The Leafs are now on a three-game win streak heading into tonight’s game vs. the Golden Knights. The last time these two teams faced off, it didn’t go too well for the Leafs. Tonight the Leafs look for revenge as they try to add a fourth win in a row to their record.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Forwards
Kerfoot – Matthews – Marner
Robertson – Tavares – Nylander
Aston-Reese – Kämpf – Malgin
Bunting – Engvall – Järnkrok
Defense
Brodie – Holl
Rielly – Liljegren
Giordano – Sandin
Goalies
Källgren
Petruzzelli
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Forwards
Stephenson – Eichel – Stone
Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith
Amadio – Howden – Kessel
Carrier – Roy – Kolesar
Defense
Martinez – Pietrangelo
McNabb – Theodore
Hague – Whitecloud
Goalies
Thompson
Hill
Three Things to Look Out For
Robertson back in the top 6
Robertson has been in and out of the lineup all season, and lately, when he’s in the lineup, he’s been in the bottom 6. Tonight he has a chance back with Nylander and Tavares on the second line. Tonight is yet another chance for Robertson to prove he belongs in the NHL as an everyday player.
Brodie – Holl pairing
Brodie, in a poll recently, was viewed as the most consistent Leafs player, and many view Holl to be the opposite of consistent, so it almost seems like a matter of who will impact the other defenseman more. To this point, while looking at expected goals against, the Brodie Holl pairing has had the lowest xGA of defense pairings. This essentially means the pairing allows the least amount of quality chances.
Kerfoot on the first line
Tonight the versatile forward, Kerfoot, will get a chance on the top line with Matthews and Marner. The top line hasn’t gotten as many goals as would be expected, so Keefe shaking up the lines makes sense. Kerfoot is a hard-working forward and shouldn’t look like a slouch tonight when he starts on the top line.
You can watch tonight’s game on Sportsnet 1 at 7:00 PM EST.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @nathan_bondy.
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