LGD: Win and you’re in
7 years ago
The Toronto Maple Leafs are two points away from making the playoffs in an 82-game season for the first time since 2004. Somewhat fittingly, Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup that season. Unlike Tuesday night where they needed a Tampa Bay Lightning loss (they did) as well as a victory of their own (they didn’t), the Leafs now control their own destiny and can both earn a little “x” next to their name in the standings if they can find a way to win the game tonight. And oh yeah, they also have the opportunity to knock out the Tampa Bay Lightning if the Bolts earn anything less than a regulation or overtime win.
The Leafs are 2-1 this season against the Lightning, coming back with 3-2 and 5-0 wins after a 7-3 loss in their first matchup of the season.
Leafs fans will also be keeping their eyes on the Islanders/Hurricanes matchup, though it could end up having no meaning at all if they’re just able to pull through in this one.
The Leafs
Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Zach Hyman |  Auston Matthews |  William Nylander |
 Leo Komarov |  Nazem Kadri |  Connor Brown |
 James van Riemsdyk |  Tyler Bozak |  Mitchell Marner |
 Matt Martin |  Brian Boyle |  Kasperi Kapanen |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Morgan Rielly |  Connor Carrick |
 Jake Gardiner |  Nikita Zaitsev |
 Matt Hunwick |  Roman Polak |
Brian Boyle is back against his former team, which is nice considering he left Tuesday’s game with an injury. Josh Leivo and Nikita Soshnikov remain injured, lowering the game total of Nikita’s to 2 and Josh’s to 0. Other than that, the Leafs are healthy through the rest of their lineup, and ice what’s one of their strongest contingents of the year.
The Lightning
Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
 Ondrej Palat |  Brayden Point |  Nikita Kucherov |
 Adam Erne |  Tyler Johnson |  Vladislav Namestnikov |
 Alex Killorn |  Yanni Gourde |  Jonathan Drouin |
| ????????????? ????????????? ???????????? |  Greg McKegg |  Joel Vermin |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Victor Hedman |  Jake Dotchin |
 Anton Stralman |  Luke Witkowski |
 Braydon Coburn |  Andrej Sustr |
So, a goal for Gregg McKegg and Anton Stralman tonight? I feel like I make the same joke every night, but I also feel like the Leafs play former members of their team every night.
Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Jason Garrison and Cedric Paquette remain injured. Steven Stamkos remains “not a Maple Leaf,” and also is very likely to add “not on a playoff team” to his resume for this year.
Between the Pipes
Frederik Andersen starts for his most important game yet as a Leaf, while it’s likely Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in the net for the Bolts. Andersen has a .919 save percentage and a 33-15-14 record, while the 22-year old Tampa goalie has a .915 save percentage to go with a 20-17-7 record.
Where to watch
The game will be on TSN4 tonight, with puck drop at 7:30. Clinch party at 10:30?
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