Lightning at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are losing ground in the race for second place in the Atlantic Division despite a 6-1-1 run, and it won’t get any easier when they host the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. The Maple Leafs are four points behind Boston, which went 19 games without a regulation loss before Sunday's setback, for the second spot in the Atlantic after a 2-0-1 trek through Western Canada that ended with a 3-2 win at Edmonton on Saturday.
“Besides the last minute and a half (two goals allowed), I think we played essentially a pretty perfect road game,” Toronto center Nazem Kadri told reporters after returning Saturday from an eight-game absence due to a concussion. “We took away their speed, which is how they’re most effective. (We were) pretty responsible with the puck and took advantage of our chances.” The Maple Leafs will need a similar effort against the Atlantic-leading Lightning, who top the league in scoring (3.77 per game) and power-play percentage (28.6) after a 3-2 triumph Saturday against Detroit at home. Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov, who had three points as the teams split two meetings earlier this season, tops the league with 110 and passed Vincent Lecavalier (108) for the most in a single campaign for a Lightning player. “It’s special for me and my family, definitely,” Kucherov told reporters. “I don’t think many people believed in me and I’m just trying to prove them wrong. … Thanks to all the guys for helping me out. Without them I wouldn’t have this much success.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, FS Sun (Tampa Bay, Sportsnet Ontario (Toronto)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (52-13-4): Kucherov scored twice Saturday to push his season total to 33 goals and is one of three players who have a chance at reaching 40 with Brayden Point (37) and captain Steven Stamkos (34) closing in. Stamkos, who had a goal taken away on an offsides after video review Saturday, has just one goal in his last nine games and remains one shy of Lecavalier’s franchise scoring record (383). Veteran defensemen Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi missed Saturday’s game with lower-body injuries while forward Adam Erne also sat out with an upper-body ailment and the trio is considered day-to-day.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (42-21-5): John Tavares matched his career high with his 38th goal Saturday and boasts eight of his 76 points in the last four contests. “I just want to keep trying to improve my game in all parts of the ice,” Tavares told reporters. “I believe in myself, and I think playing with some pretty good players throughout the our lineup and most of the year with (Mitch Marner) and (Zach Hyman), you’re going to get great opportunities.” Marner leads the team with 82 points - 13 in the last eight contests - and Morgan Rielly tops all defensemen in the league with 18 goals after scoring three in the past four games.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay G Andrei Vasilevskiy (31 wins, .931 save percentage) turned aside 75 of 79 shots against Toronto earlier this season.
2. Toronto G Frederik Andersen (33 wins .924 SP) is 6-0-1 in his last seven outings overall, but just 3-7-1 all time versus the Lightning.
3. Tampa Bay D Jan Rutta, acquired from Chicago earlier this season, had two shots in 9 minutes, 11 seconds of playing time Saturday in his club debut.