Overview
- Dennis Hildeby has seized the crease with Joseph Woll on injured reserve for roughly a week and Anthony Stolarz still without a timetable, and he is expected to handle most starts.
- Morgan Rielly scored the opener and Auston Matthews added an empty-netter as Toronto improved to 4-0-1 in its last five, while Tampa Bay dropped a fourth straight and was shut out for the second game in a row.
- With Andrei Vasilevskiy on injured reserve, the Lightning started Jonas Johansson; Brayden Point returned after seven games out and Nikita Kucherov also rejoined the lineup.
- A turbulent third period featured a game misconduct to Tampa’s Gage Goncalves for kneeing Dakota Mermis and a match penalty to Toronto’s Bobby McMann for slashing, and Mermis left the game.
- Craig Berube reinserted Calle Jarnkrok and Dakota Mermis for penalty-kill and matchup purposes, scratching Nick Robertson and Philippe Myers, as Toronto’s power play went 0-for-2 and slid to 2-for-27 over its recent stretch.