With Tampa Bay secured into a playoff spot, they have opted to start Tomkins more regularly and will turn to him again in their final game of the season for his third start in the last seven games. Tomkins was solid in his last outing, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. Tampa Bay enters action as a -137 home favourite on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Tampa Bay secured into a playoff spot, they have opted to start Tomkins more regularly and will likely turn to him again in their final game of the season for his third start in the last seven games. Tomkins was solid in his last outing, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. Tampa Bay enters action as a -137 home favourite on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tampa Bay has won three of their last four and will turn to Tomkins in the crease for the second time in the last four contests. Tomkins was unspectacular last week, allowing four goals on 30 shots (.867 SV%), but salvaged a 7-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay enters action on Thursday as a -183 home favourite against the Ottawa Senators.
Tampa Bay has won three of their last four and will likely turn to Tomkins in the crease for the second time in the last four contests. Tomkins was unspectacular last week, allowing four goals on 30 shots (.867 SV%), but salvaged a 7-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay enters action on Thursday as a -183 home favourite against the Ottawa Senators.
With Jonas Johansson sidelined due to a lower-body injury and the Lightning playing their second game in as many nights, it will be Matt Tomkins who gets the nod in Montreal on Thursday. Tomkins has made three appearances with the Lightning this season, with the most recent being a 5-3 victory on November 7th, which coincidentally was also against the Canadiens in Montreal. It is the only victory of the 29-year-old's career to date, so he will be hoping for a repeat performance on Thursday. The Lightning enter the game as -160 favourites over the Habs.
With Jonas Johansson sidelined due to an injury, Tampa Bay has recalled Tomkins on an emergency basis. Tomkins has spent most of the season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, posting a 2.53 GAA and .904 SV% in 29 games (15-12-2).
Tomkins was placed on waivers Thursday in a move that would indicate Andrei Vasileskiy's return from injury. The 29-year-old is expected to be assigned to Syracuse (AHL) if he does pass through waivers after posting a 1-2-0 record, 3.40 GAA, and .889 SV% in three games with Tampa Bay.
With the Lightning playing their second game in as many nights, Tomkins will relieve temporary starter Jonas Johansson between the pipes on Tuesday. It's the third start of the year for the 29-year-old rookie who spent the last two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. Tomkins will be looking for his first win of the season and will be hoping to improve on his .891 SV% and 3.61 GAA. He and the Lightning are slight road favourites at -130 over the Canadiens.
Tomkins will get his second start of the season after serving as backup to Jonas Johansson for the majority of time thus far. In his only NHL game, Tomkins allowed four goals on 33 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on October 15th. The Lightning will hope Tomkins fares more favourably against an easier assignment on Thursday as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who rank 26th offensively (2.56 GF / GP) and have lost four consecutive games.
The Blackhawks drafted Tomkins in the seventh-round in 2012. Following a four-year stint at Ohio State University, Tomkins turned pro and joined the Blackhawks affiliates in the ECHL and AHL. He spent all of 2019 in the ECHL before starting 13 games with Rockford (AHL) in 2020, going 5-7-1 with a 3.12 GAA and .896 SV%.
