Tampa BAE Lightning Game 56: We're back.
After a WAY too long break, it's time.
Editor’s Note: Sorry I went radio silent for so long, folks. I switched up jobs and the adjustment period to get back into a normal routine took a lot longer than anticipated and then we hit the Olympic break. I look forward to going through the rest of the season with you all!
The Tampa Bay Lightning are back on the ice tonight inside Benchmark International Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs following the conclusion of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Tonight’s game is the first in a long time where we have most of the team healthy and ready to play.
Assistant Coach Rob Zettler informed the media yesterday that Point, D’Astous, Lilleberg, and Hedman are all expected to be ready to play. That’s good news! However, the injury bug is proving to still be an affliction for the Lightning with Nick Paul and (probably) Anthony Cirelli out.
This is Game 2 of 3 in the regular season for the Bolts and Toronto with the first game being a Leaf 2-0 victory back on December 8th. Jojo was seeing extended time in net during that run while Vasy was out with injury.
Overall, the Leafs have struggled pretty hard this season. They currently sit six points outside of a wildcard spot with no games in hand. They are 25th in goals expected per 60 minutes, prior the break Joseph Woll lost 5-of-7 starts with a .886 SV% & 3.85 goals against average, plus the Leafs tumbled into the Olympic break going 4-5-1 in their last 10. Not great stuff from them.
That said, they did beat the Lightning. However, that loss came against what looks like a totally different team. The Lightning are an astonishing 18-1-1 in their last 20 games, they’ve scored 4+ goals in all but four of those games, and given up 2+ just six times. They’re doing a lot of things right. The key is going to be falling back into that pattern again.
Breaks can be weird and the Lightning have some history of struggling coming out of the Olympic/All Star break. Tonight should be a good one. National Broadcast on TNT at 7:30. See you there! Go Bolts!