LGD: Sparks, Pickard, and the Ex-Marlies Melee
By Ryan Hobart
5 years agoTonight, the Leafs will host the Philadelphia Flyers at the Scotiabank Arena. It will be a back-to-back contest and 3rd game in 4 nights for both teams, as we reach a heavy part of the NHL schedule before the Christmas holidays.
As mentioned in the title, since it is a back-to-back, both teams will likely be playing their backups: former Marlies goalie tandem Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard.
The Leafs carried four goalies into training camp, all of whom had to go through waivers if they were to be assigned to the Marlies. The team decided that Sparks was their choice to back up Frederik Andersen, and waived Pickard and McElhinney. The latter was picked up by the Carolina Hurricanes, who have had goalie issues for a long time, and who the Leafs faced and lost to on Wednesday while McElhinney was in net.
For Pickard, he was claimed by the Flyers, who the Leafs now face. Neither team is likely to have much of a morning skate today, after playing last night, so the lines will have to be assumptions.
Leafs Lines
LW | C | RW | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
ZACH HYMAN Rating: 73.1#52 LW | JOHN TAVARES Rating: 82.4#8 C | MITCH MARNER Rating: 79.3#13 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.26#17 FL1 |
PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 74.0#42 LW | NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.3#34 C | KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 73.7#45 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.99#9 FL2 |
ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 72.4#75 LW | PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 72.1#109 C | CONNOR BROWN Rating: 69.5#110 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.31#22 FL3 |
TYLER ENNIS Rating: 70.9#99 LW | FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 69.7#160 C | JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.3#76 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.01#13 FL4 |
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
---|---|---|
MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 79.8#4 LD | RON HAINSEY Rating: 73.4#42 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 76.59#9 DL1 |
JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.3#16 LD | NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 70.8#84 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.52#17 DL2 |
TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 73.9#34 LD | IGOR OZHIGANOV Rating: 71.9#62 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.92#3 DL3 |
GOALIES | |
---|---|
Rating: 69.5#50 G2 | Rating: 77.4#10 G1 |
Flyers Lines
Normally, we’d expect the goalie who played last night to sit, but with Pickard earning a shutout against the New York Rangers last night, it’s possible that Dave Hakstol will ask him to go again.
LW | C | RW | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
CLAUDE GIROUX Rating: 82.9#4 LW | SEAN COUTURIER Rating: 81.2#12 C | TRAVIS KONECNY Rating: 75.3#31 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 79.79#9 FL1 |
DALE WEISE Rating: 69.9#115 LW | NOLAN PATRICK Rating: 71.7#118 C | JAKUB VORACEK Rating: 75.7#27 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.44#27 FL2 |
JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK Rating: 78.3#18 LW | JORDAN WEAL Rating: 71.6#120 C | WAYNE SIMMONDS Rating: 74.0#41 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 74.62#1 FL3 |
OSKAR LINDBLOM Rating: 72.2#77 LW | SCOTT LAUGHTON Rating: 70.6#146 C | TYRELL GOULBOURNE Rating: 72.5#71 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.76#5 FL4 |
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
---|---|---|
IVAN PROVOROV Rating: 74.2#32 LD | ROBERT HAGG Rating: 70.3#110 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.27#28 DL1 |
SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE Rating: 78.4#7 LD | CHRISTIAN FOLIN Rating: 70.6#86 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.49#13 DL2 |
TRAVIS SANHEIM Rating: 71.6#78 LD | RADKO GUDAS Rating: 71.8#63 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.72#13 DL3 |
GOALIES | |
---|---|
CALVIN PICKARD Rating: 63.1#70 G1 | ALEX LYON Rating: 71.1#39 G2 |
Preview
The Leafs are doing really well so far this season, sitting in the top 5 teams in the NHL for points. They have lost their last two games, and will definitely be looking to bounce back in this one. The Flyers, on the other hand, have been very mediocre thus far, suffering the loss of their starting goaltender, Michael Neuvirth. They currently sit 6th in the Metropolitan Division, 8 points behind the Maple Leafs.
Hopefully the Leafs can muster up more energy than Philadelphia in this tough stretch, and grind out a win at home.
Go Leafs Go!
Recent articles from Ryan Hobart