LGD: Smelly Cats
By ThatsKappy
6 years agoGood morning, and welcome back to yet another installment of the “How Many Days Until The Playoffs?” show.
Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs (45-24-7) play yet another essentially meaningless game as they pay visit to the Florida Panthers (39-28-7).
When I say meaningless, I mean for the Leafs, who have all but punched their ticket to a first-round date with the Boston Bruins in a couple weeks’ time. The Panthers, meanwhile, are still very much in the hunt for a Wild Card berth, but need to keep up with the Metropolitan Division teams all vying for that same last spot.
That being said, the Leafs *can* formally clinch tonight with a win over the Panthers and a Flyers regulation loss.
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 72.4#108 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.2#8 C |  WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 77.5#15 RW |
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 73.7#42 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.6#34 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 75.7#49 RW |
 JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK Rating: 79.5#6 LW |  TYLER BOZAK Rating: 73.8#74 C |  CONNOR BROWN Rating: 71.2#67 RW |
 ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.2#49 LW |  TOMAS PLEKANEC Rating: 71.4#139 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 71.8#59 RW |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 77.1#32 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 72.3#120 RD |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.4#39 LD |  NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 72.9#102 RD |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 73.9#69 LD |  ROMAN POLAK Rating: 70.0#222 RD |
Once again, no Leo Komarov in the Leafs lineup. While it’s true that he’s a valuable member of the PK, his absence still means the Leafs are rolling their optimal lines.
Panthers Lines
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 EVGENY DADONOV Rating: 75.8#25 LW |  ALEKSANDER BARKOV Rating: 81.7#10 C |  NICK BJUGSTAD Rating: 74.8#62 RW |
 JONATHAN HUBERDEAU Rating: 78.0#30 LW |  VINCENT TROCHECK Rating: 80.2#14 C |  JAMIE MCGINN Rating: 71.4#81 RW |
 MAXIM MAMIN Rating: 71.8#125 LW |  DENIS MALGIN Rating: 72.6#100 C |  COLTON SCEVIOUR Rating: 71.1#151 RW |
 MICHEAL HALEY Rating: 68.7#210 LW |  DEREK MACKENZIE Rating: 69.2#199 C |  FRANK VATRANO Rating: 72.7#97 RW |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 KEITH YANDLE Rating: 77.3#30 LD |  AARON EKBLAD Rating: 75.0#52 RD |
 MICHAEL MATHESON Rating: 73.9#68 LD |  MARK PYSYK Rating: 72.5#114 RD |
 MACKENZIE WEEGAR Rating: 71.3#175 LD |  ALEX PETROVIC Rating: 71.3#179 RD |
Wouldn’t it be nice to have Jonathan Marchessault and Rielly Smith with this group? I’m sure the Panthers think so; especially if they just miss a playoff berth by a hair.
Luckily for them, the group they have is fully healthy and ready to fight ’til the end.
Starting Goalies
For the Panthers, a Poop Boy:
For the Leafs, a Handsome Boy:
Notes
- The Leafs are 1-0-2 against the Panthers this season, most recently dropping a game 3-2 in OT on February 27th.
- Auston Matthews is still looking for #30 on the season to join certified elite boys Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk.
- Six games to go; the Leafs need two more wins to make it a franchise-best season. They can get halfway there tonight.
Puck Drop is at 7:30pm on Sportsnet.
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