LGD: Trouble Bruin
7 years ago
Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY SPORTS
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to avoid a four-game losing streak tonight when they take on the Boston Bruins. This is probably the most important one of the past few weeks, though, as a loss would also give points to a division rival in the thick of the playoff race. Here’s what you have to keep in mind ahead of puck drop.
The Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Leo Komarov |  Nazem Kadri |  William Nylander |
 James van Riemsdyk |  Tyler Bozak |  Mitchell Marner |
 Zach Hyman |  Auston Matthews |  Connor Brown |
 Matt Martin |  Ben Smith |  Nikita Soshnikov |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Morgan Rielly |  Nikita Zaitsev |
 Jake Gardiner |  Connor Carrick |
 Martin Marincin |  Roman Polak |
No Alexey Marchenko… yet! But the lines will remain the same as they’ve been most nights, save for the start of the St. Louis game. It’s mostly worked for Toronto, so I guess they’re going to force them until they get rolling again. Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing.
The Bruins
Boston Bruins lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Brad Marchand |  Patrice Bergeron |  David Pastrnak |
 Frank Vatrano |  David Krejci |  David Backes |
 Matt Beleskey |  Ryan Spooner |  Riley Nash |
 Tim Schaller |  Dominic Moore |  Jimmy Hayes |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Zdeno Chara |  Brandon Carlo |
 Torey Krug |  Adam McQuaid |
 Kevan Miller |  Colin Miller |
Kinda funny how the Bruins have the “no, the other one with that name” for Nash, Spooner, Hayes, Miller, and if you’re from the centre of the universe, Moore.
Also, David Pastrnak kinda rules, but let’s not tell anyone that until after the game is over.
Starting Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen hasn’t had much luck lately, but he’ll give it another go tonight. The good news is that he’s 2-0 with a 0.966 save percentage against the Bruins this year, so maybe he’ll continue that run of form instead of the one he’s had against the rest of the league this year.
Tuukka Rask likely goes in goal for the Bruins tonight, despite missing practice on Friday. He gave up 5 in 22 on Wednesday and supposedly has some groin soreness, but in a big game like this, the Bruins will always look to their starter.
By the way, it’s worth noting that both goaltenders will wear those sweet new pants tonight. For more on the new rule, check Zach’s post on TLN, and for more info on what the pants actually do, check Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks’ review on GGSUnited from November.
What To Look Out For
Be eager, be hungry, be a team that gets a regulation win. Pretty straight forward; while not a total sink-or-swim night for the team, it would be real, real beneficial to the team if they were able to swim. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM on Hockey Night In Canada.
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