TAMPA, Fla. — Hundreds gathered at Amalie Arena Sunday evening to cheer on the Bolts to a Game 4 win to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-3.
"The playoffs are just a higher level," one Bolts fan, Scott Tomasini, said. "Every seat is filled and it’s wall to wall people."
The Bolts started the game on fire with three goals in the first period. The Bolts would go on to score four more times, holding the Maple Leafs to three points scored in the final period.
"You have to experience this now because you might not experience it again. Some fans experience it once every 10 years or less than that," Tomasini said.
Both Bolts and Maple Leafs fans packed into Thunder Alley to watch the game. "We’re nervous, but we have faith," one Bolts fan said during the game.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans shared that same uneasiness.
"Stressed, I worry about Tampa because they’re two time former champs," a Maple Leafs fan, Peter Lush, said.
Inside Amalie Arena, both teams clashed. It could be because both teams' jerseys were royal blue.
"They’re lucky they blend in or they’d be getting booed a little bit more," one Lightning fan, Ty Harman, stated.
Despite the competition, all fans agreed this game felt special.
"We’re kind of spoiled. So it’s like enjoy this moment because if we’re in the playoffs this year and next year, we’re not going to have the same team for the next five years," Tomasini said.