TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:
LAST GAME
Lightning 5 vs. Detroit 0
The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up the 2022-23 regular season with a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings April 13 at AMALIE Arena…Tampa Bay finished the campaign with a 46-30-6 record, including a mark of 28-8-5 on home ice…The Bolts concluded the season series vs. DET with a 2-2-0 record…Alex Killorn opened the scoring at the 7:49 mark of the first period when he took a pass from Anthony Cirelli and ripped a snap shot under the glove of Ville Husso with Ross Colton recording the secondary assist…Following a scoreless second period, Brandon Hagel jumped on a loose puck in front of the DET net and beat Husso to make it a 2-0 game with 12:33 remaining in regulation…Brayden Point and Killorn picked up the helpers on Hagel’s 30th goal of the season…With 9:13 remaining in regulation and the Lightning on the power play, Point collected a rebound off a Nikita Kucherov one-timer and beat Husso for his 50th goal of the season with Mikhail Sergachev recording the secondary assist…With 4:01 remaining in regulation, Point took a pass from Hagel and scored an empty-net goal for his 51st goal of the campaign…Sergachev picked up the secondary assist on Point’s empty-net goal…Mikey Eyssimont scored his first goal as a Bolt with 9.2 seconds remaining in regulation with Colton recording the lone assist…Brian Elliott earned his second shutout of the season with 32 saves on 32 shots against.
PP: TBL – 1-2 DET – 0-2
SOG: TBL – 32 DET – 32
Attendance: 19,092
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and Maple Leafs are facing each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second-straight year…Tampa Bay won last year’s series in seven games, winning Game 7 at TOR, 2-1, with Nick Paul scoring both goals for the Bolts…Nikita Kucherov led all Lightning skaters with eight points in last year’s First Round (2-6—8), while Ross Colton (3-2—5) and Ondrej Palat (3-2—5) were tied for the team lead in goals…Tampa Bay posted a 1-2-0 record vs. TOR this season…Mikhail Sergachev (1-2—3) and Steven Stamkos (0-3—3) were tied for the Bolts team lead in points vs. TOR this season, while Alex Killorn (2-0—2) and Vladislav Namestnikov (2-0—2) were tied for the team lead in goals…Kucherov has picked up points in 12 of his last 13 reg. season games vs. TOR (9-8—17)…Kucherov has found the scoresheet in 12 of his 15 career reg. season games at TOR (7-13—20)…Stamkos is riding a six-game reg. season point streak vs. TOR (2-10—12) and has picked up points in nine of the last 10 reg. season meetings (4-15—19)…Stamkos has recorded 11 points over his last five reg. season games at TOR (3-8— 11)…Killorn has recorded points in four of his last six reg. season games vs. TOR (4-3—7)…Corey Perry has four points over his last four reg. season games vs. TOR (0-4—4)…Sergachev has picked up four points over his last four reg. season games vs. TOR (1-3—4)…Tampa Bay is 6-3-1 in their last 10 reg. season road games at TOR and 4-5-1 in the last 10 reg. season meetings overall…The Lightning are 45-52-8 with two ties all-time in the reg. season vs. TOR, including a road record of 22-26-5 with one tie…Stamkos (22-39—61) holds the Tampa Bay franchise record for
career reg. season points vs. TOR.
TBL ALL-TIME REG. SEASON POINT LEADERS VS. TOR
- Steven Stamkos – 61 pts. (22-39—61, 48 GP)
- Vincent Lecavalier – 52 pts. (22-30—52, 50 GP)
- Martin St. Louis – 49 pts. (18-31—49, 47 GP)
- Nikita Kucherov – 32 pts. (14-18—32, 31 GP)
- Brad Richards – 26 pts. (12-14—26, 27 GP)
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Lightning are in the playoffs for the sixth-consecutive season, a franchise record for consecutive playoff appearances…Tampa Bay qualified for the postseason for the ninth time in Jon Cooper’s 10 full seasons as head coach and the 15th time total in franchise history…The Bolts enter the 2023 Playoffs having won 11 of their last 12 playoff series…The Lightning are 121-87 all-time in the postseason with a .582 points percentage, the second-highest among all NHL teams (best: Edmonton Oilers, .583)…The Bolts are 15-21 all-time in Game 1s of a playoff series…Tampa Bay is 7-9 all-time in road Game 1s of a playoff series…The Lightning are 5-9 all-time in playoff openers and 4-4 under Cooper.
INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 110
Current Injuries:
Tanner Jeannot (Lower-body injury; Day-to-day) 4 Games
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:
2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Game 1 – Tuesday, April 18th – 7:30 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
Game 2 – Thursday, April 20th – 7:00 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
Game 3 – Saturday, April 22nd – 7:00 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
Game 4 – Monday, April 24th – 7:30 pm ET – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
Game 5 – Thursday, April 27th – TBD – Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)*
Game 6 – Saturday, April 29th – TBD – Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)*
Game 7 – Monday, May 1st – TBD – Sportsnet (TV), 680 News (Radio)*
*If Necessary
THE SERIES
The Maple Leafs open the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto is making their 72nd appearance in the postseason. The Maple Leafs have earned a postseason spot for the seventh-straight season. Earning a playoff spot in seven-consecutive seasons is the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. This marks the second time in franchise history that Toronto and Tampa Bay will be facing off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS, PLAYER NOTES
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are scheduled to skate in their seventh-consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff appearance through their first seven seasons in the NHL. Per NHL Stats, “Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner (both 7x; 2016-17 to 2022-23) join Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull (both 8x; 1973-74 to 1980-81), Dave Keon (7x; 1960-61 to 1966-67) and Turk Broda (7x; 1936-37 to 1942-43) as the only players in club history to reach the postseason in at least each of their first seven NHL campaigns.
Per NHL Stats, “Auston Matthews (17-16—33 in 39 GP) needs three playoff goals to become the 14th player with 20+ for the franchise. Only five players have scored 20 goals within their first 45 playoff games with Toronto: Gordie Drillon (35 GP), Ted Kennedy (38 GP), Dave Keon (41 GP), Mats Sundin (43 GP) and Lanny McDonald (44 GP).”
Per NHL Stats, “Mitch Marner (7-26—33 in 39 GP) led Toronto with six assists during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He can become the second player to accumulate 30 assists within his first 45 playoff games with Toronto – only Doug Gilmour (25 GP) has done so to date.”
Per NHL Stats, “One of Auston Matthews (2017 tied, 2019, 2020 & 2022), Morgan Rielly (2017; tied) Mitchell Marner (2018) or William Nylander (2021) has led Toronto in points in each of its playoff appearances during their current stretch. They are the only players who have skated in each of the club’s 39 postseason contests over that span.”
John Tavares and TJ Brodie are both six games away from reaching 50 career playoff games. Jake McCabe, Matthew Knies and Joseph Woll could make their NHL playoff debut during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
INJURY REPORT
Bobby McMann Knee (LTIR)
Victor Mete Lower Body (LTIR)
Matt Murray Concussion (Day-to-Day)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (LTIR)
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23 – REGULAR SEASON
Power Play: 26.0%
Power Play Goal Leader: 18 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 39 – Tavares (18G, 21A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)
ON THE PK IN 2022-23 – REGULAR SEASON
Penalty Kill: 81.9%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 4 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 5 – Marner (4G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)
