While Thursday night's matchup in Tampa between the Colorado Avalanche and host Lightning is a Stanley Cup Final rematch, neither team is currently turning in that caliber of play.

The meeting is the first between the clubs since the Avalanche won the franchise's third Stanley Cup on June 26, beating Tampa Bay in six games as the Lightning attempted to three-peat and claim their fourth championship.

The reigning Eastern Conference champs appear in good position to make the postseason again. They are slotted firmly in third place in the Atlantic Division -- 10 points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers. Coach Jon Cooper's squad and Buffalo each have 32 games remaining while the in-state rival Panthers have 29.