LGD: Wheels on the Lum-bus
Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
What a game that was against Boston, eh? Within the past few days, the Buds have seen their playoff chances shoot up to almost double what they were earlier in the week, and if you’re not already scoreboard watching yet, the bets are that you will soon.
Tonight, the Leafs head to the great state of Ohio to take on another blue team in the Jackets.
And though both teams have had to face lots of criticism this year on whether their lineups are actually talented or just a farce, both teams come into the game in playoff position and looking to potentially move up the standings over the season’s final few weeks.
The Leafs
LW | C | RW |
---|---|---|
Zach Hyman | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
Leo Komarov | Nazem Kadri | Connor Brown |
James van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Mitchell Marner |
Matt Martin | Brian Boyle | Eric Fehr |
Defensive Pairings | |
---|---|
Morgan Rielly | Connor Carrick |
Jake Gardiner | Nikita Zaitsev |
Matt Hunwick | Roman Polak |
The Leafs see Eric Fehr slot in for the first time on the fourth line. Argue amongst yourselves accordingly.
The Blue Jackets
LW | C | RW |
---|---|---|
Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Josh Anderson |
Brandon Saad | Sam Gagner | Cam Atkinson |
Nick Foligno | William Karlsson | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
Scott Hartnell | Lukas Sedlak | Matt Calvert |
Defensive Pairings | |
---|---|
Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
Jack Johnson | David Savard |
Kyle Quincey | Scott Harrington |
While David Clarkson will not be in the lineup tonight, former Maple Leaf Scott Harrington will be. Also, that’s a heck of a first pairing.
The Jackets have done a formidable job of placing themselves in the standings where they are considering they do really lack offensive superstars. That’s not even a slight on them, but their current leading scorer in Cam Atkinson had never even previously hit 55 points. Kudos to assembling balanced lineups!
In the crease
Frederik Andersen is in one net… and Joonas Korpisalo in the other. Can’t tell you too much about Joonas, besides being a bright-haired young man with a .909 save percentage this season. The Leafs might have the edge in this one. In 5 of his 9 starts he’s allowed 2 goals or less… and in the other 4 he’s allowed 4 or more. Bit of a mixed bag with this guy.
Where to watch
It’ll be on Sportsnet tonight. Cash you around! Check out our pals at BuckeyeStateHockey.com for some coverage from the other side.
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