3 Striking Similarities Between Lightning and Maple Leafs
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs share more than what meets the eye.
© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports - 3 Striking Similarities Between Lightning and Maple LeafsSports are often defined by the wins and losses our teams sustain over the course of a season. We tend to forget that along with the contrasts of our teams, there are some similarities that they share. Sometimes it is not always obvious to the naked eye. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently sits in the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-17-5 and 47 points, share similarities with an unlikely Eastern Conference rival. Here's a hint: it is a team that plays north of the border.
The Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The Lightning and Maple Leafs, who currently sits in third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 21-10-8 and 50 points, share more in common than many realize. While both teams sport blue and white as its team's colors, the similarities that both teams share runs far more deeper than the colors they wear on its home and away jerseys. Here are three similarities the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have in common.
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Lightning and Maple Leafs have over four players making at least $7.5 million AAV
This fact here is one of major significance because both teams find themselves in salary cap constraints at this moment in time. The Lightning are paying Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5 million AAV), Nikita Kucherov ($9.5 million AAV), Brayden Point ($9.5 million AAV), Steven Stamkos ($8.5 million AAV), and Mikhail Sergachev ($8.5 million AAV) per season.
The Maple Leafs are paying Auston Matthews ($13.25 million AAV), William Nylander (who just signed a new $8 year 92 million contract extension that will pay him $11.5 million AAV), John Tavares ( $11 million AAV), Mitchell Marner ($10 million AAV), and Morgan Rielly ($7.5 million AAV). The Lightning and Maple Leafs have key players they need to re-sign in very short order and salary cap room is a major concern for both teams.
Stamkos' current eight year deal expires at the end of the season, which raises concerns over the team's ability to re-sign him long term. The bigger question in Toronto following the news of the Nylander contract extension is: will the Leafs be able to find a way to re-sign Marner? Will it be more money but with lesser term, similar to the Matthews deal? Only time will tell.
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Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have top-10 power plays
The Maple Leafs and Lightning being ranked top 10 on the power play in the NHL should come as no surprise, yet it is still pretty impressive. The Lightning have the fourth best power play in the NHL at 27.9 percent, while the Maple Leafs' power play ranks not far behind at sixth best in the league at 26.7 percent.
When you consider the fire power that the Lightning deploy on the man advantage in Stamkos, Kucherov, Point, Hedman, and Hagel, its no surprise that the power play ranks top five in the NHL. Not to be overlooked, the Maple Leafs being able to deploy Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, and Rielly makes opposing penalty kill units quiver with fear. Both teams having top tier power play units makes this an easy add to the list of similarities between the two teams.
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Both the Lightning and Maple Leafs top defenseman rank high in points scored by blueliners
What makes this fact interesting is that both defensemen are vital parts of their respect teams top power play unit. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Maple Leafs' defenseman Morgan Rielly are both in the top 10 in the NHL in points scored by a defenseman. Hedman, who has 39 points this season, is tied for fourth in the NHL with Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers. Morgan Rielly, who has 32 points so far this season, is ranked 10th in the NHL in points scored by a defenseman.