Lightning, Maple Leafs Meet in Crucial Matchup

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs are set to clash in a crucial Atlantic Division game.

Jan 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Bobby McMann (74) skates with the puck as Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Nick Paul (20) gives chase during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs both clinched their spots in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Atlantic Division still needs to be decided. Alongside the Florida Panthers, these three teams are within four points of one another with a few regular-season games remaining.

Which is why this upcoming contest between the Lightning and Maple Leafs is a crucial one for the Atlantic Division. The Leafs lead the division with 98 points, but a regulation loss to the Lightning would draw the two sides even in points, with Toronto having more total wins but Tampa Bay having more wins in regulation.

The Maple Leafs hold a distinct advantage over the Lightning this season. In three previous matchups, Toronto has dominated Tampa and is 3-0 against them this season. With one more victory, they can make it a perfect 4-0.

They've done so with a consistent offensive barrage on the Lightning. In each previous meeting, the Maple Leafs recorded five goals. Getting into a shootout with an offensively heavy team like Tampa Bay is not usually a good idea, but Toronto is one of the few teams with the firepower to match. Captain Auston Matthews has five points in his last five games and increased his season totals to 30 goals and 71 points in 62 games.

To avoid a fourth consecutive loss to the Maple Leafs, the Lightning will look to their superstar forward, Nikita Kucherov. In pursuit of another Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer, he's been electric in his last five games. He's collected two goals and eight assists for 10 points. His assists and points lead the team, both over the last five games and over the entire season.

They will also need their starting goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, to have one of his elite games. The veteran net minder has the lowest goals-against average of his career this season and has collected a record of 37-20-3. It's his eighth consecutive campaign with 30 or more wins.

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