TAMPA — Rasmus Sandin peered into his crystal ball on Saturday morning and liked what he saw.
The Maple Leafs defenceman had little doubt that Mitch Marner will set a team record on Saturday night at Amalie Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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One point from Marner will give the gifted winger a run of 19 consecutive games with at least one point, which would break the franchise mark of 18, set by Darryl Sittler in 1977-78 and tied by Ed Olczyk in 1989-90.
“I think so,” Sandin said. “I don’t think that’s what his main focus is right now, but I don’t see an ending for it, with how good he is playing.
“We all hope he is going to get it and we’re excited for that and for the game tonight. It’s a treat to play with him.
“I probably have the best seat in the building to watch it as well. It’s unbelievable. The way he skates, the way he is handing the puck, the plays that he makes, some plays I don’t think anyone else in the building sees but him.”
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has admired Marner’s run from afar. Stamkos had a similar streak during the 2009-10 season, when he went on an 18-game tear to set a Tampa record.
“Great streak,” Stamkos said. “It’s so tough to be that consistent in this league. You look at what they’ve been able to do as a team during that streak too. Usually when you’re having success like that as a player and the team’s playing really well, it’s a really fun streak to be on.”
The Leafs have won five in a row and are 11-1-3 in their past 15. They have won six in a row on the road, not having lost an away game since Oct. 30 in Anaheim.
Tampa is 7-3 in its past 10 games and is in third place in the Atlantic Division, six points behind the second-place Leafs and with two games in hand.
Stamkos spoke of a curious twist regarding his streak more than 12 years ago. After scoring a goal and adding an assist in a loss in Toronto on March 11, 2010, Stamkos was held without a point the following night in Washington, ending his streak.
“I remember like it was yesterday because my sticks got stolen after the game at the Toronto Airport by Toronto security and then I didn’t get a point the next game, so I remember that pretty clear, pretty fondly,” Stamkos said with a laugh. “I think there were a few sticks that I had left in the bag, but not the ones that I was playing with. I’m not sure that happens anymore, but it certainly had happened in the past, depending on which airports you would go to, especially the ones where they love hockey, your sticks would sometimes go missing.”
It’s the first game for the Leafs in the building since Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last May.
Tampa won in overtime after tying the game in the third period, sending the series back to Toronto. A 2-1 victory in Game 7 advanced the Lightning to the second round and sent the Leafs to another disappointment in a long line of early post-season exits.
“I do remember the feeling after Game 7, just that relief or exuberance,” Tampa coach Jon Cooper said. “There were so many emotions standing on the ice after we had won.
“At the end of that series, I just remember it was two good hockey teams that went at it and if you played seven more games, it probably would have went seven more. It was that close. I’m just glad we were on top.
“There’s a dynamic group up there between Mitch and Auston (Matthews) and Willie (Nylander), and you can’t sleep on (John) Tavares. What a year he is having. Fabulous players. I’m glad they’re in our division because you get to watch them a little bit more than the normal. Not the most fun to play against.”
Tampa will have centre Anthony Cirelli, who has recovered from shoulder surgery, in the lineup for the first time this season.
The start of the game will be delayed as Stamkos is honoured for reaching 1,000 points in the National Hockey League. Stamkos hit the milestone with an assist on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, becoming the first player in Lightning history to get to 1,000 points.
The Leafs, without forward Calle Jarnkrok (groin), will have Wayne Simmonds in the lineup.
Matt Murray will start in goal for Toronto. It’s expected Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in net for Tampa.
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