LGD: Jaws-ton Matthews.
By ThatsKappy
5 years agoWhat a way to start the day!
The Leafs welcome back Auston Matthews to the lineup tonight after a 14 game absence. They also welcome the San Jose Sharks to Scotiabank Arena for the first and only time this season.
Record: 17-8-0 (4th)
5v5 CF%: 48.92 (19th)
PDO: 1.035 (1st)
Goal Differential: +24 (1st)
Record: 12-8-5 (11th)
5v5 CF%: 55.43 (3rd)
PDO: .965 (31st)
Goal Differential: 0 (16th)
Statistically speaking, it’s the luckiest team in the NHL (the Leafs), versus the least lucky (the Sharks) tonight, if you buy into PDO. The Leafs can’t stop scoring, and Frederik Andersen continues to backstop the team to wins.
The Sharks, meanwhile, enter tonight’s game with just one win in their last four games, and with Martin Jones continuing to struggle in net.
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 73.0#59 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 81.5#12 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 78.5#15 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.68#18 FL1 |
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 74.1#42 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 85.0#5 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 73.8#45 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.65#4 FL2 |
 ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.7#45 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.2#34 C |  CONNOR BROWN Rating: 69.9#101 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.60#3 FL3 |
 TYLER ENNIS Rating: 70.4#113 LW |  PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 72.4#106 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.5#67 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.78#5 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 79.4#5 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 73.5#38 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 76.46#9 DL1 |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.5#16 LD |  MARTIN MARINCIN Rating: 70.9#82 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.72#15 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 74.0#36 LD |  IGOR OZHIGANOV Rating: 72.8#45 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.37#2 DL3 |
What a glorious sight to see Auston Matthews back in the lineup. With his return, Nazem Kadri also slides back down to the third line, between Johnsson and Brown. It’ll be fascinating to see what Andreas Johnsson can accomplish alongside the more offensively-minded Kadri, now that he’s breaking out.
Zaitsev (illness) is also likely to play.
No Nylander yet.
Sharks Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 EVANDER KANE Rating: 76.4#26 LW |  JOE PAVELSKI Rating: 79.0#28 C |  JOONAS DONSKOI Rating: 73.5#50 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.29#23 FL1 |
 TOMAS HERTL Rating: 75.1#51 LW |  LOGAN COUTURE Rating: 79.7#22 C |  TIMO MEIER Rating: 75.5#28 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.77#5 FL2 |
 MARCUS SORENSEN Rating: 73.1#57 LW |  JOE THORNTON Rating: 75.1#50 C |  KEVIN LABANC Rating: 73.8#46 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 74.01#2 FL3 |
 BARCLAY GOODROW Rating: 69.3#130 LW |  LUKAS RADIL |  MELKER KARLSSON Rating: 68.7#112 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.04#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOAKIM RYAN Rating: 72.2#65 LD |  BRENT BURNS Rating: 82.7#1 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 77.45#8 DL1 |
 BRENDEN DILLON Rating: 72.2#64 LD |  ERIK KARLSSON Rating: 82.5#2 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 77.34#2 DL2 |
 MARC-EDOUARD VLASIC Rating: 74.6#30 LD |  JUSTIN BRAUN Rating: 71.8#62 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.21#4 DL3 |
The Sharks are fully healthy, and despite their struggles and the fact that they’re aging, they continue to look like a pretty threatening team on paper. This is a team that’s likely still better than their record indicates.
Who’s Hot
- Joe Pavelski and Timo Meier are carrying the bulk of the offensive load for the Sharks, with 28 of their 77 goals this season.
- For the Leafs, Mitch Marner continues to play out of his mind. Hope everybody is enjoying watching the straw that stirs the drink.
Starting Goalies
Expect Andersen (13-7-0, .932) vs. Aaron Dell (3-3-2, .914) tonight. A bit more of a challenge than the struggling Martin Jones, Dell will be an interesting opponent in net. Let’s see if the Leafs can crack him.
Puck Drop is at 7:30pm ET on Sportsnet.
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