Coming off of a tough game in Nashville, having to face off against a rested Toronto Maple Leafs team was always going to be a tall task. Add in the fact that the Lightning’s leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov was scratched, and the task became taller. Despite a valiant attempt at a third-period comeback, the Lightning couldn’t overcome the obstacles in their way and dropped the game 5-3 to the Leafs.
Once again, the Lightning went with an 11/7 line-up with Kucherov, Nick Paul, and Mitchell Chaffee all missing due to various injuries. Conor Sheary jumped back into the line-up following his recall and started the game on a line with Conor Geekie and Cameron Atkinson.