Maple Leafs 4, Lightning 1
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs, which are last in the National Hockey League, defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the best in the NHL, 4-1 Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 18,874 at Air Canada Centre.
The Leafs received goals from defenseman Connor Carrick, right winger Ben Smith, both were their initial markers as with Toronto, center Zach Hyman and right winger P.A. Parenteau.
Center Brian Boyle scored Tampa's only goal against Toronto netminder Jonathan Bernier.
With the win, the Leafs improved to 24-34-11. The Leafs have shown some improvement in the last few games, and have earned the praise of Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who has been looking to get a glimpse of the future with the efforts of the current players.
The Lightning, battling with Florida to try to overtake Boston as the leader in the Atlantic Division, dropped to 40-25-5.
Carrick opened the scoring at 13:34 of the second period on a blast from the right point. Carrick was acquired by the Leafs along with winger Brooks Laich in the deal that sent Daniel Winnik to Washington on Feb. 29. Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello reportedly had been so high on Carrick that he demanded the 21-year-old be included in the deal. The goal was preceded by a lot of traffic in and around Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Vasilevskiy has played exclusively against the Leafs this season while Ben Bishop has been rested by coach Jon Cooper. Vasilevskiy made some incredible acrobatic saves in the third period with the Leafs buzzing around his net.
Boyle tied the game at 6:33 of the third with his 11th goal of the season, wristing a shot from the slot following a pass from behind the net by former Leafs defenseman Anton Stralman.
Smith scored the go-ahead goal at 9:07 on a rebound following a save by Vasilevskiy. Smith was acquired in the deal that sent goalie James Reimer to San Jose on Feb. 27, and the 27-year-old has been receiving some valuable ice time with the Leafs.
Hyman put the game away at 18:27 with an empty-net goal following a pass by Smith. Hyman has three goals in nine games since recalled by the Leafs from the American Hockey League. Parenteau added another empty-net goal at 19:47. Hyman assisted on the play as did defenseman Martin Marincin, who had two assists.
Both teams came into the game off of shutout wins -- the Lightning beating Columbus 4-0 and the Leafs recording a 1-0 victory over Detroit.
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who is set to become a free agent in the offseason unless he and the team come to an agreement on a new deal, had a rather ordinary game. Not only was he held off the scoresheet, but he took two minor penalties. On the second minor, he was given a face wash by Leaf center Peter Holland, who received a double minor. Stamkos came into the game with a goal in eight of his last 13 games and a total of 13 points.
In Stamkos' first game against the Leafs earlier this season, he had become the focal point because of his contract status. There is hope in Leafs nation that Stamkos, who grew in the Greater Toronto Area, will sign with Toronto if he does indeed become a free agent. There was a tepid “we want Stamkos” cheer by some in the crowd of 18,874.
NOTES: C Zach Hyman, C William Nylander and RW Nikita Soshnikov played their ninth games for the Maple Leafs and await whether they will remain with the team or be returned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. If the Leafs keep the three with the parent team, it will burn a year of their entry-level contracts by playing 10 games in the NHL. Leaf coach Mike Babcock already was quoted as saying Hyman and Soshnikov are "here to stay." ... Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov returned to the lineup after leaving midway through a 4-0 win over Columbus on Sunday when sucker-punched by Blue Jackets D Dalton Prout. The NHL handed Prout a one-game suspension on Tuesday. ... Lightning G Andrei Vasilevskiy entered the game having played three times against the Leafs this season and three times against the Leafs' AHL team while with the Syracuse Crunch. ... RW Mike Blunden played his second game since recalled from Syracuse. ... Lightning injuries: C Valtteri Filpulla (upper body), C Cedric Paquette (lower body). Leaf injuries: D Matt Hunwick (sports hernia), LW Joffrey Lupul (sports hernia), C Tyler Bozak (upper body), C Byron Froese (broken hand) and LW James Van Riemsdyk (foot).