The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Montreal Canadiens after Nicholas Paul scored two goals in the Lightning's 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lightning star winger Nikita Kucherov, minus-3 on the night, was trying to make a pass at the Toronto blue line, but his turnover led to a breakaway for William Nylander that he buried for his 28th goal of the season and a 2-0 Toronto lead.

This pair served as the shutdown group, seeing plenty of the Lightning’s top line and keeping them off the board. Both Ekman-Larsson and Tanev did a good job winning puck battles in their own zone and transitioning the puck up the ice.

TORONTO — Matthew Knies had two goals and an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs held on late to down the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Monday night. Auston Matthews and William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll made 27 saves. Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and two assists.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fought to earn three standings points this weekend despite trailing in each of their back-to-back games on the road, a trip that culminated with a comeback victory in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Lightning tied Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils in the third period before falling 3-2 in overtime.

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Nick Paul (20) knocks down Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei (6) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Boston Bruins ...

The Lightning play their first home game of the second half of the season Thursday night when they host Anaheim.

Jake Guentzel, who won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017, had two assists to become the second player in Lightning history with at least 20 goals and 40 points in his first 40 games with the franchise. Guentzel signed a seven-year deal with the Lightning in the offseason.

Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning, and Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul had empty-net goals. Tampa Bay recorded points in both halves of back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Lightning continue a four game road trip with a conference matchup against the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Tampa Bay (25-17-3) aims to get back on track against a familiar foe after losing 5-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There have been stages the Canadiens have gone through in showing maturity as a young team, in learning how to win. They’ve gone through stages where they’ve learned the value of puck management, the value of game management, the value of risk management.