Toronto @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2019 ) Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 3

A pair of teams looking to rebound from embarrassing defeats look to get back on track when the Toronto Maple Leafs start a two-game trip to the Sunshine State on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs could not rally against Carolina’s emergency goalie David Ayres in a 6-3 loss at home while the Lightning have dropped two in a row after falling 7-3 at Arizona on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay had won a franchise-record 11 straight games before losing 5-3 at Vegas on Thursday and struggling defensively against the offensively challenged Coyotes to drop five points behind Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division. “Maybe it was just bound to happen,” Lightning forward Patrick Maroon told reporters after Saturday’s loss - their fifth in 28 games (23-4-1). “This team can’t get too down on themselves right now. It’s a game where you burn the tape, move on and come ready to play a great Toronto team.” The Maple Leafs will likely do the same after managing 10 shots the final 28:41 against a Zamboni driver in net Saturday, but still maintain a two-point lead on Florida for third place in the Atlantic. “I talked to the team and said, ‘If we don’t change how we’re playing, they don’t even need a goalie’,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters after his team’s third loss in four contests. “We were getting no shots, no chances, nothing was happening. They didn’t need a goalie the way the game was going.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Sun, TVA, Sportsnet Ontario

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (32-23-8): Toronto was quiet on trade deadline day, holding on to impending unrestricted free agent defenseman Tyson Barrie while adding a pair of players that are currently in the minor leagues over the past few days. All-Star goalie Frederik Andersen has struggled since coming back from the injured list, going 1-4-0 with an .873 save percentage after allowing six goals on 47 shots in Saturday’s debacle. Center Auston Matthews was kept off the scoresheet against Carolina, but leads the team with 43 goals and 73 points, while fellow forward Mitch Marner (46 assists, 61 points) and William Nylander (career-high 27 goals) are also putting up big numbers for Toronto.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (40-17-5): The Lightning did not make any deals at the deadline last season, but were quite active while picking up Blake Coleman from New Jersey last week and spending another first-round pick to get fellow forward Barclay Goodrow from San Jose on Monday. The moves add grit to a team with plenty of skill, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov (29 goals, 75 points) and captain Steven Stamkos (29, 65). Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta have been out with injuries and fellow top-six defenseman Eric Cernak left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, prompting the signing of veteran free agent blueliner Zach Bogosian on Sunday.

OVERTIME

1. The Maple Leafs traded G Michael Hutchinson to Colorado on Monday in exchange for minor-league D Calle Rosen.

2. Tampa Bay has won six of the last seven meetings, including a 7-3 triumph at Toronto on Oct. 10 with four points apiece from Kucherov and Stamkos.

3. Toronto F Zach Hyman has 19 goals in 44 games after scoring a career-high 21 last season in 71 contests.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Maple Leafs 2