8:08 pm
April 21

Maple Leafs @ Lightning

Who will WIN this matchup?

Toronto Maple Leafs (51-20-6)

@ Tampa Bay Lightning (46-22-8)

 

Starting Goalies:

Erik Kallgren (TOR): Confirmed

Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Toronto Maple Leafs: (+112)

Tampa Bay Lightning: (-133)

 

• The Toronto Maple Leafs take a four-game winning streak into a three-game road trip that opens Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a potential first-round playoff matchup. While the Maple Leafs continued to roll with a 5-2 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, the Lightning’s struggles continued with a 4-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Red Wings.

• Toronto (51-20-6, 108 points) is second in the Eastern Conference and Tampa Bay (46-22-8, 100 points) is fifth. A win on Thursday could clinch home-ice advantage for Toronto in the first playoff round.

• The Lightning, who have won the Stanley Cup for the past two seasons, are in a 3-4-2 funk.

• Steven Stamkos provided one bolt of brilliance for the Lightning on Tuesday. He had three assists to tie Martin St. Louis as the franchise’s leading scorer with 953 points.

• The Maple Leafs played for the second straight game without 58-goal scorer Auston Matthews (undisclosed injury) on Tuesday. His status is uncertain for Thursday. “We’re not just resting Auston, he has an injury,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Maybe he could play through it, but that doesn’t make sense to do so.

• Matthews is making the trip as will Jake Muzzin (undisclosed injury), who has missed three games. Ondrej Kase (concussion) has been out for 15 games.

• The Leafs are encouraged by the recent return to form of goaltender Jack Campbell, who made 37 saves Tuesday.

• William Nylander had a goal and an assist on Tuesday. The goal was his 32nd of the season, a career best.

• Mitchell Marner had an assist to give him a career-best 95 points for the season.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
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