• Auston’s homecoming. Auston scored last time he played at this arena, way back in December of 2017.
• Arizona sits fifth in the Pacific Division, which isn’t great, but they are ahead of the team who has Connor McDavid, which is cool.
• Arizona is 28th in the league in goals for.
• Arizona has scored more than four goals in a game this season just eight times this year. If the Leafs can score four, they should pick up at least one point. Then again, hockey is dumb and unpredictable, so maybe not.
• Arizona has lost six of its last nine games. Nice

The Leafs

LW	C	RW	Forwards
ZACH HYMAN Rating: 73.8#52 LW	JOHN TAVARES Rating: 83.0#9 C	MITCH MARNER Rating: 78.2#16 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 78.32#15 FL1
PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 72.9#72 LW	AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 83.8#6 C	KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 74.5#45 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 77.08#4 FL2
CONNOR BROWN Rating: 70.8#95 LW	NAZEM KADRI Rating: 78.3#34 C	WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.2#27 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 75.12#1 FL3
PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 70.8#112 LW	FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 70.2#162 C	TYLER ENNIS Rating: 72.4#71 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 71.13#17 FL4

The lines seemed to work last game, but it seems like only a matter of time before we see William Nylander with Auston Matthews again.

Then again, we’re just big dumb idiots who blog online so maybe not at all.

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 79.6#6 LD	RON HAINSEY Rating: 73.0#47 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 76.28#13 DL1
JAKE MUZZIN Rating: 76.9#13 LD	NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 71.6#74 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 74.22#12 DL2
JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.7#14 LD	TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 74.7#33 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 75.69#1 DL3

Well, that’s a great third pairing!

The Yotes

LW	C	RW	Forwards
RICHARD PANIK Rating: 74.2#42 LW	DEREK STEPAN Rating: 74.2#66 C	VINNIE HINOSTROZA Rating: 73.2#58 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 73.83#31 FL1
ALEX GALCHENYUK Rating: 74.2#64 LW	NICK COUSINS Rating: 73.0#85 C	CLAYTON KELLER Rating: 73.9#50 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 73.69#22 FL2
CHRISTIAN FISCHER Rating: 72.5#80 LW	JORDAN WEAL Rating: 70.4#160 C	CONOR GARLAND Rating: 74.2#49 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 72.38#15 FL3
LAWSON CROUSE Rating: 69.8#126 LW	BRAD RICHARDSON Rating: 70.9#146 C	JOSH ARCHIBALD Rating: 70.2#106 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 70.30#24 FL4

Richard Panik was cast off by a bad Leafs’ team and now he’s on Arizona’s top line. We don’t really have any other observations, but Conor Garland is about 5 foot 3 so that’s pretty fun.

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON Rating: 76.4#18 LD	NIKLAS HJALMARSSON Rating: 72.1#61 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 74.24#20 DL1
ALEX GOLIGOSKI Rating: 74.2#36 LD	JAKOB CHYCHRUN Rating: 73.6#44 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 73.90#13 DL2
KEVIN CONNAUTON Rating: 71.2#91 LD	JORDAN OESTERLE Rating: 73.3#44 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 72.23#14 DL3

Good defence! We think. Average defence? Say, wasn’t OEL for Matthews supposed to be the league’s biggest blockbuster about seventeen times?

Starting goalies

Andersen for Toronto and it’s looking like Kuemper for Arizona. We know enough about Fred, but Kuemper sports a line of 13-14-5 W-L , 2.77 GAA , 0.911 SV%  to go along with 1 SO this year.

Puck drop at 7 on CBC. Would you have it any other way?