Auston Matthews was held in check for the second straight night Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, finishing the schedule with an amazing 69 goals in 81 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs sniper was looking to become the first NHL player to score 70 goals in more than three decades. Ryan Reaves, TJ Brodie, Pontus Holmberg, and John Tavares had the goals for the Leafs, who pulled their goalie late in the game, even down three goals as they desperately attempted to get Matthews one last chance to reach the 70-goal plateau.
The first thoughts of which members of the Lightning may have played a major role in denying Matthews would include former Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy or All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman. However, neither of these players saw the ice against the Maple Leafs, as Vasilevskiy rested for the playoffs, and Hedman did not dress due to an injury.
Instead, two of the newer members of the Lightning played a major role in stopping Matthews.
Matt Tomkins
29-year-old rookie goalie Matt Tomkins finished with 35 saves, including 12 on Matthews, in his sixth NHL start. Like all goaltenders, he got help from one of the goaltender’s best friends when Matthews rocketed a shot off the post midway through the second period.
On April 2, the Lightning added Tomkins on emergency recall from the Syracuse Crunch when their backup goaltender, Jonas Johansson, went down with an injury.
Tomkins was a seventh-round selection (199th overall) of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2012 NHL Draft. The Lightning signed him to a two-year, two-way contract on May 10, 2023. The Edmonton native made his NHL debut this season with the Lightning on Oct. 15, making 33-of-37 saves in a loss at Ottawa. He earned his first career NHL victory in a 5-3 win at Montreal on Nov. 7 after stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced. In the previous three starts this season with the Bolts, Tomkins was 1-2-0 with a 3.40 goals-against average (GAA) and a .889 save percentage (SV%).
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Since 2016, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound netminder has appeared in 60 career American Hockey League games with the Crunch, Tucson Roadrunners, and Hartford Wolf Pack, amassing a 23-31-4 record, .890 SV% and a 3.34 GAA. He has played 29 games for the Crunch this season, posting a 15-12-2 record with a 2.53 GAA and .904 SV%. He earned his first AHL shutout in his last start after making all 30 stops in a 4-0 Syracuse victory over the visiting Providence Bruins on March 30.
It is unknown whether Tomkins will remain with the Lightning when the playoffs start or return to Syracuse as the team participates in the AHL Playoffs.
Emil Lilleberg
In the second period, Emil Lilleberg became a big part of the storyline when he inadvertently blocked a wide-open chance for Matthews to get number 70 while battling with the Maple Leafs’ William Nylander in front of the Lightning net.
Lilleberg has been a pleasant surprise for the Lightning this season after they signed the Norwegian free-agent defenseman to a two-year, two-way contract in June 2023. He has adapted quickly to the North American style of hockey and has five assists in 37 games this season.
The former fourth-round selection (107th overall) of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Draft was most recently recalled from Syracuse in March as the Lightning have dealt with some injuries to their blue line group. His NHL debut was on Jan. 6 in Boston. He posted his first career NHL point (an assist) in his second game, Jan. 9, versus the Los Angeles Kings, and has recorded three assists to go along with 69 hits and 24 blocked shots before the March callup.
Lilleberg has played 33 games in Syracuse this season, tallying two goals and 13 points. He ranks fifth among Crunch defensemen for assists (11) and sixth for goals and scoring.
While his numbers on offense are not staggering, Lilleberg’s hits per 60-minute average is one of the best on the team. He may see a prominent role for the Lightning in the playoffs since the team will be without defenseman Mikhail Sergachev for at least the first round.
The Lightning will open their playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, April 21.