Lightning at Maple Leafs
The Tampa Bay Lightning may be without three key performers when they visit the league-worst Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Center Valtteri Filppula (upper body) and right wing Nikita Kucherov (undisclosed) left Tampa Bay’s 4-0 victory at Columbus on Sunday while physical forward Cedric Paquette (lower body) could miss his second straight contest.
The Lightning must show depth, but they have been at their best on the road of late with seven victories in the last eight away from home to stay in a battle for first place in the Atlantic Division with Boston and Florida. Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos recorded a pair of goals Sunday to reach 30 (31) for the fifth time in eight years and boasts 32 points in 28 games against the Maple Leafs, who will likely go hard after the Markham, Ontario, native if he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. Toronto has shown some spunk while going 2-1-1 in its last four contests, including Sunday’s 1-0 triumph at Detroit. The Maple Leafs have dropped all three meetings with the Lightning this season – two of them at home.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), TSN4 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (40-24-5): Tampa Bay finished Sunday’s game with nine active forwards in the physical game which saw Kucherov, who shares the team lead with Stamkos at 55 points, received a sucker punch from Columbus defenseman Dalton Prout. Vladislav Namestnikov, whose goal beat Toronto in overtime earlier this season, stepped up with his career-best 12th goal Sunday. Ben Bishop has allowed one goal or fewer in five of the last seven games, but backup Andrei Vasilevskiy is 3-0-0 against the Leafs this season.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (23-24-11): Jonathan Bernier, who is 3-2-1 with a .922 save percentage against Tampa Bay, came through with 38 saves for his third shutout of the season Sunday. “Things have not gone good for him and he has continued to battle hard and work hard, which you appreciate as a coach,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock told reporters of Bernier (8-18-3). “… Hopefully this can be the start of him playing the way he is capable of playing.” Forward Michael Grabner snapped a 30-game goal drought with the winner Sunday.
OVERTIME
1. Toronto C Nazem Kadri was kept off the scoresheet Sunday, but had six shots on goal and leads the team with 37 points – one better than RW Leo Komarov.
2. Tampa Bay LW Ondrej Palat boasts six goals and three assists with a plus-10 rating in his last nine contests.
3. The Lightning are 0-for-16 on the power play over the last seven games and Toronto has killed 12-for-12 over the past five.