The Leafs look to get revenge on the Rangers tonight as they face off against each other. The key to success tonight will be offense, as last game against the Rangers, the Leafs were held to just one goal. Now, this won’t be easy, as the Rangers goaltending is elite. The Leafs will look to play a full 60 minutes tonight, and with help from goaltender Ilya Samsonov, I like their chances tonight.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Rangers Projected Lineup
Forwards
Panarin – Zibanejad – Kreider
Vesey – Trochek – Goodrow
Lafreniere – Chytil – Kakko
Cuylle – Leschyshyn – Gauthier
Defense
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Harpur – Schneider
Goalies
Shesterkin
Halak
Three Things to Look Out For
Matthews/Marner
After being reunited a couple of times in the last month, including the last two periods of Monday night’s game, Matthews and Marner find themselves starting tonight on a line together with Michael Bunting. This line, by many metrics, was considered one of the best, if not the best, line in the NHL last year, producing at an insane rate. This year hasn’t been the same, as the line failed to produce similar results. After an extended breakup, they are reunited and will be looking to cause havoc in the league again.
Nylander/Tavares
With Marner being moved to Matthews’ wing, it has resulted in Nylander being reunited with Tavares. They started playing together in the second period on Monday and wasted no time at all, with Nylander netting two goals and two primary assists, while Tavares found himself with a goal and an assist. Keefe has quite the flexibility, with Nylander being able to swap between centers easily. This could pose a threat as they can change the identity of their top two lines just by switching their right-wingers. I hope this swap benefits both lines and shows that even in playoffs, the lines can be jumbled mid-game to create different opportunities.
Anderson
Joey Anderson is back in the Leafs lineup for the first time since December 27th. The competition in the bottom six has been quite solid and will likely lead to the bottom six performing better as a whole. Some speculate that the players circulating through the bottom six may be doing so as a showcase to other teams who may be interested. While I believe that may be a factor, Keefe is trying to experiment and know what he has available to him so he can structure his team for playoffs. Anderson will look to make an impact tonight as the Leafs look for another win.
Tonight’s game against the Rangers begins at 7:00 PM EST and can be watched on Sportsnet!
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