Stamkos continues push for 60 goals in Toronto

LIGHTNING (37-36-7) at MAPLE LEAFS (34-36-10)

TV: SUN (HD), LEAFS TV

Last 10: Tampa Bay 5-5-0; Toronto 4-4-2

Season Series: This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams. Toronto has won all three matchups thus far and has outscored Tampa Bay 17-5.

Big Story: Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos still has a crack at 60 goals. Although he was held scoreless in Wednesday's 5-2 loss in Montreal, Stamkos still has two more games to score two more goals -- and the Toronto-area native would love nothing more than to get there in front of family and friends. He has one goal in three games against the Leafs this season.

Team Scope:

Lightning: Two nights after Stamkos willed Tampa Bay to a 4-2 win on home ice against the Washington Capitals, the club's final road trip got off to a rocky start with Wednesday's loss at the Bell Centre. Vincent Lecavalier and Bruno Gervais scored for the Lightning, who were held to just 16 shots on goal. Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty each lit the lamp twice for the Canadiens, who pulled away in the third period.

"This was probably our second-worst game of the year - if not, the first one," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "We had been fighting extremely hard with a lot of victories. A few guys came back (from injury) lately and we fought really hard, but tonight we didn't compete. We didn't come out like we normally do."

Maple Leafs: Toronto should be seeking its third straight win Thursday night, but Randy Carlyle's club was unable to protect a 3-0 lead and ended up suffering a 6-5 overtime defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. It was typical of the way things have gone this season for the Maple Leafs, who will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a seventh straight year.

"Gut-wrenching,'' Carlyle said. "Everything went our way early, and then everything went against us late in the hockey game."

Who's Hot: Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman has six points during a five-game point streak, while Stamkos has 11 points (eight goals) in his last seven games. … Leafs winger Phil Kessel has four points in his last two games.

Injury Report: Lightning winger Adam Hall is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Mattias Ohlund (knees), Dana Tyrell (knee), Marc-Andre Bergeron (back), Mathieu Garon (groin) and Ryan Shannon (shoulder) are all out. … Leafs defenseman Carl Gunnarsson is done for the season due to a separated shoulder. James Reimer (upper body), Joffrey Lupul (shoulder) and David Steckel (MCL) are also out, while Mikhail Grabovski (leg) is day-to-day. Nikolai Kulemin (broken finger) is questionable.

Stat Pack: Kessel has 81 points this season. It's the most by a Leaf since Mats Sundin had 80 in 2001-02.

Puck Drop: "Doesn't matter. Look where we're finishing." - Leafs forward Phil Kessel after tallying three assists in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss at Buffalo