The Leafs face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight, coming off of their first win that wasn’t only a one goal game. The Leafs look to extend their win streak to 3 games starting at 10:00 pm EST tonight. It’s also of note that tonight, former Leaf Phil Kessel is set to play, tying the iron man streak at 989 consecutive games while only being one goal away from his 400th goal. Kessel’s iron man streak began on November 3, 2009, while playing with the Leafs.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Forwards
Robertson – Tavares – Nylander
Engvall – Kerfoot – Järnkrok
Clifford – Kämpf – Simmonds
Defense
Rielly – Brodie
Sandin – Holl
Giordano – Mete
Goalies
Samsonov
Källgren
Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Forwards
Stephenson – Eichel – Stone
Smith – Karlsson – Marchessault
Amadio – Howden – Kessel
Carrier – Roy – Kolesar
Defense
Martinez – Pietrangelo
McNabb – Theodore
Hague – Whitecloud
Goalies
Thompson
Hill
Three Things to Look Out For
1. Pierre Engvall
Pierre Engvall was a healthy scratch last game as head coach, Sheldon Keefe, noted that he hadn’t gotten fully up to speed since coming back from an ankle injury. Look for Engvall to look faster tonight, as he has gotten some rest. It’s a long season, and we shouldn’t be concerned that Engvall hasn’t looked fully like himself yet. Give him a chance tonight, as he likely gets assignments in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill.
2. Auston Matthews
Matthews has done almost everything well this season except for scoring. Even with only one goal this season, Matthews still sits at a point per game, with five assists, giving him six points in six games. Matthews has looked really good on the forecheck, and his line has created a lot of offense that, unfortunately, hasn’t ended up in the back of the net. Keep in mind, last year, he only had one goal in October before running away with the Rocket Richard. I wouldn’t be too concerned with Matthews, as the Leafs have had the puck more often than not when he is on the ice. It’s only a matter of time before the goals start coming in, and we could see that tonight.
3. Mark Giordano
Giordano has had a clean start to the year with the Leafs and always seems to make his partner look like a better defenseman. At the same time, Giordano has had a lot of opportunity for bumps and bruises over the past few games, and with a few off days, there is a slight concern that he will be able to fully stay up to speed. While the Leafs aren’t at liberty to have him rest for a night due to injuries, Giordano has consistently stepped up. I think he can push through the bumps, bruises, and fatigue as the Leafs get through this road trip, but I’d keep an eye on his play, especially in the defensive zone.
Predictions
This is a new segment of the pre-game articles, where each game, there will be three predictions that will be answered between our Leafs’ writing team, Leafs’ Late Night team, and a coin flip. We will track it throughout the season to see who is the most accurate! The coin flip will always have heads as the home team and tails as the away team.
Who will walk away with the win tonight?
Nathan: Leafs
Josh: Leafs
Mike: Leafs
Steph: Leafs
Johnny: Leafs
Coin: Golden Knights
Who will score first? Jets or Leafs?
Nathan: Golden Knights
Josh: Leafs
Mike: Leafs
Steph: Leafs
Johnny: Leafs
Coin: Golden Knights
Will Phil the Thrill record over/under 1.5 points?
Nathan: Under
Josh: Over
Mike: Under
Steph: Under
Johnny: Over
Coin (over=heads, under=tails): Under
You can catch tonight’s game between the Leafs, and the Golden Knights live at 10:00 pm EST on TSN4.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @nathan_bondy.
Preseason Debut – All New Blue – Leafs Late Night
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