Jeff Vinik will ask for a lot the next time the Boston Bruins play the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Tampa Bay Lightning owner said Tuesday morning he’s hoping the Bruins and Maple Leafs take a heavy toll on each other in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith.
The Lightning will face off against either the Bruins or Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Vinik obviously would love for his team to meet a weakened opponent.
The Bruins will host the Maple Leafs at TD Garden in Game 7. Boston jumped out to a 3-1 series lead before Toronto strung together back-to-back wins in Games 5 and 6.
The Lightning closed out their first-round series Saturday with a win over the New Jersey Devils. While the NHL hasn’t announced when Game 1 of the Lightning vs. Bruins/Maple Leafs series will be, Tampa Bay will have the benefit of extra rest and home-ice advantage.
