The Leafs face the Lightning tonight after they look to get back into the win column after two consecutive weak games. The Leafs and Lightning last faced off on December 3rd, with the Lightning winning in overtime. Since then, the Leafs have a 4-2-0 record, while the Lightning boasts a 5-1-0 record. Tonight’s game is set to be a competitive, hard-fought game between two outstanding teams.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Forwards
Bunting – Matthews – Nylander
Järnkrok – Tavares – Marner
Kerfoot – Kämpf – Engvall
Aston-Reese – Holmberg – Anderson
Defense
Giordano – Holl
Sandin – Liljegren
Brodie – Timmins
Goalies
Samsonov
Murray
Lightning Projected Lineup
Forwards
Hagel – Point – Kucherov
Stamkos – Paul – Killorn
Maroon – Cirelli – Colton
Namestnikov – Bellemare – Perry
Defense
Hedman – Perbix
Sergachev – Bogosian
Cole – Cernak
Goalies
Vasilevskiy
Elliott
Three Things to Look Out For
1. Järnkrok
After suffering a groin injury, Järnkrok is set to play tonight, slotted with Tavares and Marner on the second line. He had been playing some of his best hockey of the season, also with Tavares and Marner, before the injury. Let’s see if he can continue where he left off and be an improvement over the recently traded Denis Malgin as the second-line LW.
2. Anderson
Denis Malgin being traded for Dryden Hunt actually makes the bottom 6 of the lineup more competitive. Hunt looks unlikely to be a top 6 winger, as a hard checking, forechecking forward. Hunt doesn’t have a lot to give offensively but provides value defensively. With that said, Anderson has received an extended runway here with the Leafs, and it’s up to him to play himself into staying in the lineup. That starts with tonight’s game.
3. First Powerplay Unit
Based on Practice, it appears the Leafs will be headed into tonight’s game with a full five-forward powerplay unit. The setup features Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, and Bunting. While the Leafs’ top unit on the powerplay hasn’t been terrible, they haven’t been very good either. This experiment gives the team more variety and offensive potential. Still, it is very risky, especially if there end up being giveaways that lead to odd-man rushes, with a forward defending it. We will have to see if the setup sticks, but hopefully, we will get to see it in action tonight.
Murray gets the start at 7 pm EST on TSN4, as the Leafs take on the Lightning.
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