#CSP #NHL #LEAFSNATION
The Maple Leafs hope to make it 3-0-0 in the 2024-25 season series against the Lightning tonight at Scotiabank Arena.
Three of Toronto’s forward lines and all three defense pairings will look different than they did to start the game in Montreal.
Up front, the combination of Max Pacioretty’s injury (UBI, day-to-day), likely allied with some consideration for Max Domi’s struggles with consistency in the middle of the ice this season, means rookie Fraser Minten will step into the lineup in between Domi (shifted to LW) and Nick Robertson on the third line. After two strong games (one assist, two drawn penalties, and promotion to William Nylander’s line in Montreal), Pontus Holmberg will start the night at 2C.
On the backend, Philippe Myers will step out of the lineup after the benching in Montreal, and Simon Benoit will return. After Myers’ benching, Jake McCabe skated several shifts on Morgan Rielly’s right and will start tonight’s game there, while Chris Tanev re-unites with OEL and Benoit joins Conor Timmins on a familiar bottom pairing.
Situationally — key defensive-zone draws vs. the Kucherov line, etc. — expect Tanev and McCabe to still see time together, but with two of the three defense pairings in flux and four lefties in the lineup, the coaching staff has split their most dependable pairing up in hopes of giving Rielly some stability with McCabe and getting more than one pair rolling. Early results in the big matchups vs. the loaded-up Lightning top six will dictate how long these pairings last.
In net, Jon Cooper is giving the nod to Jonas Johansson in the first half of their Toronto/Montreal back-to-back instead of the second half. Cooper cited the need to manage his goaltenders over 82 games, but you can’t help but wonder if Andrei Vasilevsky’s .810 save percentage in the Lightning’s two losses to the Leafs this season had a little something to do with it.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#74 Bobby McMann — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #88 William Nylander
#11 Max Domi — #39 Fraser Minten — #89 Nick Robertson
#24 Connor Dewar — #64 David Kampf — #18 Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #44 Morgan Rielly
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson — #8 Chris Tanev
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#35 Dennis Hildeby
Extras: Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers
Injured (day-to-day): Max Pacioretty
Injured (IR): John Tavares, Anthony Stolarz
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines
Forwards
#59 Jake Guentzel — #21 Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
#38 Brandon Hagel — #71 Anthony Cirelli — #20 Nick Paul
#28 Zemgus Girgensons — #14 Conor Geekie — #41 Mitchell Chaffee
#23 Michael Eyssimont – #11 Luke Glendening — #13 Cam Atkinson
Defensemen
#77 Victor Hedman — #43 Darren Raddysh
#27 Ryan McDonagh — #65 Maxwell Crozier
#78 Emil Lilleberg — #48 Nick Perbix
Goaltenders
Starter: #31 Jonas Johansson
#88 Andrei Vasilevskiy
Injured: Erik Cernak, JJ Moser
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