Monday game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs
Lightning forward Stamkos has scored 20 goals for the ninth time.
Monday game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Star
Andrei Vasilevskiy, left, posted his league-leading 33rd win Saturday. (Chris O'Meara / The Associated Press)
By
Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter
Sun., Feb. 11, 2018
AIR CANADA CENTRE
PUCK DROP: 7 p.m.
TV: TSN
RADIO: TSN 1050
KEY PLAYERS
Vasilevskiy/Andersen
This game should pit two of the leading Vezina Trophy candidates against each other. Tampa Bay’s
Andrei Vasilevskiy has the inside track on the award: He faced a season- high 44 shots Saturday in a 4-3 win over Los Angeles, including brilliant stops on Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Vasilevskiy won his NHL leading 33rd game, and is 6-1-0 in his last seven outings.
Frederik Andersen has also been in good form, with three straight wins and six in his last eight.
NEED TO KNOW
Leafs winger
Nikita Soshnikov finished his five-game conditioning stint with the Marlies on Sunday, and is due back with the team . . . Saturday reports suggested the Leafs, not surprisingly, will not shop impending free agent
James van Riemsdyk at the trade deadline. He leads the Leafs in shots with 166, and is second in goals with 22 . . . Markham native
Steven Stamkos fired his 20th goal of the season last week, giving him nine 20-goal seasons and tying him with
Martin St. Louis for second in Lightning history.
UP NEXT
Wednesday, vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.
Game Day: Lightning at Maple Leafs
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Game Day: Lightning at Maple Leafs
Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (MIKE EHRMANN/Getty Images files)
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Monday, 7 p.m., Air Canada Centre
TV: TSN4, Radio: 1050 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
Brayden Point vs. Morgan Rielly
While Rielly might see more of the Steven Stamkos line, you can bet he will be wary if he goes up against the small but speedy Point. Rielly and Point know each other well, going back to their days as teammates from 2011-13 with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Rielly has hit a career high with 28 assists while Point, two years Rielly’s junior, has been solid for Tampa Bay in his two NHL seasons.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
Tampa D a challenge
It was one thing for the Maple Leafs to overwhelm the Ottawa Senators with a relentless forecheck on Saturday; it will be quite another to make Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman, and the deep Lightning defence corps look foolish. Mike Babcock is fond of saying he always wants more. The Leafs’ cohesion will have to be close to perfect on Monday.
Pride of Markham
Rumours of a Leafs trade involving Steven Stamkos died a quick death when he re-signed with Tampa Bay two years ago. Stamkos always has loved playing against the Leafs, putting up 38 points in 32 games (against only Atlanta/Winnipeg and Florida does Stamkos have more). One of Auston Matthews or Nazem Kadri will try to keep him in check.
Matthews and friends
The line of Kadri between Mitch Marner and Patrick Marleau produced 10 points versus Ottawa, and Matthews, William Nylander and Zach Hyman worked some magic with the puck too. The Leafs have been shut out twice this season, with one of the zeroes coming versus Tampa Bay on Jan. 2. Matthews will be among those wanting to atone.
Then there’s Kucherov
Hands up, all two of you, who had Nikita Kucherov winning the Art Ross Trophy. Kucherov, who Morgan Rielly once told us was one of the more underrated players in the NHL, is in the driver’s seat with a league-high 69 points. After going 11 games without a goal, Kucherov, whose release is just one of his weapons, has scored in consecutive games.
Goalie duel on tap?
Frederik Andersen’s 47 starts in 2017-18 led the NHL going into Sunday, though Andrei Vasilevskiy was not exactly lagging, starting 45 for the Lightning. The latter has a .929 save percentage and a league-best seven shutouts; Andersen is at .921 and four shutouts. Both are in the Vezina Trophy conversation. Safe bet? Low-scoring match.
MAPLE LEAFS LINES
LW-C-RW
Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
Patrick Marleau-Nazem Kadri-Mitch Marner
James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Connor Brown
Leo Komarov-Dominic Moore-Kasperi Kapanen
Defence pairs
Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott-Connor Carrick
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
LIGHTNING LINES
LW-C-RW
Yanni Gourde-Steven Stamkos-Tyler Johnson
Alex Killorn-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov
Cory Conacher-Vladislav Namestikov-Adam Erne
Chris Kunitz-Cedric Paquette-Ryan Callahan
Defence pairs
Victor Hedman-Anton Stralman
Mikhail Sergachev-Dan Girardi
Braydon Coburn-Andrej Sustr
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
INJURIES
Lightning — G Peter Budaj (leg), F Ondrej Palat (lower body).
Maple Leafs — None.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power play
Lightning: 24.1% (3rd)
Maple Leafs: 20.6% (15th)
Penalty kill
Lightning: 78.6% (22nd)
Maple Leafs: 82.8% (5th)
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