The hockey world was completely fixated on Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and his unsigned contract extension returning to Toronto -- about an hour drive from Stamkos’ hometown of Markham, Ontario – but lost amongst the attention surround the 25-year-old was the fact the Bolts faced a pretty important mid-December game against the Atlantic Division rival Maple Leafs.
The Lightning had already disposed of one team in last place in their division, beating Columbus 2-1 a night earlier.
Tampa Bay faced another division bottom dweller on Tuesday in Toronto. A win would keep the Lightning trending upward.