Maroon on playoff officiating: 'It feels like pre-season'

While the playoffs usually see a significant decrease in penalties, five-on-five playing time has been at times hard to come by in the first-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tuesday's Game 4 saw 11 power-play opportunities between the two teams and brought the series total to 52 power-play opportunities through five games.

"It feels like preseason," Lightning forward Patrick Maroon said Wednesday of the officiating standard being enforced.

Pat Maroon on the officiating standard for #Leafs-#Bolts: "It feels like pre-season."

Of the five games, only the Maple Leafs 5-3 win in Game 3 saw fewer than 11 penalties called, when a total of eight power plays were handed out. 

Despite the extended power play time, only 10 of the 37 goals in the series have been scored on the man advantage. Both teams were limited to one power-play goal for the third straight contest in Game 5, which pushed the back-to-back champion Lightning to the brink of elimination.

“The series isn’t over yet," Maroon added. "We still have a lot of life. Lot of hockey to be played.”

The Lightning, who will host Game 6 on Thursday night, have not lost back-to-back playoff games since being swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets.