The Leafs 3 game win streak was snapped on Tuesday as the Knights took a 4-3 overtime win. The Leafs actually played a fairly decent game but had too many turnovers and mistakes that ultimately cost them the game. Tonight they look to land back in the win column as they faceoff against the slumping Pittsburgh Penguins.
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
Penguins Projected Lineup
Forwards
Guentzel – Crosby – Rust
Zucker – Malkin – Rakell
McGinn – Carter – Heinen
Hallander – Poehling – Archibald
Defense
Pettersson – Letang
Joseph – Petry
Dumoulin – Rutta
Goalies
Jarry
DeSmith
Three Things to Look Out For
No lineup changes
Tonight is the first night in quite some time where the Leafs have an identical lineup to their last game. I think the fourth line has been performing well, and the D pairings are the most optimal pairings with the six chosen players. Brodie seems to make Holl look better, and Sandin continues to develop on the right side. I would like to see another step up in decision-making tonight for Liljegren, as he can be a solid player if he limits his turnovers and mistakes.
Hallander
Hållander faces the Leafs for the first time since they traded him to the Penguins before the expansion draft. Hållander is a player that I liked and hoped they’d keep in their system, but trading him essentially allowed them to keep an extra forward. I don’t usually talk about the opposing team, but tonight is a good chance to highlight someone from the opposing team, as tonight is Hållander’s second NHL game and a former Leaf prospect.
Malgin
Malgin has played really well lately and caught the attention of Keefe multiple times. He is on my list tonight due to one of Keefe’s comments as he has to navigate whether or not to elevate Malgin in the lineup, as he has been so impressive. Malgin immediately made the Leafs’ fourth line better and continues to impress every game, and if he continues to play well, he may get extra shifts or even time on the Leafs’ top two lines.
As you likely already know, today is Remembrance Day. I would expect the Leafs to invite veterans to the game and have some moments to honor the veterans who sacrificed for us. You can watch tonight’s game on TSN4 at 7:00 PM EST.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @nathan_bondy.
