LGD: Leafs Look to Extend Win Streak to… Two
8 years ago
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off only their second win of the season. The Jets, victims of a 5-1 beatdown at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, will be doing everything they can to get themselves back in the win column while denying Toronto their first win streak of the season.
I tend to dread Leafs vs. Jets games, but tonight’s matchup in ACC shouldn’t be too bad. I much prefer the mausoleum crowd in Toronto as opposed to the insufferable home fans in Winnipeg, booing players for no real reason other than they don’t understand arena etiquette since they just got their team back.
Act like you’ve been there before. Geeze. And save your boos for when your own team gets swept in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs
Tyler Bozak is out tonight for personal reasons and Jonathan Bernier is still on the shelf with an undisclosed injury. With that, Peter Holland draws back into the lineup and Antoine Bibeau will be backing up James Reimer.
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 James van Riemsdyk |  Nazem Kadri |  Leo Komarov |
 Shawn Matthias |  Peter Holland |  P.A. Parenteau |
 Daniel Winnik |  Nick Spaling |  Joffrey Lupul |
 Michael Grabner |  Byron Froese |  Brad Boyes |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Jake Gardiner |  Dion Phaneuf |
 Matt Hunwick |  Morgan Rielly |
 Martin Marincin |  |
The Jets
Winnipeg is the biggest, heaviest team in the league, which is both scary and kind of funny. You have to imagine that will change when Dustin Byfuglien hightails it when he becomes a UFA this offseason and the Jets’ average height and weight drops significantly.
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Andrew Ladd |  Bryan Little |  Blake Wheeler |
 Mathieu Perreault |  Mark Scheifele |  Nikolaj Ehlers |
 Alex Burmistrov |  Adam Lowry |  Drew Stafford |
 Chris Thorburn |  Nicolas Petan |  Anthony Peluso |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Tobias Enstrom |  Dustin Byfuglien |
 Ben Chiarot |  Tyler Myers |
 Mark Stuart |  Jacob Trouba |
Starting Goaltenders
The Enemy Speaks!
Game Day Prediction: The Jets cannot take the Mike Babcock-led Leafs lightly. On paper it may look like an easy matchup, but on the ice it’s a different story. Regardless, the Jets will pull out a victory tonight. Jets 4 Leafs 2
Yeah? Here’s my prediction: Nobody likes Winnipeg and all of your best players will leave you.
What to Watch For
- Nikolaj Ehlers. I’d say that everyone is pretty happy with drafting William Nylander, but there were definitely a few members of Leafs Nation that preferred Ehlers at the time. I still think Nylander is the better prospect, but there’s something to be said about Ehlers quick rise to the NHL and his early success (nine points in 12 games). You should watch him because he’s fun to watch, but the Leafs should watch him because Ehlers can burn you pretty easily.
- Morgan Rielly. The young blueliner has six points in his last five games and leads the Leafs with eight points in 11 games. Is this Rielly’s breakout season, transitioning from young and exciting to top-pairing stud? I probably wouldn’t even watch the Leafs this year if I didn’t think it was.
- Special teams. Winnipeg owns a top ten power play and penalty kill while Toronto is bottom ten in both categories. If these teams trade man advantages, it probably won’t end well for the Leafs.
- Ondrej Pavelec. LOL.
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