LGD: Polak/Carrick Reunion Tour
By Jon Steitzer
5 years agoNot since Loggins and Messina has there been a duo with such obvious contempt for everything the other one is. On one hand we have Roman Polak, the hard working, blue collar player who just can’t seem to do anything right. And on the other hand we have Connor Carrick, the cerebral, offensive defenseman who just can’t seem to do anything right. Despite the recent success of Connor Carrick, it’s hard to make a case that the Leafs were wrong to move on from either of these players, but that’s not going to stop them from having the games of their lives tonight. A Roman Polak goal seems to be a given, because it’s the Leafs, and if there isn’t salt in our wounds we’re not doing it right.
Lineups
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 74.8#35 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 84.0#7 C |  TYLER ENNIS Rating: 70.7#87 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.51#19 FL1 |
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 71.9#78 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 79.9#17 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 76.9#33 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.25#6 FL2 |
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.0#74 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.8#27 C |  CONNOR BROWN Rating: 70.1#96 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.29#6 FL3 |
 ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.0#54 LW |  PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 72.5#93 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 70.8#86 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 72.10#2 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 76.8#14 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 71.9#60 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.34#20 DL1 |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.1#20 LD |  NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 71.3#73 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.67#14 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 74.5#29 LD |  IGOR OZHIGANOV | DL3 Rating Rating: 74.54#1 DL3 |
Oh how I pine for a simpler time when Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner were allowed to play together, and Ron Hainsey received 3rd pairing minutes (I’m told this has never happened.) It would also be nice to see Kapanen up with Matthews, but whatcha gonna do? I guess wait until the 2nd period when it becomes clear that Ennis isn’t working.
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JAMIE BENN Rating: 81.7#7 LW |  TYLER SEGUIN Rating: 80.6#14 C |  ALEXANDER RADULOV Rating: 78.0#15 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 80.11#8 FL1 |
 MATTIAS JANMARK Rating: 70.6#143 LW |  JASON SPEZZA Rating: 71.2#133 C |  BLAKE COMEAU Rating: 70.5#100 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 70.76#31 FL2 |
 DEVIN SHORE Rating: 71.9#117 LW |  RADEK FAKSA Rating: 72.5#95 C |  TYLER PITLICK Rating: 70.8#85 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.74#22 FL3 |
 JASON DICKINSON Rating: 70.1#112 LW |  ROOPE HINTZ Rating: 72.4#97 C |  BRETT RITCHIE Rating: 70.3#92 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.94#14 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ESA LINDELL Rating: 73.9#36 LD |  JOHN KLINGBERG Rating: 81.8#3 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 77.87#5 DL1 |
 MARC METHOT Rating: 70.9#89 LD |  MIRO HEISKANEN Rating: 72.3#4 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.60#23 DL2 |
 CONNOR CARRICK Rating: 72.5#54 LD |  ROMAN POLAK Rating: 70.2#89 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.32#17 DL3 |
So this looks like an exercise in shutting down one line. Cool. The Leafs can do that (they can but that doesn’t mean they won’t make it look incredibly hard.) The fact that Polak and Carrick are paired together is either a blessing or a curse for the Leafs.
Preview
It looks like it will be a return to Freddie Andersen between the pipes tonight (thank gord.) and the Stars will counter with Ben Bishop, who has been doing incredibly well for a goaltender who has a Polak/Carrick defensive pairing on his team.
On a side note, not really related to this preview at all, I have a question. Does Dallas have a rival in the NHL? I’m sure you’re going to say the Blackhawks, but I’ll revise the question to does Dallas have a rival in the league where the other team also considers them a rival? It seems like playing against Dallas is universally a mediocre experience for most teams. You’re going up against a team that’s good, not great, but has anyone ever been excited for a matchup against the Stars? A Tuesday night game in Dallas has to be one of the most forgettable nights on the schedule, and it’s probably a good thing we’re getting it out of the way when we’re just excited that regular season hockey is back.
The game starts at 8:30 pm ET, and can be seen on TSN4. Please remember to tweet about how much you hate the late start time. It gives me strength.
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