3 Keys: Lightning at Maple Leafs, Game 2 of Eastern First Round

(3A) Lightning at (2A) Maple Leafs
7:30 p.m. ET: ESPN2, BSSUN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Toronto leads best-of-7 series, 1-0

Michael Bunting will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut when the Maple Leafs host the Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
The forward missed Toronto's final three regular-season games and Game 1 of the series, a 5-0 win Monday, because of an undisclosed injury. He's expected to take his regular role on the wing with Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner on the Maple Leafs' top line.
Bunting led NHL rookies during the regular season with 63 points (23 goals, 40 assists) and has shown a penchant for creating open ice for his two elite linemates with his physicality and grinding style of play.
"I think [Bunting's return] will have a positive impact," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He's had a positive impact on our team all season. He's an important part of our top line and makes us a deeper group."
Keefe said forward Alex Kerfoot, who played with Matthews and Marner in Game 1, would slot down in the lineup.
The Lightning, meanwhile, have shown a great resiliency in bouncing back from postseason defeats. Tampa Bay has not lost back-to-back games in the playoffs since losing four straight against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019, going 15-0 in games following a loss. They are the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions for a reason.
"Good group for turning the page," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They dig their heels in when they're pushed up against the wall."
Teams that take a 2-0 lead hold an all-time series record of 337-52 (86.6 percent) in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, including 7-1 in the 2021 playoffs.
Here are 3 keys for Game 2:

1. Free Willy

He did not have a point, but forward William Nylander was one of the Maple Leafs' most dynamic players in Game 1. He had four shots on goal and had some zip in his skates. Imagine, then, how surprising it was to learn he'd caught food poisoning during the game, causing him to miss practice Tuesday.
"I think it was sushi for lunch," he said. "I feel way better now."
Nylander's speed caused havoc for the Lightning in the opening game and he'll try to replicate that in Game 2.

2. Traffic jam

Cooper said the Lightning did not make it hard enough on Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell in Game 1. Tampa Bay players understandably were not happy with their 24-shot total and plan to change that by getting bodies in front of the net.
"The old adage is that he can't stop what he can't see," Lightning forward Corey Perry said.

3. 'Vasi' time

When it comes to rebounding from a postseason defeat, few are better than Andrei Vasilevskiy. In the past two seasons, the Tampa Bay goalie is 14-0 with a .966 save percentage and five shutouts following a playoff loss.
"The goalie finds a way to work things out in those situations," Cooper said. "Not that he doesn't matter in other situations. But give him 60 minutes of a game, especially when he's had a few by him. He's a pretty proud guy. When he has his focus, he has the scenarios he excels in."

Lightning projected lineup

Ondrej Palat -- Steven Stamkos -- Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn -- Anthony Cirelli -- Brayden Point
Brandon Hagel -- Ross Colton -- Nicholas Paul
Pat Maroon -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Corey Perry
Victor Hedman -- Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev -- Cal Foote
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Scratched: Riley Nash, Zach Bogosian
Injured: None

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Michael Bunting -- Auston Matthews -- Mitchell Marner
Ilya Mikheyev -- John Tavares -- Alexander Kerfoot
William Nylander -- David Kampf -- Pierre Engvall
Ondrej Kase -- Colin Blackwell -- Wayne Simmonds
Morgan Rielly -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Mark Giordano -- Timothy Liljegren
Jake Muzzin -- TJ Brodie
Jack Campbell
Erik Kallgren
Scratched: Jason Spezza, Justin Holl, Nick Abruzzese
Injured: Rasmus Sandin (knee), Petr Mrazek (groin)
Suspended: Kyle Clifford

Status report

The Lightning are expected to dress the same lineup they used in Game 1. ... Clifford, a forward, will serve a one-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Colton in Game 1.