LGD: Turtlenecks In Tampa
By ThatsKappy
6 years agoGood morning!
The red-hot Leafs (39-20-5) look to match their win total from all of last season tonight as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (42-17-3).
With a regulation win tonight, the Leafs could pull to within 2 points of first in the league (!!!), albeit with Tampa maintaining a couple of games in hand. When these teams last met at the ACC, the Leafs pulled off a thrilling 4-3 victory.
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 PATRICK MARLEAU |  NAZEM KADRI |  MITCH MARNER |
 ZACH HYMAN |  WILLIAM NYLANDER |  KASPERI KAPANEN |
 JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK |  TYLER BOZAK |  CONNOR BROWN |
 LEO KOMAROV |  TOMAS PLEKANEC |  JOSH LEIVO |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY |  RON HAINSEY |
 JAKE GARDINER |  NIKITA ZAITSEV |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT |  ROMAN POLAK |
Here are the Leafs lines tonight. Or at least, here’s what they might be if nobody is traded away.
Of note – Kasperi Kapanen is on the top line! With Auston Matthews still day-to-day, Kapanen gets a chance to shine next to his pal Willy.
Josh Leivo is not only in the lineup, but slots in alongside new Leaf Tomas Plakanec and his signature turtleneck. That’s not weird at all to say.
Lightning Lines
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 VLADISLAV NAMESTNIKOV |  STEVEN STAMKOS |  RYAN CALLAHAN |
 ALEX KILLORN |  BRAYDEN POINT |  NIKITA KUCHEROV |
 CHRIS KUNITZ |  YANNI GOURDE |  TYLER JOHNSON |
 ADAM ERNE |  CEDRIC PAQUETTE |  CORY CONACHER |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 VICTOR HEDMAN |  ANTON STRALMAN |
 MIKHAIL SERGACHEV |  DAN GIRARDI |
 BRAYDON COBURN |  ANDREJ SUSTR |
The Lightning are dangerous as always, and who knows, Erik Karlsson might be part of this lineup by the time the night is over too. That’s a scary thought.
Starting Goalies
Expect a goalie matchup of Vasilevskiy versus Andersen tonight. Andersen is on fire, meanwhile, Vasilevskiy has been up-and-down over his last few starts. Still, expect a strong goaltending battle tonight, regardless of the score.
Notes
- As mentioned, the trade deadline is this afternoon at 3pm ET, so take these lineups with a grain of salt.
- This is the last indoor Leafs game of the week before the Buds take it outdoors against the Capitals on Saturday.
Puck drop is at 7:30pm ET tonight on Sportsnet Ontario
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