The Lightning and Sabres will play their fourth and final matchup of the season.
When: Monday, April 15 @ 7pm EST
Where: AMALIE Arena - Tampa, FL
TV: Bally Sports Florida
Radio coverage: 102.5 The Bone, Lightning Radio
Where to stream: BallySports.com
Lines from Monday’s Morning Skate (these could change)
Forwards
Anthony Duclair - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Steven Stamkos - Anthony Cirelli - Brandon Hagel
Mikey Eyssimont - Nick Paul - Mitchell Chaffee
Tanner Jeannot - Luke Glendening - Conor Sheary
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Darren Raddysh
Nick Perbix - Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg - Matt Dumba
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Monday night the Tampa Bay Lightning will matchup against the Buffalo Sabres at Amalie Arena. It’s hard to believe there are only two games left in the regular season.
These last two games will likely have a different meaning depending on which player you ask. Nikita Kucherov currently needs two assists to become the fourth player in NHL history to record 100 assists in a single season. He's also leading the league in points with the Art Ross Trophy at arms length.
The Lightning spent the month of March playing lights out, but have taken their foot of the gas a bit since clinching a playoff spot. The NHL season is a long one, and the Lightning have shown that when they are engaged, they’re a tough team to beat. Most of the let up is mental and I don’t blame them on bit for taking a breather.
Their coverage in the defensive zone was off a bit against Washington and they also struggled with clearing their zone. As a result, they weren’t able to maintain their rhythm offensively. This is something they’ve battled with throughout the season. I’d expect that these next two games will be used to correct that.
As for Buffalo, it’s been up and down. They had high hopes for a playoff spot at the start of the season, but injuries and inconsistent play at the beginning of the season made it difficult to turn the ship around in time. Tage Thompson is leading the team with 29 goals and is looking for his third straight season with 30 or more goals.
The Lightning can still get to 100 points for the eighth time and match their season win total from last year if they win out. Puck drop is at 7pm.