LGP 50: Matthews OUT, Murray Revenge Game

Holmberg celebrates after opening the scoring against the Rangers Photo: Maple Leafs Twitter

The Leafs are back tonight with another Next Gen game as they take on the Senators while wearing their Flipside jerseys. Unfortunately, they will be without star forward Matthews tonight and for at least the next three weeks as he recovers from a knee sprain suffered last game. This will give the bottom six forwards more opportunities and lead to more competition, as when Matthews returns, there will be one less depth spot in the lineup.

Leafs Projected Lineup

Senators Projected Lineup

Forwards

Tkachuk – Stutzle – Joseph

Debrincat – Greig – Giroux

Brassard – Pinto – Batherson

Kelly – Gambrell – Watson

Defense

Chabot – Holden

Sanderson – Hamonic

Brannstrom – Zaitsev

Goalies

Forsberg

Mandolese

Three Things to Look Out For

Holmberg

Holmberg played multiple preseason games with Nylander and now finds himself reunited with Willy on the second line, largely due to the Matthews injury. Holmberg has been a pleasant surprise for many, and this increased opportunity has the potential to boost his confidence and development. Keep an eye on the second line tonight, otherwise known as the Swede line, as they look to create offense for the Leafs while not giving up too much defensively.

Murray

Murray has been on the bench since being pulled in his last start. Samsonov has had quite stellar play against some of the top goalies in the league, but Murray finds himself with a start tonight to try and earn some time in the net back. He will also be playing against his former team, a team that gave up on him, paying to get rid of him. Murray will be looking to put up a solid outing tonight to lead the team to a win and help earn more time in the net.

Aston-Reese

Aston-Reese found himself a scratch last game but finds himself back in the lineup with Matthews being out. He has been solid defensively but really hasn’t contributed offensively or even physically as much as would have been hoped. Hopefully, a game in the press box motivates him to prove himself, as Marlies players in McMann and Anderson are looking to win his spot. It will be interesting to see how the increased opportunity for the depth players due to Matthews’s injury sparks further competition in the lineup.

Tonight’s game against the Senators begins at 7:00 PM EST and can be watched on Sportsnet!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @nathan_bondy.

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