series at 1-1.

John Tavares was the standout performer of the game, showcasing his clinical finishing and exceptional skill to take the game away from the Lightning. The captain opened the scoring in the first period with a well-placed wrist shot, before adding a backhand goal in the second period to extend the Leafs' lead.

With just five minutes left in the game, the hat trick was completed as John Tavares pounced on a rebound to send the Leafs faithful into raptures. This was the first playoff hat-trick by a Leafs player in two decades.

The hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning sparked a flurry of reactions on Twitter from NHL fans.

As the series moves to Tampa Bay for Game 3, the Leafs hope to continue their momentum and take a crucial lead. With John Tavares in fine form, the team is confident they can achieve their playoff ambitions and bring glory back to Toronto.

John Tavares-led Maple Leafs dominate Lightning to even Playoff Series

The Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back from a disastrous Game 1 with a resounding 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to even their first-round playoff series at 1-1. John Tavares recorded his first playoff hat trick, while Mitch Marner scored twice and set up another. William Nylander and Zach Aston-Reese also contributed to the Leafs' offense. Morgan Rielly tied a franchise record with four assists, and Auston Matthews added two of his own. Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves for Toronto.

The Lightning, without injured top-4 defencemen Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak, got goals from Ian Cole and Corey Perry, who also dropped gloves with Justin Holl in the third period.

Toronto got off to a great start with a power-play goal by Marner just 47 seconds into the game. After surviving two Lightning power plays, Tavares and Nylander scored to put the Leafs up by three. Cole pulled one back for Tampa, but Tavares and Marner struck again before the end of the second period. The Leafs' fourth line got in on the action when Aston-Reese scored, and Tavares completed his hat trick on a man advantage in the third period.

Game 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played in Florida on Saturday and Monday.