Lightning 2, Maple Leafs 1
TORONTO -- Center Tyler Johnson scored twice and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Monday night.
It was the seventh win in a row for the Lightning (37-22-4) and the second loss in a row for the rebuilding Maple Leafs (21-30-10).
Johnson left the game in Boston on Sunday, a 4-1 win over the Bruins by the Lightning, in the third period after being hit in the face by a puck but came back strong against the Leafs.
Garret Sparks stopped 26 shots in the Toronto goal in his sixth game with the Maple Leafs this season.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves for Tampa Bay in his 18th game of the season and was deprived of his third career shutout on a goal by Toronto center Nazem Kadri late in the third period.
Vasilevskiy shut out the Maple Leafs on Jan. 27 in Tampa.
Tampa Bay outshot Toronto 15-9 in the goal-less first period. Sparks made some good saves, including a sprawling, stick effort on Lightning center Valtteri Filppula. Center Steven Stamkos, who had scored in each of his previous six games, also hit a post behind Sparks.
The Lightning had defenseman Jason Garrison back after he missed 10 games with a lower-body injury suffered Feb. 8 in a game at Ottawa.
The Leafs had four players making their NHL debuts -- centers William Nylander and Zach Hyman and right wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Nikita Soshnikov.
Johnson flicked a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past Sparks at 4:53 of the second period for his first goal of the game to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
Johnson scored an unassisted goal from close range that squirted past Sparks at 15:28 of the second for his second goal of the game and his 11th of the season.
Each team had 20 shots on goal after two periods.
The Leafs scored at 17:45 of the third on a shot by Kadri from the right faceoff circle. It was his 12th goal of the season and came with Sparks removed for an extra attacker. The Lightning were able to hold off pressure from the Maple Leafs in the final minute.
NOTES: Toronto recalled C William Nylander, RW Kasperi Kapanen, RW Nikita Soshnikov, C Zach Hyman, RW Ben Smith and D Connor Carrick from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. RW Mark Arcobello, LW Brendan Leipsic, LW Josh Leivo and D Stuart Percy were loaned to the Marlies. ... The Leafs traded C Daniel Winnik and a fifth-round draft pick (from the Anaheim Ducks) to the Washington Capitals on Sunday for Carrick, C Brooks Laich and a second-round pick in the 2016 draft. ... The Lightning assigned D Matt Taormina to Syracuse of the AHL. ... Tampa Bay did not make a deal before the trade deadline Monday. ... The Maple Leafs visit the Capitals on Wednesday. ... The Lightning conclude a four-game trip Thursday in Ottawa when they play the Senators.