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LGD: Sens Of Direction
Photo credit: © Marc DesRosiers | USA Today
By ThatsKappy
Feb 6, 2019, 11:37 EST
Good morning!
The Leafs are fresh off a dominant 6-1 win, and the Senators are in fresh hell. It’s a rare Wednesday night Battle of Ontario. Let’s go!
Leafs Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 73.1#62 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 81.5#12 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 79.1#13 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.88#17 FL1 |
 PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 73.7#49 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 84.4#6 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 73.9#48 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.31#3 FL2 |
 CONNOR BROWN Rating: 70.9#99 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 78.8#26 C |  WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 75.6#38 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 75.07#1 FL3 |
 PAR LINDHOLM Rating: 70.4#111 LW |  FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 68.9#175 C |  ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.7#52 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.00#19 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JAKE MUZZIN Rating: 76.6#16 LD |  MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 80.4#6 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 78.48#7 DL1 |
 JAKE GARDINER Rating: 77.3#11 LD |  NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 71.4#79 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.35#11 DL2 |
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 75.0#25 LD |  RON HAINSEY Rating: 73.1#45 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 74.06#4 DL3 |
Nothing changes here for the Leafs. Tyler Ennis isn’t quite ready to return after his broken foot, and Andreas Johnsson inexplicably remains on the fourth line.
Expect the defense pairings to dance around a bit, with Travis Dermott playing up from time to time and (hopefully) we see some Jake Muzzin and Jake Gardiner time.
Sens Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RYAN DZINGEL Rating: 74.2#39 LW |  MATT DUCHENE Rating: 78.5#30 C |  BOBBY RYAN Rating: 72.2#77 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.95#28 FL1 |
 BRADY TKACHUK Rating: 74.0#44 LW |  COLIN WHITE Rating: 70.8#145 C |  MARK STONE Rating: 79.2#12 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.68#20 FL2 |
 ZACK SMITH Rating: 69.2#173 LW |  JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU Rating: 71.3#134 C |  MAGNUS PAAJARVI Rating: 69.9#122 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.14#31 FL3 |
 CHRISTIAN WOLANIN Rating: 73.2#50 LW |  CHRIS TIERNEY Rating: 71.8#115 C |  RUDOLFS BALCERS Rating: 73.2#58 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 72.76#2 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 THOMAS CHABOT Rating: 71.2#96 LD |  DYLAN DEMELO Rating: 71.8#71 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 71.46#29 DL1 |
 MAXIME LAJOIE Rating: 69.7#121 LD |  CODY CECI Rating: 69.9#95 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 69.80#31 DL2 |
 MARK BOROWIECKI Rating: 67.9#128 LD |  BEN HARPUR Rating: 66.4#104 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 67.13#31 DL3 |
Chabot, Duchene and Stone aside… woof. This really is something.
The Senators are now dead last in the league, and it shows. They’re losers of four straight, and the Leafs should be all over this lineup tonight to try and make it five.
Starting Goalies
Andersen vs. Anderson, baby! Freddie is rocking a .923 on the season, good for 8th in the league as he continues to enjoy a stellar season. Craig, meanwhile, has been less than good, with a .906 on the season through 34 games played. Age might finally be catching up to Anderson, or the team in front of him might simply be too bad to prop up.
Notes
- The Leafs dropped their first meeting to the Sens this year in just their second game of the season. They’ll be looking to draw even against them tonight in just their second meeting of the year.
- Can William Nylander score goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season? He’s got six points in his last five games, and is finally starting to heat up.
- Will Auston Matthews live up to his hot new contract in his first game since re-signing? We shall see.
Puck Drop is at 7:30pm ET on Sportsnet
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