LGD: Look up, way up
By Ryan Fancey
7 years agoThese are nervous times for Leafs fans. Fun, but definitely nervous. After tonight the club will have only 11 games remaining in their season, and right now they still cling to that final wildcard spot. But while we’ve been so busy hoping the they can fend off teams like the Lightning and Islanders from overtaking them, it’s been easy to forget they still have a very real shot of landing third in the division.
With the Leafs just three points back of Boston for that three seed and holding a single game in hand, their tilt against the visiting Bruins tonight is yet another “most important game of the season”, and we really mean it this time.
Tonight’s game is one of the very few left where the Leafs can make ground and directly hurt another team near the bubble, with arguably the only other remaining against the Lightning in the last week of the schedule. [Maybe you can toss the Florida game in there.]
THE LEAFS
LW | C | RW |
---|---|---|
Zach Hyman | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
Leo Komarov | Nazem Kadri | Connor Brown |
James van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Mitchell Marner |
Matt Martin | Brian Boyle | Nikita Soshnikov |
Defensive Pairings | |
---|---|
Morgan Rielly | Connor Carrick |
Jake Gardiner | Nikita Zaitsev |
Matt Hunwick | Roman Polak |
Carrick is finally back, in his first game since February 21st. If these pairings stick, he should be in for a busy night alongside Rielly. What a way to jump back in.
THE BRUINS
LW | C | RW |
---|---|---|
Brad Marchand | Patrice Bergeron | David Backes |
Drew Stafford | David Krejci | David Pastrnak |
Frank Vatrano | Ryan Spooner | Jimmy Hayes |
Matt Beleskey | Dominic Moore | Riley Nash |
Defensive Pairings | |
---|---|
Zdeno Chara | Brandon Carlo |
Torey Krug | Adam McQuaid |
Colin Miller | Kevan Miller |
This Bruins forward group is obviously a lot to handle when healthy, but that defence is still suspect, especially against a speedy team like the Leafs. The last game between these two was that 6-5 thriller in Boston, and I kind of expect something similar tonight, given Toronto’s weakness on the blue line as well.
Some Numbers
TOR | BOS | |
POINTS PERCENTAGE | .564 | .577 |
POWERPLAY | 23.6% (1st) | 20.8% (10th) |
PENALTY KILL | 83.3% (9th) | 85.4% (2nd) |
SCORE-ADJUSTED CORSI | 51.1% (9th) | 55.7% (1st) |
Starting Goaltenders
Andersen (0.918 sv%) and Rask (0.912) have both been confirmed.
What To Watch Out For
Brad Marchand has been on an absolute rampage for the Bruins recently, and has vaulted himself into real contention for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross trophies with 37 goals and 79 points. With Connor Carrick returning and being paired with Rielly, I’m assuming that pair will get to see a lot of Marchand and look to limit him somewhat. Then again, the Leafs have put up 14 goals through their first three matchups with the Bruins so far this season, so this is a team they can beat with their speed and a bit of run-and-gun. With that in mind, we’ll see how much they want to open things up with such crucial points on the line.
Game goes at 7:30 EST on TSN4 (local broadcast)
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