Tomkins made 34 saves in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Maple Leafs.
The 29-year-old goalie went down as the man who denied Auston Matthews his 70th goal of the season, making seven stops on the Toronto superstar in the first period alone. Tomkins supplied Tampa Bay with decent netminding down the stretch, going 2-0-1 in three April starts while giving up 10 goals on 95 shots (.895 save percentage), but he'll be firmly on the bench behind Andrei Vasilevskiy when the Lightning begin their first-round series against the Panthers on Sunday.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Leaves ice first
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Tomkins was the first goalie to exit the ice at morning skate, indicating he'll be between the home pipes versus Toronto on Wednesday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Tomkins will make just his sixth start in an NHL crease, having gone 2-2-1 with a 3.19 GAA in his previous five contests. The decision to start Tomkins certainly makes sense considering the Bolts can't change their position in the playoff standings Wednesday. No. 1 option Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the night off in order to prepare for the postseason.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Still waiting on first home win
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Tomkins made 25 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Senators on Thursday.
He played well enough to earn his first home win, but it was for naught. Tomkins is 1-0-1 since his call-up earlier this month following Jonas Johansson's lower-body injury. Tomkins will likely remain with the big club into the postseason if Johansson is still injured.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Starting Thursday
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Tomkins will make his home debut as a member of the Lightning on Thursday against Ottawa, per Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com.
Tomkins last started last Thursday against Montreal, turning aside 26 of 30 shots en route to a 7-4 victory. The 29-year-old has drawn into four games for Tampa Bay this season, recording a 2-2-0 record and an .883 save percentage. He'll enter a favorable matchup against Ottawa, a team which has gone 14-22-2 on the road this season.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Plays Habs slayer
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Tomkins made 27 saves in a 7-4 win in Montreal on Thursday.
It was his first start since Nov. 7 when he got his first career NHL victory also over Montreal on the road. Due to his extremely limited role, Tomkins is not a viable fantasy option right now, and he'll likely be heading back to the minors once Jonas Johansson (lower body) is good to go.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Slated to face Canadiens
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Tomkins is set to start on the road against Montreal on Thursday, per Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida.
It will be Tomkins' first start at the NHL level since Nov. 7 when he saved 23 of 26 shots in a 5-3 win over the Canadiens. He's back with the Lightning because Jonas Johansson is dealing with a lower-body injury. Tomkins has a 2.53 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 29 outings with AHL Syracuse this campaign. Montreal ranks 27th offensively with 2.72 goals per contest, so this figures to be a favorable matchup for Tomkins.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Recalled from AHL
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Tomkins was recalled from the AHL on Tuesday, per Diandra Loux.
Tomkins has started three games with the big club this season, recording an .889 save percentage and a 1-2-0 record. The 29-year-old was recalled in response to backup goalie Jonas Johansson being day-to-day with a lower-body injury. If Johansson is unavailable, Tomkins could see a start during the Lightning's upcoming back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday versus the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, respectively.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: On waiver wire Thursday
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The Lightning placed Tomkins on waivers Thursday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
This is great news for Andrei Vasilevskiy (back surgery) and his fantasy managers as he might now be expected to return to action either Friday versus Carolina or Monday in Colorado. Tomkins was 1-2-0, giving up 10 goals on 90 shots in his three appearances. He will be returned to AHL Syracuse, should he pass through waivers.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Hangs on for first NHL win
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Tomkins turned aside 23 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Canadiens.
The 29-year-old recorded his first career win in the NHL, but it nearly slipped through his fingers -- the Lightning handed Tomkins a 4-0 lead heading into the third period as they dominated play, but he then had to withstand a furious comeback attempt by the Habs that featured half of the home squad's 26 shots on the night. Tomkins' .889 save percentage through his first three starts this season isn't going to earn him more consistent playing time, but the Bolts seem content with his play so far as Jonas Johansson's backup.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Starting in Montreal
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Tomkins will guard the road goal versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Tomkins has lost his first two starts of the season, allowing seven goals on 64 shots. The 29-year-old will face a Canadiens team that has scored just seven goals during their three-game losing streak.
Tomkins stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Columbus' final goal was scored into an empty net. Tomkins didn't play poorly in his second career NHL start, but the Lightning offense had trouble getting going and couldn't find an equalizer after falling behind in the third period. The 29-year-old rookie will likely be back in net early next week when Tampa Bay plays back-to-back on a road trip that takes the team through Toronto and Montreal.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Starting in Columbus
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Tomkins will defend the visiting net in Columbus on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida reports.
This will be a return home of sorts for Tomkins who played four seasons at Ohio State during his collegiate career. Tomkins will make his second career start, as he dropped a 5-2 decision in Ottawa on Oct. 15, giving up four goals on 37 shots. The 29-year-old will face the Blue Jackets, who have scored 23 goals this season in nine games.
Tomkins allowed four goals on 37 shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss against the Senators.
Tomkins made his NHL debut in the second leg of a back-to-back set. The former backstop for Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Hockey League just couldn't keep Brady Tkachuk (two goals) quiet. Jonas Johansson is likely to do most of the heavy lifting until Andrei Vasilevskiy is ready to return from back surgery in late November or early December. The Lightning do not have another back-to-back situation until Nov. 6-7, so it's uncertain when we'll see Tomkins again.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Tending twine Sunday
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Tomkins will guard the road goal Sunday against Ottawa, per Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida.
Tomkins will get the second half of Tampa Bay's back-to-back after Jonas Johansson played in Saturday's 6-4 loss to Detroit. The 29-year-old Tomkins will make his NHL debut in Sunday's contest. Tomkins posted a 20-12-0 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 32 games for Farjestad BK of the SHL last season.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Agrees to two-year deal
Rotowire
Tomkins inked a two-year, two-way contract with Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Tomkins had a 2.53 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 32 games with Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Hockey League in 2022-23. The 28-year-old hasn't played in the NHL yet and will likely start the 2023-24 campaign at the AHL level.
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Matt Tomkins: Pens deal overseas
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Tomkins signed a one-year deal Friday to play with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Brandon Cain of NHL.com reports.
Tomkins spent the last four seasons playing in the ECHL and AHL, where he most recently went 5-9-1 with an unsightly 3.21 GAA and .907 save percentage with Rockford. He'll get a chance in his age-27 season to get a taste of Swedish professional hockey, which will no doubt be an interesting next chapter in Tomkins' career.
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Blackhawks' Matt Tomkins: Back to bus league
Rotowire
The Blackhawks reassigned Tomkins to AHL Rockford on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has resided on the taxi squad the past month, but he's yet to suit up in NHL action this year. Tomkins will return to the minors, where he's gone 3-7-1 along with a 3.39 GAA and .902 save percentage in 11 AHL appearances.
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Blackhawks' Matt Tomkins: Promoted to taxi squad
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Tomkins was promoted from AHL Rockford to Chicago's taxi squad Wednesday.
Tomkins' promotion suggests Collin Delia may be waived by the Blackhawks ahead of Thursday's game versus Detroit. Tomkins has yet to make his NHL debut, but he's posted a 3.39 GAA and a .902 save percentage through 11 AHL appearances this year.
