LGD: Mild West Extravaganza, Part II
By ThatsKappy
5 years agoGood morning!
It’s a Leafs game day. Our boys in blue will take to the ice under the basement lighting of the SAP Center tonight as they take on the San Jose Sharks.
Tonight marks the second game of the Leafs’ three-game trek through California. Tonight, they’ll look to follow up a strong 5-1 win against the lowly Kings with a decisive performance against the “underperforming”Sharks.
At A Glance
The Sharks have strung together a couple of wins and may finally be turning up the heat after a slow start to their season. The Leafs, meanwhile, look to continue their road dominance. They’re currently 7-1-0 on the road, and have shown no signs of slowing down.
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 71.8#76 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 81.3#11 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 77.2#18 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.78#20 FL1 |
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 74.2#43 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.6#32 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 72.8#64 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.88#8 FL2 |
 ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.1#59 LW |  PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 73.0#90 C |  CONNOR BROWN Rating: 70.8#97 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.28#15 FL3 |
 TYLER ENNIS Rating: 71.0#88 LW |  FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 69.4#170 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.4#69 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.92#16 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 79.2#6 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 72.7#42 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.98#11 DL1 |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.6#15 LD |  NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 71.0#78 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.76#14 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 73.6#40 LD |  Igor Ozhiganov | |
Nothing new to note here. The lines remain the same from the game in LA. Moore remains out, no Matthews, no Nylander.
Here’s a nice little bright spot, though:
Sharks Lines
Last update: November 15, 2018
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TIMO MEIER Rating: 76.3#24 LW |  LOGAN COUTURE Rating: 80.2#19 C |  JOE PAVELSKI Rating: 77.9#29 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.15#16 FL1 |
 MARCUS SORENSEN Rating: 73.3#57 LW |  JOE THORNTON Rating: 75.0#50 C |  KEVIN LABANC Rating: 73.3#53 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.86#18 FL2 |
 EVANDER KANE Rating: 77.1#23 LW |  ANTTI SUOMELA Rating: 73.5#68 C |  JOONAS DONSKOI Rating: 74.1#42 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 74.90#1 FL3 |
 BARCLAY GOODROW Rating: 71.3#84 LW |  ROURKE CHARTIER Rating: 73.1#81 C |  MELKER KARLSSON Rating: 69.0#114 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.14#12 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOAKIM RYAN Rating: 72.5#55 LD |  BRENT BURNS Rating: 83.4#1 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 77.94#6 DL1 |
 BRENDEN DILLON Rating: 72.1#69 LD |  ERIK KARLSSON Rating: 80.7#7 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 76.43#3 DL2 |
 MARC-EDOUARD VLASIC Rating: 75.4#24 LD |  JUSTIN BRAUN Rating: 72.5#48 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.93#1 DL3 |
Let’s all take a moment to collectively salivate at those defense pairings. Just unfair, even with Karlsson having a cold start.
In terms of notable absences, it’s only Tomas Hertl who will be out for the Sharks tonight. He remains out with a lower body injury.
Who’s Hot
For the Leafs, Nazem Kadri has 7 goals in 9 games, and has really stepped it up since Matthews has been out. Andreas Johnsson is starting to look like a genuine factor in games, too.
For the aging Sharks, a bright spot has been 22-year old Timo Meier, who leads the team with 12 goals in 19 games.
Starting Goalies
Expect Martin Jones to go up against Frederik Andersen tonight. Jones has struggled greatly this season, with an .898 save percentage through 14 games, and has been over .900 just once in his last five starts.
Andersen, meanwhile, leads the NHL with 10 wins, and is enjoying a hot start with a .934 save percentage.
Notes
- John Tavares plays in San Jose for the first time since not signing with them this summer. You may remember that he signed a 7-year deal with the Leafs instead.
It’s another late one tonight on the east coast. Puck drop is at 10:30pm ET on Sportsnet Ontario.
Recent articles from ThatsKappy
