Devils at Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to seal their spot in the playoffs and a loss to the visiting New Jersey Devils on Saturday will make that quest more difficult with a four-game road trip to end the regular season looming. Tampa Bay put forth a lackluster effort in a 3-0 loss to draft lottery-bound Montreal on Thursday, dropping to 3-2-0 on its final homestand.
“We need a lot better than that,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told the Tampa Tribune. “It can’t be in spurts, it has to be more consistent than that, and that’s something we have been battling of late.” The Lightning, who trail first-place Florida by two points in the Atlantic Division, scored a total of 13 goals in the first two games of the homestand but have managed five in the last three, with Ben Bishop’s heroic shutout performance against Toronto salvaging one contest. New Jersey is on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention after a 3-2 loss at Florida on Thursday. The Devils are expected to have All-Star Cory Schneider back in net Saturday for the first time since March 4 due to a knee injury.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (37-33-8): A loss or a victory by Philadelphia officially will end New Jersey’s chances for the postseason as it has dropped three of its last four contests (1-2-1). Kyle Palmieri, who leads the team with 54 points, needs one goal to reach 30 for the first time in his career but is mired in a four-game drought while Travis Zajac has scored twice in three contests. Jordin Tootoo (wrist surgery) is lost for the season while defenseman David Schlemko (upper body) and Jacob Josefson (wrist) could return to the lineup Saturday.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (44-28-5): Coach Jon Cooper told reporters Friday, “Nobody’s pointing fingers at anybody. We’ve put ourselves in a great position to make the playoffs. We still have work to do.” The Lightning managed three shots in the third period Thursday and have been out of sync since defenseman Anton Stralman (fractured fibula) went down on March 25. Stamkos, who has recorded team highs of 36 goals and 64 points, and blue-liner Victor Hedman (club-best 36 assists) missed practice Friday for body maintenance but are expected to play.
OVERTIME
1. Bishop’s next appearance will be his 193rd for the Lightning, passing Nikolai Khabibulin for second place on the team’s all-time list among goaltenders behind Daren Puppa (206).
2. New Jersey D John Moore, who has gone seven contests without a point, is slated to play his 300th NHL game on Saturday.
3. The Lightning allowed just 21 shots in a 4-0 road victory over the Devils on Feb. 26 and the teams meet again in New Jersey on April 7.