Desperate Leafs host Lightning on Sportsnet
Posted March 14, 2011 10:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are battling for first place in the Southeast Division, but they’re confidence is a bit shaken.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting just outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference, yet they’re feeling good about their position.
They have even more work to do in order to capture their first playoff berth since 2004, but they seem to be headed in the right direction.
In what was being labeled a must-win by a number of Toronto players, the Maple Leafs defeated eighth-place Buffalo 4-3 on Saturday to snap a three-game skid.
Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel scored in a 2:33 span in the final period to help Toronto rally and pull within four points of the Sabres. The Maple Leafs have since fallen six back with Buffalo winning Sunday, but that deficit would be 10 points had they lost Saturday.
“That’s a huge win for our team,” captain Dion Phaneuf said. “It’s a big character win. We knew what was on the line and I think it shows what kind of character we have in our room.”
Watch it live tonight on Sportsnet Ontario beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
The Maples Leafs now look keep it going and avoid suffering their first season series sweep to Tampa Bay.
Fantasy notes: Steven Stamkos (43-41-84) and Martin St. Louis (26-55-81) have already combined for 165 points. Toronto’s top three producers combine for 157 points. | Follow Chris Nichols on Twitter
The Lightning have outscored Toronto 10-3 in winning the first three games this season. Gagne, St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, the NHL leader with 43 goals, have each scored twice for Tampa Bay, which is 8-1-2 in the last 11 meetings.
Dwayne Roloson has been in net for two of the games against Toronto this season, stopping 55 of 56 shots. He is 5-1-0 with a 1.47 goals-against average and a shutout in six starts against the Maple Leafs since 2008-09.
Rookie James Reimer, who made 39 saves Saturday, started Toronto’s last game against the Lightning on Jan. 25 and stopped 29 shots in a 2-0 loss.
The Lightning look to avoid losing for the seventh time in eight games Monday night when they visit the Maple Leafs, who are hoping to build on a crucial victory.
Tampa Bay (38-22-9) opened March with a five-point lead over Washington in the Southeast, but has since gone 1-4-2 to drop five points back of the surging Capitals, winners of eight in a row.
“All the games that used to turn our way just don’t turn our way now,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher said after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to last-place Florida. “There are 13 games left, and we can’t not show up.”
Tampa Bay, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2007, managed to get a point Saturday, rallying form a 3-1 deficit with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period on goals from Vincent Lecavalier and Simon Gagne. The game seemed headed for a shootout until Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison scored with 16 seconds left in overtime.
“Right now we don’t have the depth,” Boucher said. “We’re missing (Ryan) Malone and (Steve) Downie – two of our top six guys – and we’re just an average team right now. And average teams have to battle hard.”
Neither Malone, out since Feb. 10 with an abdomen injury, nor Downie, sidelined since March 5 with a lower-body injury, are expected to return soon.
“Obviously we all have to do more,” said Martin St. Louis, who has two goals and four assists in his last four games.
