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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Tampa Bay Lightning (optional) and Maple Leafs skated at Amalie Arena on Thursday. 

Auston Matthews will sit out a third straight game with an undisclosed injury. Is Sheldon Keefe growing a bit more concerned about the status of his team's leading scorer? 

"Did you watch the morning skate?" the Leafs coach asked rhetorically. "He's really close. He's on the ice. He's getting his touches and all that but, again, we're in a similar place to where we were a couple days ago in terms of it not making sense to put him in the lineup at this point."

So, Matthews will miss out on a potential playoff preview against the Lightning. 

"We're well aware that potential is there, for sure," Keefe said. "We had a similar mindset when we were in [Tampa] not too long ago."

Powered by a Matthews hat trick, the Leafs beat the Lightning 6-2 on April 4. 

"You can't let Auston Matthews go unabated right down the pipe time after time," Lightning coach Jon Cooper recalled. "You could give him a right-handed stick and he'd score. I was a little disappointed by how free we let him roam around."

Cooper wants his group to keep that lopsided loss against the Leafs on their minds ahead of the rematch. 

"We expect them to be a lot better tonight," Keefe said. "In order to consistently win against teams of this calibre, we have to be even better than we were last time out in here."

The Leafs, it turns out, weren't exactly thrilled with that previous performance in Tampa. 

"They got a lot of chances," said defenceman Morgan Rielly. "I didn't think we played our best game. Obviously, with Auston scoring three and having some offensive firepower, that helped us. But if you look at the video there's lots of chances against, lots of things we can improve on, so that's what we're going to focus on tonight."

The Lightning dropped their final three regular-season games against the Florida Panthers last season before vanquishing their Sunshine State rivals over six games in the first round. So, Thursday's game is more about getting their process right versus sending any message to the Leafs. 

"We know what we can do to be successful," said Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. "It's all about sticking to that. It feels like when the playoff starts it's a different ballgame, but we really want to get into that mentality right now."

Toronto and Tampa have been the top two offensive teams in the league over the last five seasons. The Lightning have averaged 3.51 goals per game since 2017-18 while Toronto is right behind at 3.48. 

But don't assume it will be a shootout. 

"A lot of firepower on both sides," said Leafs winger Mitch Marner. "I don't think either team gets credited enough [for] their defence, but a lot of guys who can play defence as well."

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Toronto has won two of three games against Tampa this season.

"The Leafs have a helluva team," said Cooper. "They beat good teams. They play with structure. I think they're as good a team as we've played all year, but they'd probably judge [things] more on how they do in the spring."

Since the beginning of February, Toronto has the best record in the Eastern Conference in games versus the eight playoff teams (8-0-1). Tampa Bay has the worst record in such games over that time (1-6-1). But Tampa tends to get the benefit of the doubt because of their track record. 

As for the Leafs? 

"I don't think anything you say about the Leafs is going to matter to anybody in this room ... unless they do better in the playoffs," Cooper said. "Everybody here is saying that about them. I see a helluva hockey team. They've been a helluva a hockey team that has run into some bad breaks come the spring."

After finishing first in the North Division last season, the Leafs squandered a 3-1 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. The Lightning can relate. In the 2018-19 season, Tampa finished first overall before being swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

"For whatever reason they haven't got over the hump yet, but they have a team that definitely can," Cooper said. "There's some similarities in that they pretty much kept their core together like we did back in 2019. You don't really judge yourself on one spring."

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The Leafs, who have lost in the opening round five straight times in the Matthews era, are facing questions about their lack of playoff success while the Lightning deal with concerns about whether their long runs have now left them depleted. 

"That will only be a question if we get bounced early," Cooper said. "If we make a deep run, it will be like, 'Wow, the mental and physical toughness of that team!' I wouldn't ever sit here, regardless of what happens in the spring, and say, 'We're tired.'"

Everyone agrees, though, that the Lightning aren't at their best at the moment. Tampa has just two regulation wins in their past nine games (3-4-2). 

