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LGD: 23 Florida Men
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY Sports
By ThatsKappy
Dec 20, 2018, 15:35 EST
It’s Game Day!
The Leafs look to avenge last Saturday’s failed comeback attempt in Sunrise with a win against the Panthers in Toronto tonight.
Our boys in blue and white are coming off of a dominant 7-2 victory in New Jersey on Tuesday night, with six different Leafs potting goals in the win. Can they continue the momentum of their offensive dominance against another porous team tonight?
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 73.0#58 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 80.8#15 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 78.2#16 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.32#17 FL1 |
 ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 74.8#38 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 85.3#6 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 74.4#41 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 78.15#3 FL2 |
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 74.2#42 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.1#36 C |  WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.0#28 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 75.76#1 FL3 |
 TYLER ENNIS Rating: 70.1#117 LW |  PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 71.0#137 C |  CONNOR BROWN Rating: 69.3#110 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.14#17 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 79.9#5 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 72.7#45 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 76.30#14 DL1 |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 78.0#7 LD |  NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 71.5#74 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.72#7 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 74.0#35 LD |  IGOR OZHIGANOV Rating: 72.0#56 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.01#7 DL3 |
Panthers Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JONATHAN HUBERDEAU Rating: 78.5#15 LW |  ALEKSANDER BARKOV Rating: 82.0#10 C |  MIKE HOFFMAN Rating: 75.9#30 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.79#11 FL1 |
 FRANK VATRANO Rating: 72.1#100 LW |  HENRIK BORGSTROM Rating: 72.8#80 C |  EVGENII DADONOV Rating: 78.9#13 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.61#16 FL2 |
 COLTON SCEVIOUR Rating: 70.6#150 LW |  JARED MCCANN Rating: 71.1#135 C |  TROY BROUWER Rating: 68.9#114 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.19#29 FL3 |
 MICHEAL HALEY Rating: 67.5#135 LW |  JUHO LAMMIKKO Rating: 71.6#114 C |  JAYCE HAWRYLUK Rating: 73.3#53 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.81#7 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 KEITH YANDLE Rating: 77.7#8 LD |  AARON EKBLAD Rating: 74.3#33 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 76.00#16 DL1 |
 MICHAEL MATHESON Rating: 72.4#64 LD |  MARK PYSYK Rating: 70.5#87 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.46#22 DL2 |
 ALEX PETROVIC Rating: 69.4#124 LD |  MACKENZIE WEEGAR Rating: 71.7#62 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.54#21 DL3 |
It’s all business as usual for both teams tonight. The Leafs roll out their usual lines on offense (yay!) and their typical pairs on defense (sigh). For the Panthers, they’re still missing Vincent Trochek, Derek McKenzie, Nick Bjugstad and Jamie McGinn, so the Leafs face the same Panthers team they took on less than a week ago.
Starting Goalies
Expect Frederik Andersen (18-9-1, .923) to rematch against Roberto Luongo (7-5-1, .906) tonight. Luongo enjoyed a decent outing against the Leafs on Saturday night, and has since looked sharp in a win against Buffalo as well. Andersen, meanwhile, has faltered of late, but looked poised and ready to return to his steady ways in New Jersey on Tuesday.
Notes
- Will tonight finally be the night that William Nylander breaks out? Thomas Williams recently broke down why it’s only a matter of time.
- Can Auston Matthews get back to his 50-in-50 pace already? The bum is only on pace for 43 in 50 now, which is worrisome.
- Can we please not lose twice to the Panthers?
Puck Drop is at 7pm on Sportsnet Ontario.
Breaking News
- Gavin McKenna might be a Mitch Marner replacement but not in year one
- Maple Leafs’ activity on Day 1 of free agency indicates heavy investment into next two years
- Ryan Tverberg reportedly signs 1-year, $850K extension with Maple Leafs
- Leafs development camp scrimmage notebook: McKenna’s playmaking, Koblar shines, Nansi wins superlatives, quick hits
- Gavin McKenna confirms he’ll wear No. 92 for Maple Leafs