It was “Holy Mackinaw Night” at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, a tribute to long-time Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen who announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of this season after 44 years as the voice of the team.

On a Tuesday, when the heat was on their underwhelming stars to show up, the visiting Blackhawks missing Connor Bedard and the feel-good atmosphere of a Joe Bowen retirement salute to start with, they were two and a half periods into laying a double-yolk egg in front of 18,568 fans.

Monday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning saw some physicality, including a sequence where a player from each team was ejected.

Since the Caps last saw the Leafs in late November, Toronto has heated up, collecting at least a point in seven of its last eight games (5-1-2). Most recently, the Leafs finished a five-game homestand with a flourish, overcoming the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the homestand finale on Tuesday night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs absorbed another major blow on Thursday when defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left their overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks with what appeared to be a significant left-leg injury.

Ten days later, the Leafs are in a much better place thanks to a 4-1-0 run that included three straight impressive wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, three Eastern Conference teams they’ll be battling the rest of the way for playoff position. (OK, maybe not Carolina.)

Lightning vs. Maple Leafs predictions and NHL picks for Monday, December 8. Matthew Knies does nothing but score against Tampa.