HOCKEY IS BACK! Toronto v. Montreal

 

 

THANKS BE TO BUDDHA! After a long summer, NHL hockey is finally back. The 82 game grind begins with a matchup against the Old Enemy. The Leafs built their playoff push last year in large part on their success within their division. They’ve not lost a season series to the Canadiens since 2006 which is funny because they’ve also been the worst team to ever play hockey in that span.

Joffrey Lupul – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel

Matt Frattin – Mikhail Grabovski – Nikolai Kulemin

Colby Armstrong – Philippe Dupuis – David Steckel

Mike Brown – Matthew Lombardi – Jay Rosehill

Carl Gunnarsson – Dion Phaneuf

Luke Schenn – John-Michael Liles

Jake Gardiner – Mike Komisarek

James Reimer

Jonas Gustavsson

Cammalleri – Plekanec – Kostitsyn

Pacioretty – Gomez – Gionta

Darche – Desharnais – Cole

Moen – Engqvist – Weber

Gill – Subban

Campoli – Gorges

Spacek – Diaz

Price

Budaj

via TSN ice-chips

Matt Frattin, after getting a one game taste of the NHL last year, will be looking to take advantage of Clarke MacArthur’s suspension to make a statement that he deserves to be up with the Leafs all year long. Jake "The Expressway" Gardiner forced Ron Wilson to blow a hole in the roster that most people, including Wilson and Brian Burke, expected to ice much to the chagrin of Cody Franson.

After David Steckel was acquired, I opined that the Leafs’ centre depth made it look like Tyler Bozak was going to be the odd man out going forward once everyone was healthy. Turns out, that with Connolly out of the lineup that Bozak is going to get at least one more crack at centering Phil Kessel.

A lot was made of Steckel’s face off prowess so some were a little surprised by his spot on the wing. At even strength, Steckel’s face off skills are not as important. On the penalty kill is where Steckel will be asked to win his battles in the circle.

The other good news story is Matthew Lombardi’s presence in the lineup. Twelve months after his first season in Nashville was cut short after two games, Lombardi will be centering Jay Rosehill and Mike Brown on the Leafs’ fourth line. This is to help ease him back into the flow of things. Philippe Dupuis is getting his chance with more offensive linemates while Lombardi gets his game legs back under him.

Last year the Leafs won this season opener as part of their four game winning streak to begin the year. They have a good first five games of the year so this is step one towards trying to build some early momentum. The marathon is about to start: GO LEAFS GO!