After a back-and-forth win this past Wednesday, the Leafs are back for a Saturday night game against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are a team with playoff aspirations and will be a good test for this Leafs team. Let’s take a look at how things are lining up for tonight and who to keep an eye on below!
Leafs Projected Lineup
Three Things to Look Out For
Samsonov
Samsonov had a shaky start to his preseason and that continued on to the first game of the season, where he allowed five goals on twenty-four shots. That definitely isn’t ideal, but the Leafs will look back to Samsonov as he looks to regain the starter form. Samsonov still has lots of potential but will need to be given some help from the team in front of him to ease him back into the form we saw last season.
Klingberg
John Klingberg had a relatively solid start to his Leafs tenure potting two assists in his first game with the club. Klingberg has great offensive skill and his shot adds options to the first powerplay unit. He will look to continue with his offensive contributions to the team while trying not to give up too much defensively. Klingberg was a deadline addition for the Wild last season and played decently well for the Wild. Let’s hope he’s able to use some of his intel tonight as he faces off against some former teammates.
Knies
Matthew Knies is in his first full season with the Leafs and is hoping to move up the depth chart and become a key player in this Leafs season and hopefully playoffs as well. Knies spent much of last season paired with a rookie who’s playing for the Wild as well, Brock Faber. The two of them were both standouts for the Minnesota Gophers and are looking to help their NHL squads now. Keep an eye on Knies tonight as he looks to continue to grow his chemistry with Fraser Minten and tilt the ice in the Leafs favour.
Tonight’s game starts at 7:00 PM EST on Sportsnet and CBC!
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