Toronto, ON – The Toronto Maple Leafs are back on home ice tonight after their Western road trip. They came out of the trip with a 2-2 record and will look to play and have just two games left before the All-Star game in Toronto.
- TV: Sportsnet
- Radio: TSN 1050
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last Meeting:
The Leafs and Jets have become somewhat of a rivalry, largely in part due to the North Division the NHL had for one season. The Leafs last played the Jets on January 19th of last year and came out on top with a 4-1 win. Many will remember a quote from Logan Stanley saying “Is there anything better than beating the Leafs?”. Interestingly enough, since that quote, the Leafs and Jets have faced off 3 times and the Leafs have won all three matchups. The Jets are a wagon this season though, so the Leafs will have to play a solid game to make that 4 wins in a row against the Jets.
LEAFS QUICK LOOK (24-14-8)
4th in the Atlantic, 13th in the NHL
Last Game:
The Leafs played one of their better defensive games of the season against the Seattle Kraken, and while the Kraken aren’t at the top of the league this year, keeping any team to under 20 shots in a game is impressive. The Leafs will look to finish off their last two games before the All-Star break strong, a home-and-home series against one of the best teams in the league, the Winnipeg Jets.
Leafs Projected Lines:
Leafs to Keep an Eye on:
- Conor Timmins has been watching a lot of Leafs games from the press box this season with the emergence of Simon Benoit. Benoit has pushed Timmins down the lineup, but Timmins is finding himself in his second consecutive game with the Leafs, taking Giordano out of the lineup once again. The Leafs want more options on the breakout, especially right-handed ones as Liljegren is the only other right-handed shot in the lineup.
- Nick Robertson has 7 goals and 13 points in just 27 games with the Leafs so far this season. It seemed like Robertson had secured a spot in the lineup, but then with Holmberg’s emergence, Nick Robertson was on the outside looking in. Robertson has scored in 2 of his last 3 games with the Leafs and will look to play a full 60 minutes tonight and not just show up in small periods throughout the game.
- Ilya Samsonov has now played two games since returning from working with the Marlies goalie coach among others and has looked solid in both starts. Last game he looked much more dialed in and while he only faced 17 shots, he made a couple of spectacular saves. Samsonov has the skill but needs the consistency. Goaltending is a mindset game as well, and it seems like Samsonov’s mind is on the right track. He earned the start tonight against the Jets and will look to help give the Leafs a chance to win tonight.
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