The Leafs are back after losing to the Blue Jackets on Saturday and are looking to have a solid performance against another team struggling in the league. It seems like rumors start flowing every time the Leafs are about to play a team, not in a playoff spot. This past weekend there were some more rumors about Gavrikov, and now before this game, there are rumors of Patrick Kane having some interest in playing with the Leafs. As much as we can speculate and wonder what the Leafs will do at the deadline, we need to focus on hockey now and playing well, as Tampa just past the Leafs in the standings last night. The Leafs need to gain points against struggling teams as it will help them gain a home-ice advantage not just in round one but potentially in other rounds, too, if they are to advance.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Forwards
Athanasiou – Domi – Kane
Kurashev – Johnson – Raddysh
Johnson – Dickinson – Blackwell
Katchouk – Lafferty – Entwistle
Defense
McCabe – Jones
Johnson – Murphy
Jones – Mitchell
Goalies
Mrazek
Stauber
Three Things to Look Out For
Matthews
Matthews returns from an injury he suffered shortly before the all-star break, but it feels like he’s been out much longer. The team has been missing Matthews, and I’m sure he will boost the lineup. We will see if it takes some time to catch up to speed or if he’s able to look like he hasn’t missed a game as he dresses and plays against his favorite player growing up in Kane.
Timmins
Timmins finds himself in the lineup for the first time since signing his two-year extension with the Leafs. Timmins has been a valuable addition to this team and has put up great offensive numbers with the squad. He looks to continue growing those numbers and playing well to earn another game with the Leafs. The extension made it clear that he’s a part of the future plans of this team, so it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop under a system that suits his playstyle well.
The Third Line
With Matthews coming back to the lineup, I was expecting the offensive lines to return to what they were before Matthews injury, but it turns out Kerfoot will be getting a shot on the second-line LW, with Järnkrok moving down to the third line to play with Kämpf and Engvall. I think part of this is to see what this line would look like if the Leafs were to add a second-line LW. Kämpf and Engvall seem to look the best when they’re playing together, and if the Leafs added a more impactful forward, Järnkrok would likely be moving down in the lineup, so seeing his capability and chemistry with the rest of that line makes sense. Either way, it’s speculation on my end, and they must play well tonight, regardless of the speculation.
Samsonov takes the goal tonight as the Leafs take on the Blackhawks at 7:00 pm EST on Sportsnet.
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