Matthews, Maple Leafs to host the Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning (43-20-6, second in the Atlantic Division) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (35-25-9, third in the Atlantic Division)
Toronto; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Auston Matthews and Toronto square off against Tampa Bay. Matthews ranks ninth in the league with 79 points, scoring 46 goals and totaling 33 assists.
The Maple Leafs are 11-8-2 against division opponents. Toronto is fourth in the NHL averaging 3.4 goals per game, led by Matthews with 46.
The Lightning are 18-4-1 against the rest of their division. Tampa Bay averages 10.3 penalty minutes per game, the third-most in the NHL. Patrick Maroon leads the team serving 71 total minutes.
Toronto beat Tampa Bay 4-3 in the last meeting between these teams on Feb. 25. John Tavares scored two goals for the Maple Leafs in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 49 assists and has recorded 65 points this season. Matthews has recorded four goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Toronto.
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 84 points, scoring 33 goals and collecting 51 assists. Brayden Point has four goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 4-5-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.2 assists, 5.6 penalties and 15.4 penalty minutes while allowing 3.5 goals per game with a .885 save percentage.
Maple Leafs: 4-5-1, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game with a .903 save percentage.
INJURIES: Maple Leafs: Jake Muzzin: out (hand).
Lightning: Steven Stamkos: out (core muscle), Victor Hedman: out (undisclosed).