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Leafs look to put stranglehold on division lead with series sweep over Jets
Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2021, 14:07 EDT
This game has all the makings for a bloodbath.
A couple of “dirty” plays from the Leafs in response have apparently sent the Jets into a bit of a frenzy, mostly noted with Paul Maurice not even giving the credit of being a tough and dirty team, just a “poorer” team, although I still don’t quite get what he means by that. Some of the Leafs took offense to that, and defended their plays, and here we are now.
That said, you probably shouldn’t go into this game expecting the Leafs to mess everyone up. Their roster makeup has always been a “make you pay by scoring” kind of team, so if the Leafs really want to follow up on that mantra, they might wanna make it a blowout. But this is also where guys like Wayne Simmonds and Nick Foligno really show their worth, so what they add to what has been an oddly chaotic series will be interesting to see.
That’s not the only note for this game, as the Leafs will look to really bury the Jets in the standings to secure first place in the division. The Leafs win, and the Jets are behind by 8 points with only nine games to go. The Jets win, and they’re four points behind. The Leafs will probably win the division regardless, but they can make things a whole lot easier for them with a win tonight.
Tale of the Tape
Lineups
Toronto Maple Leafs
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 NICK FOLIGNO Rating: 72.5#61 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.3#6 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 76.6#18 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.14#8 FL1 |
 ALEX GALCHENYUK Rating: 70.8#115 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 77.6#15 C |  WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.1#23 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.83#6 FL2 |
 ILYA MIKHEYEV Rating: 74.0#42 LW |  ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 70.8#113 C |  WAYNE SIMMONDS Rating: 70.2#112 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.70#17 FL3 |
 JOE THORNTON Rating: 72.3#74 LW |  JASON SPEZZA Rating: 69.4#126 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.84#18 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 75.3#14 LD |  T.J. BRODIE Rating: 74.2#27 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.76#16 DL1 |
 JAKE MUZZIN Rating: 75.1#17 LD |  JUSTIN HOLL Rating: 72.0#61 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.56#13 DL2 |
 RASMUS SANDIN Rating: 72.3#69 LD |  TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 71.7#83 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.98#14 DL3 |
Winnipeg Jets
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 KYLE CONNOR Rating: 79.5#5 LW |  MARK SCHEIFELE Rating: 76.8#19 C |  BLAKE WHEELER Rating: 76.3#22 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.55#6 FL1 |
 PAUL STASTNY Rating: 74.8#36 LW |  PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS Rating: 74.6#38 C |  NIKOLAJ EHLERS Rating: 75.7#20 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.03#5 FL2 |
 MATHIEU PERREAULT Rating: 71.1#96 LW |  ANDREW COPP Rating: 72.5#60 C |  MASON APPLETON Rating: 69.5#123 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.05#22 FL3 |
 NATE THOMPSON Rating: 69.4#145 C |  TREVOR LEWIS Rating: 70.1#114 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.77#27 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOSH MORRISSEY Rating: 74.1#29 LD |  TUCKER POOLMAN Rating: 71.6#74 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.82#26 DL1 |
 DEREK FORBORT Rating: 70.5#109 LD |  NEAL PIONK Rating: 75.3#20 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.92#17 DL2 |
 DYLAN DEMELO Rating: 71.8#69 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.76#18 DL3 |
Leafs Starting Goalie: Jack Campbell
After a rough stretch that saw him lose three in a row and have six sub-.900 save percentage performances in nine games, Campbell rebounded quite nicely on Thursday with a 34 saves and a .919 save percentage in the Leafs 5-3 win over Winnipeg, especially after the rough start to that game he had. So, it should be no surprise that he gets to add to that performance with the start tonight, and with a .919 save percentage on the season now, it seems like he’s regressed from a hot start and should at least provide consistent goaltending from here on out.
Jets Starting Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck
Speaking of rebounding, Hellebuyck will also be looking to improve on a really bad start that saw him get pulled 12 minutes in after allowing three goals on six shots. He apparently didn’t agree with the early pull, so he’ll be looking to prove Paul Maurice wrong and have a strong outing against the Leafs with a chance at winning the division on the line.
You can catch the game on Sportsnet tonight, and since it’s Saturday, it should be no surprise that it’s a 7pm start time.
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