After a game to forget in Montreal last night, the Leafs are back again, but this time on home ice. Tonight is the Leafs’ home opener as they host the Capitals as both teams are looking for their first win of the season. The Leafs look to shake off an “unacceptable” and “sloppy” game one, as described by head coach Sheldon Keefe and captain John Tavares, respectively.
Leafs Projected Lineup
Forwards
Bunting – Matthews – Marner
Nylander – Tavares – Malgin
Engvall – Kerfoot – Järnkrok
Aston-Reese – Kämpf – Aubé-Kubel
Defense
Rielly – Brodie
Muzzin – Holl
Giordano – Sandin
Goalies
Samsonov
Murray
Capitals’ Projected Lineup
Forwards
Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Brown
Protas – Strome – Mantha
Johansson – Eller – Oshie
Sheary – Dowd – Hathaway
Defense
Fehervary – Carlson
Orlov – Jensen
Gustafsson – van Riemsdyk
Goalies
Lindgren
Kuemper
3 Things to Look Out For
1. Samsonov’s debut
Tonight marks Samsonov’s regular season debut as a Maple Leaf. After a decent preseason with the team, Samsonov is looking to provide stability to the Leafs’ net while getting revenge on the Capitals, showing them that it was a mistake not to qualify him. I am intrigued to see how Samsonov’s training with Shesterkin in the offseason and continued work with goaltending coach Curtis Sanford throughout the season helps Samsonov’s growth. It is worth noting that the Leafs will face Lindgren tonight, who is also playing his first regular season game with a new team. Look for Samsonov to help lead the Leafs to their first win of the season tonight.
2. More defensive structure
Many people who watched the first game last night came to similar conclusions. The defensive play just won’t cut it, especially for a team that has playoff aspirations. The Leafs had some painful giveaways and sloppy play clearing the zone when they had the puck, and this was one of the biggest things that cost them yesterday’s game. Some of the giveaways I’m describing came from the defense pinching and forwards not properly covering. While it usually takes time, the defense and forwards need to get better chemistry when it comes to choosing times to pinch and properly covering a player who has gone deep in the offensive zone. After Keefe surely gave the team a stern talking-to, I would expect a better defensive effort tonight.
3. Leafs’ top line
After the nice setup from Marner that Bunting finished, there wasn’t a whole lot about the top line that stood out last night. This isn’t to say that they played terribly, but with Marner and Matthews being such high-caliber players, it is reasonable to expect more from them. Matthews has scored five goals and ten assists in 13 career games vs. the Capitals and looks to boost that total as they face off against Ovechkin and his Capitals.
Tonight’s battle between the Leafs and Capitals begins at 7:30 pm EST, but the player introductions will likely take at least 20 minutes, so you can expect the puck drop to be sometime between 7:50 and 8:00. You can catch the game live on TSN4 or NBCS-DC.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @nathan_bondy.
Edited 10/13 6:16 EST
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