Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Who’s Better?
![Apr 21, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91), left wing Michael Bunting (58), Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) and teammates fight during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Apr 21, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91), left wing Michael Bunting (58), Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) and teammates fight during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/b32faa9a8abf7c85ff50aa3e7b48e93884d9b7c1c275fea9eebaf5d41d354fae.jpg)
Defensive Group
Toronto Maple Leafs:
- Morgan Rielly
- Jake Muzzin
- T.J. Brodie
- Mark Giordano
- Ilya Lybushkin
- Timothy Liljegren
- Justin Holl
- Rasmus Sandin
Tampa Bay Lightning:
- Victor Hedman
- Erik Cernak
- Ryan McDonagh
- Cal Foote
- Mikhail Sergachev
- Zach Bogosian
- Jan Rutta
Advantage: Tampa Bay Lightning
Hedman is the reason why the Lightning get the advantage here. He’s arguably a top-three defenseman in the world and he’s shown over the past two years that he can dominate a playoff series.
It’s not like it’s a huge advantage, but Tampa’s size on the blue-line will be Toronto’s biggest kryptonite, but if their speed can get through their physicality, the Leafs still have a chance to score a lot of goals.