Tampa Bay Lightning Face Down A Familiar Foe
The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The Tampa Bay Lightning put on quite the show against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday afternoon at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The win definitely served as a statement that the Lightning won’t be going away anytime soon. This comes just in time for the Tampa Bay Lightning to prepare to take on a rather familiar foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This evening’€™s Eastern Conference showdown will be the fourth time these two teams have met in the center of the ice. The Tampa Bay Lightning has overcome the onslaught of the Toronto Maple Leafs in each of the previous three meetings between these two teams. Following tonight’s faceoff, the Lightning and the Maple Leafs will meet once more this season on March 28th.
There is no denying the Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten the short end of the stick this season when it comes to luck. Given the transactions they made prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, it is clear the team is in a rebuilding phase. The evidence of this can be seen in black and white in the current NHL Standings. The Toronto Maple Leafs currently find themselves in dead last in the Eastern Conference as well as the National Hockey League.
Knowing this, many people would head into this contest with the expectation of a predetermined outcome. Unfortunately, that couldn’€™t be further from the truth. As most fans here in the Bolts Nation know, when a team has their back against the wall, this is when they are the most dangerous. If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to keep momentum on their side and attempt to gain some ground on the Boston Bruins, they are going to have to bring their “A” game tonight.
One of the aspects of the game that has been holding the Tampa Bay Lightning back this season has been their special teams. It seems as if the Lightning received an injection of adrenaline on Sunday afternoon against the Blue Jackets. While the Lightning weren’€™t able to capitalize on their three opportunities with the man advantage, two of the Lightning’€™s four goals would come while the Bolts were shorthanded.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning can put the same amount of pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs while the Leafs have the man advantage, the Tampa Bay Lightning will find themselves in a pretty nice spot. The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently last in the National Hockey League in terms of the Power Play. Out of the 214 opportunities they’ve had this season, the Maple Leafs have scored just 32 Power Play goals.
Despite their offensive struggles this season, there are still two players on the Maple Leafs the Tampa Bay Lightning should pay close attention to tonight.
Leading the way for the Maple Leafs in both assists and overall points is Leafs center Nazem Kadri. Kadri has scored 12 goals and 25 assists for a total of 37 points. Leading the way for the Maple Leafs in goals scored his Leafs center Leo Komarov. The 29-year old Estonian forward has brought home 19 goals and 17 assists for a total of 36 points so far this season.
On the other side of the ice, the Tampa Bay Lightning has quite a few offensively skilled players of their own. The Lightning has seven players who have crossed the 30 point mark so far this season. At the top of the list are two of the Lightning’s most productive scorers. Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and right wing Nikita Kucherov are tied for first place on the team in overall points.
Steven Stamkos has brought home 31 goals and 24 assists for a total of 55 points so far this season. This place him in first place on the team in terms of goals scored. At the same time, Nikita Kucherov has brought home 25 goals and 30 assists for a total of 55 points. Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning may be heading into tonight’€™s encounter without one of the two aforementioned players.
As most of you know by now, Nikita Kucherov sustained an upper-body injury on Sunday afternoon after being cold-cocked by Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout. According to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s official site, the status of Nikita Kucherov and center Valtteri Filppula will be further revealed by Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper this morning. Hopefully, Coach Cooper’s update will be a positive one.
There is definitely a lot of tension between these two teams and their fanbases; especially when it comes to a topic like Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. It will definitely be interesting to see how things play out, both on the ice and off. The good news is, both Lightning and Maple Leafs fans alike don’€™t have much longer to wait until these two teams take the ice and battle it out for a much-needed two points.
Next: Impact of Not Signing Stamkos by the NHL Deadline
The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Make sure you stay connected right here at Bolts By The Bay as we bring you all the latest Lightning updates and information. We’€™ll also be live tweeting all the action on Twitter at @BoltsByTheBay. Join in on the fun and be prepared to Be The Thunder for the Tampa Bay Lightning.