When I say meaningless, I mean for the Leafs, who have all but punched their ticket to a first-round date with the Boston Bruins in a couple weeks’ time. The Panthers, meanwhile, are still very much in the hunt for a Wild Card berth, but need to keep up with the Metropolitan Division teams all vying for that same last spot.

That being said, the Leafs *can* formally clinch tonight with a win over the Panthers and a Flyers regulation loss.

Leafs Lines

LW	C	RW
ZACH HYMAN Rating: 72.4#108 LW	AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.2#8 C	WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 77.5#15 RW
PATRICK MARLEAU Rating: 73.7#42 LW	NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.6#34 C	MITCH MARNER Rating: 75.7#49 RW
JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK Rating: 79.5#6 LW	TYLER BOZAK Rating: 73.8#74 C	CONNOR BROWN Rating: 71.2#67 RW
ANDREAS JOHNSSON Rating: 73.2#49 LW	TOMAS PLEKANEC Rating: 71.4#139 C	KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 71.8#59 RW

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 77.1#32 LD	RON HAINSEY Rating: 72.3#120 RD
JAKE GARDINER Rating: 76.4#39 LD	NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 72.9#102 RD
TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 73.9#69 LD	ROMAN POLAK Rating: 70.0#222 RD

Once again, no Leo Komarov in the Leafs lineup. While it’s true that he’s a valuable member of the PK, his absence still means the Leafs are rolling their optimal lines.

Panthers Lines

LW	C	RW
EVGENY DADONOV Rating: 75.8#25 LW	ALEKSANDER BARKOV Rating: 81.7#10 C	NICK BJUGSTAD Rating: 74.8#62 RW
JONATHAN HUBERDEAU Rating: 78.0#30 LW	VINCENT TROCHECK Rating: 80.2#14 C	JAMIE MCGINN Rating: 71.4#81 RW
MAXIM MAMIN Rating: 71.8#125 LW	DENIS MALGIN Rating: 72.6#100 C	COLTON SCEVIOUR Rating: 71.1#151 RW
MICHEAL HALEY Rating: 68.7#210 LW	DEREK MACKENZIE Rating: 69.2#199 C	FRANK VATRANO Rating: 72.7#97 RW

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
KEITH YANDLE Rating: 77.3#30 LD	AARON EKBLAD Rating: 75.0#52 RD
MICHAEL MATHESON Rating: 73.9#68 LD	MARK PYSYK Rating: 72.5#114 RD
MACKENZIE WEEGAR Rating: 71.3#175 LD	ALEX PETROVIC Rating: 71.3#179 RD

Wouldn’t it be nice to have Jonathan Marchessault and Rielly Smith with this group? I’m sure the Panthers think so; especially if they just miss a playoff berth by a hair.

Luckily for them, the group they have is fully healthy and ready to fight ’til the end.

Starting Goalies

For the Panthers, a Poop Boy:

For the Leafs, a Handsome Boy:

Notes

The Leafs are 1-0-2 against the Panthers this season, most recently dropping a game 3-2 in OT on February 27th.
Auston Matthews is still looking for #30 on the season to join certified elite boys Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk.
Six games to go; the Leafs need two more wins to make it a franchise-best season. They can get halfway there tonight.

Puck Drop is at 7:30pm on Sportsnet.

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