Maple Leafs Pregame #44: 5 things to watch for against the Oilers
By Jon Steitzer
4 years agoIt seems like only yesterday the Oilers were one of the hottest teams in the NHL and Leafs fans were looking up whether the 1st round pick from the Marleau trade was lottery pick protected. It was a dark time in Toronto and to make matters worse, it was good times in Edmonton.
Thankfully the Leafs realized that their path to salvation didn’t include Mike Babcock, and shockingly the Oilers goaltending tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith continue at a Vezina/Jennings pace, and we’re back to the reality we’re all comfortable with, the Leafs 2nd in the Atlantic, and the Oilers likely to miss the playoffs, wasting another year of Connor McDavid’s prime.
Lineups
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 74.2#39 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 81.9#3 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 78.8#7 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.31#5 FL1 |
 ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 72.9#70 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 80.4#9 C |  WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 78.2#8 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.16#2 FL2 |
 PIERRE ENGVALL Rating: 73.5#49 LW |  JASON SPEZZA Rating: 70.9#126 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 72.9#63 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.43#9 FL3 |
 DMYTRO TIMASHOV Rating: 71.3#102 LW |  FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 69.2#175 C |  MASON MARCHMENT Rating: 73.6#45 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.33#10 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 75.7#9 LD |  TYSON BARRIE Rating: 76.4#13 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 76.07#5 DL1 |
 MARTIN MARINCIN Rating: 71.8#91 LD |  JUSTIN HOLL Rating: 73.0#52 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.38#26 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 73.1#61 LD |  CODY CECI Rating: 71.7#78 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.36#14 DL3 |
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JAMES NEAL Rating: 73.0#60 LW |  CONNOR MCDAVID Rating: 82.0#2 C |  ZACK KASSIAN Rating: 71.6#92 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.52#15 FL1 |
 RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS Rating: 74.1#55 LW |  LEON DRAISAITL Rating: 81.7#4 C |  KAILER YAMAMOTO Rating: 72.4#72 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.05#4 FL2 |
 JOAKIM NYGARD Rating: 72.0#85 LW |  GAETAN HAAS Rating: 70.5#148 C |  ALEX CHIASSON Rating: 71.3#97 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.27#23 FL3 |
 JUJHAR KHAIRA Rating: 69.4#128 LW |  RILEY SHEAHAN Rating: 70.1#156 C |  JOSH ARCHIBALD Rating: 71.2#99 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.25#23 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 OSCAR KLEFBOM Rating: 74.3#30 LD |  ADAM LARSSON Rating: 69.9#101 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.10#30 DL1 |
 DARNELL NURSE Rating: 73.0#63 LD |  ETHAN BEAR Rating: 72.0#67 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.49#25 DL2 |
 CALEB JONES Rating: 71.5#95 LD |  KRIS RUSSELL Rating: 70.4#98 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.95#27 DL3 |
Thanks to Kris Russell and Adam Larsson, Cody Ceci might only be the third worst defensemen playing in this game.
Here are 5 things to watch for…
1. Mike Smith is starting so expect goals early and often
So Mike Smith has managed to be the more tolerable Oilers starter of late, and has strung together a couple of decent games. The thing about that is the bubble bursts pretty frequently and spectacularly, and with the Oilers defense struggling, and the Leafs having a very aggressive offensive attack, it would be a shame to not completely light up Smith.
2. Keefe is really feeling Marincin & Holl
As good as things are going for the Leafs there is still something about Martin Marincin that will always rub people the wrong way and a 9-0-1 record isn’t buying much more confidence in him.
Holl on the other hand seems to be universally loved, and being paired with Marincin seems like a real test for him, especially now that he’s going to be held to the higher standard of his new contract.
With Muzzin gone, this is the shutdown pairing, but when he returns it will be interesting to see if the emergence of this pairing gives Keefe a bit more flexibility about where he puts Muzzin when he returns.
3. Mason Marchment Y/N?
It’s hard to remember who is on the Leafs at any given moment, and since I’ve been away for the past three weeks, I feel like I’ve missed a handful of interesting callups and debuts.
That said, Marchment, despite bringing the physicality that has been absent from the Leafs roster, hasn’t really done much to show he’s a NHL player in his first two games, and with Moore and Johnsson practicing again, he’s quite possibly the odd man out sooner or later.
It will be interesting to see how Marchment lines up against some of the more physical Oilers tonight and to see if he can be a difference maker even if he’s not going to show up on the score sheet.
4. Is Freddie Andersen gonna look like Freddie Andersen?
Andersen might have a bit of relief coming in the form of Michael Hutchinson looking like he’s ready to play. Andersen needs this, and frankly despite the honour attached to it, the naming of Andersen to the All-Star game was probably the worst thing that could happen to him.
With his numbers slipping in the past few games, it would be nice to see if a bit more rest could be worked in the schedule for Andersen in the coming weeks, but tonight it would be nice to see him ready to play.
5. Shutting down McDavid
Since this is the entirety of the key to success against the Oilers it will be interesting to see how the Leafs do it.
Presumably Tavares will be out against him a ton, but defensively it may be a bit more interesting. Will the Leafs attempt to match his speed at all or will the concede that no one can catch McDavid and save their best weapons for when Connor isn’t on the ice?
I lean towards the latter as the Oilers will find ways to defeat themselves, as you can see by McDavid’s linemates.
Game time is 7PM ET, and it can be seen on TSN 4 in Ontario and Sportsnet West in Alberta.
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