Welcome back for another edition of Around the Atlantic, our Wednesday column that will showcase any trending news surrounding the Atlantic division and of course, the impact it may have on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This week takes us to stops in Ottawa to check in on the Senators, we’ll discuss Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Matt Tomkins and his special night, and also check in on Leafs Nation’s favourite ex-defenseman, Justin Holl.

Senators Vouch for DJ Smith to Stay

While the home crowd may be booing head coach DJ Smith and chanting for him to be fired, the Ottawa Senators players want nothing to do with a coaching change. So much so, Claude Giroux went public with his love for Smith and reiterated the fact how much the Sens players love him and want to continue to play for him.

Giroux told reporters recently:

“It’s getting pretty old, the fans and the media talking about D.J. (It’s) pretty frustrating, actually. He’s our coach. He’s not going anywhere. We want to play for him. It’s just a distraction that we don’t need right now, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of not getting caught up into that. In the room, guys care a lot, and I don’t think we’re a team that’s going to quit or stop working hard.”

After long-time general manager Pierre Dorion was fired, it’s natural for the Senators fans to turn their attention to the head coach as the team’s struggles continue. The Senators are 4-6-0 on the season and head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. The Leafs normally bring out the Senators best effort so certainly expect to see a fired up Sens squad looking to jump on Toronto early. After a crazy 6-5 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, expect to see a lower-scoring bang-and-crash game from the two teams.

Lightning’s Tomkins ‘Special’ First NHL Win

Speaking of the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a great sight in Montreal last night as the Bolts bounced back in a major way after blowing a 4-1 lead against the Maple Leafs on Monday night. And while the Lightning were able to win 5-3 against the Habs, the story was all about goaltender Matt Tomkins collecting his first NHL win.

Tomkins has waited a very long time for this. The 29-year-old was a former seventh-round draft pick in 2012, and yes, he just made his NHL debut in October. What a story. He spent time in the ECHL, the AHL and he even spent some time playing over in Sweden. Fun fact, he shared the net with current Leafs prospect goaltender Dennis Hildeby in Sweden. Now the two are division rivals (technically). Needless to say he’s stuck it out, believed in himself and it finally paid off as he can tell his grandkids he won a game in the NHL and backstopped his team to victory.