DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
JACK JOHNSON Rating: 71.9#76 LD	KRIS LETANG Rating: 79.0#3 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 75.45#8 DL1
MARCUS PETTERSSON Rating: 73.2#50 LD	JUSTIN SCHULTZ Rating: 73.5#36 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 73.38#17 DL2
JUUSO RIIKOLA Rating: 72.6#63 LD	CHAD RUHWEDEL Rating: 71.4#89 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 71.96#14 DL3

Hopefully we get an update that Korshkov and Liljegren find their way back into the lineup, but I’m not holding my breath, especially since they weren’t assigned to lines in practice yesterday.

Here are 5 things to watch for.

1. Andersen still wants to start

The Leafs are going back to Andersen, and this is 100% a loyalty move. Maybe not this season, but previous years have earned Andersen the chance to prove that he is still the starter. Let him come back in against a team that made him look ridiculous and show he can beat them.

That being said, there have been a lot of chances for Andersen to assert his net dominance since the beginning of December and he’s looked shaky at best. I’d argue he might not be the goaltender for Sheldon Keefe and moving on this summer makes sense, and also in that spirit, perhaps going with the hot hand while the season is on the line is the case for Campbell playing a lot more.

Depending on how this game goes, that will make up a lot of minds on Andersen, so no pressure, guy.

2. Who sits out?

It’s trade deadline season, so maybe we’ll get a couple of late scratches for “precautionary reasons.” I get the sense it won’t be coming on the Leafs side, but the Penguins are usually not timid around the deadline and maybe we’ll see some lineup changes. Additionally, Malkin isn’t 100% and the Leafs might get another night off from him, not that it helped much.

3. Malgin?

Where does Malgin slot in? He’s played with Matthews before, but that isn’t happening here (yet.) Paul McFarland had him Florida, and probably can help figure out the best fit for him. Putting him in as center on day one might be a stretch, so I’m guessing we see him on the 4th line right wing, though with Gauthier playing 3rd line center, you’d hope that he’s place holding for someone who can actually fill that role properly.

4. Kapanen/Kerfoot

Whether you want them to play well to up their trade value or you want them to play well in order to help the Leafs win, or both, there’s a need for Kerfoot and Kapanen to be better than they have been. Kapanen has provided the Leafs with reminders of his talent, and could simply be snakebitten. Kerfoot is just looking regrettable, and is proving that Tavares can’t work miracles with every player thrown on his wing.

5. Scoreboard watching

The Panthers play the watered down Kings tonight. That’s unfortunate. At least it’s the second game of a back to back for them, but there is a good chance to Panthers are still occupying the 3rd spot in the Atlantic after tonight.

The Flyers and Blue Jackets face each other tonight, so we can probably assume this game is going to overtime. The Flyers are presently sitting at 73 points, and the Blue Jackets at 72, but outside the playoffs, so the Leafs would pull back into the wild card race, but wouldn’t grab a playoff spot in any situation, and in fact it’s a bit of a bummer that no matter what one of these teams is in a better situation tomorrow.

Game time is 7PM ET and can be seen on TSN4.