TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning’s final regular-season meeting with the Maple Leafs wasn’t representative of the lineups that will be seen when the teams meet next week in their first-round playoff rematch.
Toronto’s big guns, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, were among the Leafs scratches who watched from the press box. After some roster-cap difficulties, Toronto called up goaltender Joseph Woll to start Tuesday night at Amalie Arena.
But there still was a lot of purpose to Tuesday’s game, especially for a Lightning team focused on playing better heading into the postseason. It gave both teams an opportunity to send messages about what to expect when the game gets tighter and more physical under the bright lights of the postseason.
