Some things are more important than hockey. Today is Bell Let's Talk Day in Canada. By tweeting with the #BellLetsTalk hashtag, you can make a difference. Bell will donate 5-cents to mental health initiatives each time a tweet goes out with that tag attached to it. This is a cause that I, along with the entire hockey community, care about so very deeply. Let's make a difference today. Let's talk.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (31-16-5) have seen a lot through 52 games this season. One thing they haven’t seen, however, is the hockey club that calls Toronto home. Looking to add to their current three game win streak, the Bolts are out on the road for the first of four meetings this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The matchup is key for both Atlantic Division rivals, as they look to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
As alluded to above, Tampa heads into tonight’s game on a big of a hot streak. In its last three games, the team beat the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche victory, which just happens to be the most recent, was by far and away the most impressive. Lightning skaters will most certainly want to build on it tonight, as they face another young, fast team in the Maple Leafs.
In addition to that, recent history between the two clubs has been relatively friendly to the team from Florida. In three games last season, the Lightning went 2-1-0 against the Leafs.
While nothing has been officially announced as of writing time, I’d expect that head coach Jon Cooper will dress a lineup similar to the one that beat the Avalanche on Saturday. Two of the most impressive performers in that contest were Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson. The latter, a Calder Trophy contender, managed to complete his first career hat trick, while the former notched three assists. It’s been a magical season for a number of Lightning players, including those two.
One player who won’t be in the lineup, of course, is star center Steven Stamkos. The Ontario native will miss the chance to play in his home province on this trip, but was scheduled to travel with the team despite dealing with some discomfort in his leg at practice yesterday. The team refused to call the development a setback, but it certainly wasn’t a step forward. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like a major issue; the fact remains that Stamkos is getting closer and closer to returning to the Lightning lineup, and potentially making his Olympic debut in Sochi.
The Maple Leafs, for their part, are a bit of a mixed bag right now. After winning six straight games earlier in the month, Toronto is currently on a two game losing streak. It’s not that back-to-back losses means the end of the world, but the manner in which Toronto lost those games is arguably reason for concern. A 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Stars and then a weird overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets left the Leafs at a loss for words. Interestingly enough, though, that’s sort of been the story of Toronto’s season. Superb goaltending from Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer at the start of the year masked possession issues. As the goaltending has cooled down, the Leafs have slid down the standings.
If you’re curious as to what I’m talking about, look no further than the Fenwick-for statistic. The Maple Leafs have the second worst FF% in the entire league; only the Buffalo Sabres are worse. It’s hard for goaltenders to consistently steal games when they are facing truckloads of rubber night in and night out.
As much as Toronto has struggled possession-wise, the Leafs do boast a number of assets that have the potential to wreak havoc on the Lightning. Phil Kessel, in particular, can singlehandedly lead that team to victory. Few guys in the game today can score goals like Toronto’s #81. Look for Radko Gudas and Matt Carle to get the assignment against his line. Building on that, note that I’ve already mentioned that Bernier and Reimer have stolen numerous games this year. There’s no reason that either one of them couldn’t do that tonight.
At the end of the day, tonight’s tilt is a big one for both clubs. The Leafs are looking to solidifying their positioning in the playoff picture, while the Lightning desperately want to keep pace with the Atlantic-leading Boston Bruins. A lot is on the line. Hopefully the game delivers oodles of entertainment and a Lightning win.
As always, thanks for reading.