"We played a lot of hockey, that's for sure," acknowledged Hedman. "You have to fight through those thoughts ... The staff's been good with giving us rest days. Mentally and physically, I think we're prepared to do another long run. There's no doubt in that room that we have all the tools to make a deep run once again."

Cooper is quick to point out that, despite some recent hiccups, the Lightning have had a pretty good season amassing 100 points with still six games left. 

"I mean, this is the first time we've played 82 [games] in three years, so there are going to be ups and downs and there are going to be some inconsistencies in your game," the coach stressed. "We've had some ups and downs, but I'm pretty sure most teams have." 

The Panthers, who have won 11 straight, may be the lone exception. 

"But even them," Cooper continued, "some of their games they're down by four goals, you know, and they've rallied, but I'm sure their coach isn't pleased other than with the outcome."

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Jack Campbell has won six straight starts since returning from a rib injury on April 2, but he will get the night off on Thursday as rookie Erik Kallgren faces the Lightning. 

Toronto is playing four games in four different cities over six days this week, so the team is managing Campbell's workload. 

"We do want them to alternate this week with the busy schedule," Keefe explained. 

The Leafs will play in Sunrise, Fla. on Saturday and then in Washington on Sunday. 

"We kind of worked backwards," Keefe said. "We started with Sunday. The Washington game on the back-to-back with some of the toughest travel we've had on a back-to-back all season. That was the one game, for certain, we didn't want Jack to play. We worked backwards from there."

Campbell started and won on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Kallgren has allowed four goals in each of his last two games despite facing fewer than 30 shots in both games.

On the Tampa side, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy is winless in his past six starts (.887 save percentage). That slide started on April 4 against the Leafs. 

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With three assists during Tuesday's loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos moved into a tie with Martin St. Louis for the all-time franchise points record with 953. 

"What else can you say about Stammer?" Cooper said. "He's been a consummate pro. I've watched him come from a wide-eyed renegade kid to now a mature captain, father, and it's been amazing. We've been together a decade, so I've watched a lot of his points, and nobody will be prouder than myself to watch him break it."

"I've been around for a lot of those points and it's crazy we've come to this point," Hedman marvelled. "Today would be, obviously, kind of the perfect day for it so we'll see what happens."

Stamkos, a native of Markham, Ont., has piled up six points in his last two games against the Leafs. 

"He's got that one timer that, anywhere on that left side of the ice it's got a possibility of going in," said Marner. "His speed throughout the middle of the ice gets him into middle ice in the O-zone. He gets to the net as well. He sneaks around there and can put them in. He grinds around that net and can bury some tough goals."

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How did William Nylander get back on track after a mid-season slip? 

"I was kind of pissed and wanted to get back to the way I could play," the 25-year-old winger revealed following Tuesday's game. "I took two games from the first 45 games, and I randomly watched them and then I saw two in the later half and saw the difference in my game. I saw it was about skating more, so I put more focus on that part of my game."

Nylander has posted 17 points over 12 games since being moved to the third line in late March. 

"He is skating on both sides of the puck," observed Keefe. "He has been really good. With Auston’s absence, you need guys to step up. He has certainly done that in the last two games, but even going back further than that, he has done a good job of late."

"When he's rolling it's pretty tough to stop him," Campbell said. "So, whatever he's been doing hopefully he just keeps it going."

In Tuesday's game, Nylander established a new career high by scoring his 32nd goal. 

"We all know when he's on his game he's tough to stop and he's relentless on pucks," said forward Jason Spezza. "His game's ramping up in the right direction."

"He is certainly back in a groove here," added Keefe. "No better time to do it than this time of year."

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It was announced as an optional skate, but every player hit the ice for the Leafs this morning. They didn't run lines, but Nick Abruzzese stayed out late and is expected to be a scratch. Kyle Clifford is projected to draw in.

Jake Muzzin will remain sidelined with an undisclosed injury.