Big test awaits in Bolts in matchup vs. Toronto

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have a big test on Thursday night when they take on an Atlantic Division foe in the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bolts enter tonight's game with a 4-4-2 record during the month of April, while the Leafs have impressively gone 8-1-1 over their 10 contests this month.

Tonight will be a big opportunity for the Lightning to rebound in a multitude of ways. When these two teams last faced off at AMALIE Arena earlier this month, Toronto rode an Auston Matthews hat trick to a comfortable 6-2 win over Tampa Bay. It was a tough night for the Bolts on home ice in a game that saw the Leafs get far too many easy opportunities to score.
"We've got to probably stop worrying about what we're doing on their side of the red line and start with what we're doing on our side of the red line in," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said after the loss. "That's where it all starts. And when you take care of your end, usually the other stuff takes care of itself. You're going to give up six and four a night, your chances of winning are slim."
It's been a bit of a recurring theme for the Lightning during the month of April - too many chances given up and not enough focus on controlling the defensive zone. Following a disappointing loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday night at AMALIE Arena, Cooper expressed some of those same frustrations that have caused the Lightning to drop some recent games.

"You can't give up these chances," Cooper said. "If you want to go find the playoffs or you want to do anything, you have to play defense.
"You have to stick your ego aside and not worry about how many points you're going to get or how much ice time you're going to get. You've got to worry about keeping the puck out of the net and everything positive comes from that. We have not learned it on a consistent basis yet."
That's the other rebound opportunity for Tampa Bay tonight. It's a chance to get the bad taste out of their mouths that was caused by the loss to Detroit.
"This is a really good look at a team that we might play (in the playoffs) and a team that came in here, not too long ago, and the result wasn't too good for us," Cooper said on Thursday morning. "I'm looking forward to tonight, just for the mere fact of the way the last game went.
"We're getting to a point now - there's eight teams. Who knows what's going to happen? But this is one, just from the last one we played, that I'd like to see a little different result."
Tonight, a lot of eyes will be on Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who is just one point away from overtaking Martin St. Louis as the franchise's all-time leading scorer. A native of Markham, Ontario, Stamkos leads Tampa Bay in scoring against Toronto this season with six points (1G, 5A) in three contests. The next closest player is Ondrej Palat, who has three points with two goals and an assist.
While overtaking St. Louis will be a monumental achievement, Stamkos is more focused on getting the entire team back to playing the right way.
"He's extremely lowkey about that stuff," said Tampa Bay defenseman Zach Bogosian. "That's what makes him a great leader. He obviously lets his actions speak for themselves.
"[It's] obviously a great accomplishment, tying Marty, but I don't think he's going to get the puck on his stick tonight and think 'This is the one.' I think he's going to make the play that's right in front of him and that's probably why he's gotten to where he has."
After recording the hat trick in his last trip to AMALIE Arena, Auston Matthews will miss his third-straight game tonight with an undisclosed injury. The Maple Leafs will also be without defenseman Jake Muzzin for the fifth time in their last six games.
Despite missing two big names in Matthews and Muzzin, Tampa Bay will still have their hands full on Thursday night against a talented Leafs roster. One focal point will be forward Mitch Marner, who ranks seventh in the NHL with a career-high 95 points this season.
Beyond the matchups against Toronto, Cooper has seen Marner up close after coaching him at the 2017 IIHF Men's World Championship.
"He's as creative as anybody in this league," Cooper said. "He competes, he can play in all situations, and he's a ton of fun to be around.

"A lot gets judged on the playoffs, but I don't think anybody would ever sit here and say they'd take Mitch Marner off their team. I love that kid. I think he's a hell of a hockey player, a hell of a person, and hopefully I get to work with him again someday. [I'm a] big fan of Mitch Marner."
As the Lightning continue to work on solidifying their game before the postseason, Cooper has stressed consistency. While the Bolts have not been at their best over the past few weeks, it has still been another impressive season. Tonight will be a big test against a potential postseason opponent with plenty of firepower.
"As a coach, basically, process means consistency," Cooper said. "And that's what you need to have.
"I stand here today and we have 100 points with six games left, or whatever it is. You've got to say the process has been pretty darn good. By no means perfect, but we are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and there's a lot of other teams that won't be. But do we have room for improvement? There's no doubt we do."
Tampa Bay will look to find that improvement tonight at AMALIE Arena. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET.