Lightning at Maple Leafs Preview: Lightning look for a little payback

Game #12
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Scotiabank Arena
Broadcast/Streaming: NHL Network

Opponent’s Site: Bay Street Blues

Preview

Lightning vs. Leafs! It’s starting to be a fun match-up between these two teams, isn’t it?

Tonight’s match-up features two teams that aren’t quite where they (or there fans expect them to be). Although they both have winning records and are technically in playoff spots, there is a feeling they should be better. The Bolts have left points on the table in a few games (like the last time these two teams met) while the Maple Leafs are on a four-game losing streak, not having tasted sweet, sweet victory since a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on October 26th.

As you can imagine, the fans and media in The Big Smoke are handling things well during the recent skid. The big guns are gunning as Auston Matthews as 11 goals in 11 games and William Nylander (always the player I’m most terrified of when the Lightning are playing Toronto) has 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists). Mitch Marner and John Tavares are averaging more than a point a game, but when the top two lines are on the bench, they aren’t getting much of anything from their depth forwards.

Tyler Bertuzzi (2 goals), Matthew Knies (2 goals), Calle Jarnkrok (1 goal) and Noah Gregor (1 goal) are it as far as production from folks outside of their big four. As we saw with the Lightning earlier in the season, getting scoring from just a handful of folks isn’t a sustained recipe for success in the league.

As for Tampa Bay they have to find the energy and game-plan execution that they displayed in the first two periods of the game against Ottawa. Things got a little sideways in the third period, but they showed some resiliency, striking back whenever the Senators showed signs of life.

There is a good chance that Tyler Motte returns to the line-up tonight. He was rotating with Mikey Eyssimont on the second line during the morning skate and if he’s cleared by the staff should pop right back into that spot with Eyssimont dropping down to the fourth line in the place of Austin Watson.

The Lightning snapped their road losing streak in their last game, now it would be nice if they could start a winning streak.

Stats Match-up

Lines

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forwards
Brandon Hagel – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Alex Barré-Boulet – Anthony Cirelli – Mikey Eyssimont
Steven Stamkos – Nick Paul – Conor Sheary
Tanner Jeannot – Luke Glendening – Austin Watson / Tyler Motte

Defenders
Victor Hedman – Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev – Darren Raddysh
Calvin de Haan – Nick Perbix

Goalies
Jonas Johansson
Matt Tomkins

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Forwards
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Tyler Bertuzzi – John Tavares – William Nylander

Nicholas Robertson – Max Domi – Calle Jarnkrok

Noah Gregor – David Kampf – Ryan Reaves

Defenders
Morgan Reilly – TJ Brodie

Mark Giordano – John Klingberg

William Lagesson – Simon Benoit

Goalies
Ilya Samsonov

Justin Woll

Question of the Night

Can the Lightning build on their win against Ottawa and take advantage of a struggling Leafs team?