LGD: Warding off the storm
By ThatsKappy
6 years agoIt’s game day!
Coming off of a 3-2 win against the Kings, the Leafs (7-2- 0) look to start putting together another winning streak as they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1) to town. It’s the second game of the Leafs’ three-game home stand, and the first meeting between the two clubs this season. The Leafs came out on top in last year’s season series against Carolina, winning two of their three matchups. Oh, and Auston Matthews did this:
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I’m still waiting for the camera to pan out to Matthews playing NHL 18 on Rookie.
LINEUPS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN |  AUSTON MATTHEWS |  WILLIAM NYLANDER |
 PATRICK MARLEAU |  NAZEM KADRI |  LEO KOMAROV |
 JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK |  TYLER BOZAK |  CONNOR BROWN |
 MATT MARTIN |  DOMINIC MOORE |  MITCH MARNER |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY |  RON HAINSEY |
 JAKE GARDINER |  NIKITA ZAITSEV |
 ANDREAS BORGMAN |  ROMAN POLAK |
For the Leafs, the good news is that James van Riemsdyk appears he’ll be good to go tonight. JVR appeared to have injured his ankle after taking a hit in Monday’s game, but today’s line rushes suggest the injury will not be serious enough to keep him out. Mitch Marner remains on the fourth line, and Josh Leivo’s press box exile continues.
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 SEBASTIAN AHO |  JORDAN STAAL |  ELIAS LINDHOLM |
 BROCK MCGINN |  VICTOR RASK |  TEUVO TERAVAINEN |
 JEFF SKINNER |  DEREK RYAN |  JUSTIN WILLIAMS |
 JOAKIM NORDSTROM |  MARCUS KRUGER |  JOSH JOORIS |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 JACCOB SLAVIN |  BRETT PESCE |
 NOAH HANIFIN |  JUSTIN FAULK |
 HAYDN FLEURY |  TREVOR VAN RIEMSDYK |
This is the first time in years that I’m sure that everyone in the Hurricanes’ lineup is in fact a real person. Despite a lackluster start, this team doesn’t look half bad, on paper at least.
Head-to-head
In a nutshell, this game is the Leafs’ third straight against a defense-first team that will likely make it difficult for the Leafs to shoot out the lights, as they like to do. They’re sixth-best in the league in shots against per game (29.6), having only allowed 30+ shots once. The Leafs, meanwhile, have only been under the 30 mark one time. Tonight will be another challenge for the Leafs’ rotating cast on the back end to tighten up.
Starting goalies
Between the pipes, it’s a tale of struggling goaltenders still trying to get their sea legs. New acquisition Scott Darling has stumbled out of the gates for the Hurricanes, posting an .896 save percentage through five appearances. If Darling continues to struggle, it’s comforting to know that Carolina can at least fall back on… uhh, Cam Ward, who is inexplicably still on this team after putting up four consecutive years worth of ECHL-calibre numbers. Yikes.
Frederik Andersen, meanwhile, looks to shed the “struggling” prefix and follow up Monday’s strong performance with another. He’s finally at a .900 save percentage on the season, which is a start.
Notes
- Jeff Skinner has been hot early on, with three goals in his last three games and five on the season.
- Look for Mitch Marner to have some pep in his step tonight, after getting back on track with two assists last game (and a goal that was inexplicably discounted because Jonathan Quick is bad).
- The Leafs and Hurricanes may be tied 1-1 in Van Riemsdyk-having, but JVR has three more points than
anyone on the Hurricanes. Van Riemsdyk Advantage: Toronto.
The Leafs look to win their eighth game of the season just ten games in. For a comparison, the Leafs did
not win their eighth game last year until November 17th, in their 17th game.
not win their eighth game last year until November 17th, in their 17th game.
Puck Drop is at 7pm ET on Sportsnet.
Check out this charity initiative from our friend and Wings fan Kyle Krische.
For every Leafs goal this season, Kyle is running 1 KM out of hatred to raise money for You Can Play. More details below:
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