The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action tonight against the St. Louis Blues in what could be their most important game of the season so far. They come into to the game riding a five-game losing streak, and although things look terrible on the ice, they don’t feel the same within the locker room.
Related: Maple Leafs Reportedly Looking to Make Roster-For-Roster Trade
On Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Maple Leafs had what looked like their most complete game. Unfortunately, they blew the lead and in the third period couldn’t muster anything which resulted in them losing. Now, they look to end that losing streak by welcoming one of the few teams in the league that are worse than them in the standings. If they can’t find a way to beat the Blues, it is a clear sign that something isn’t right and although Maple Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving hinted that he has full confidence in the group, it may be time for a change.
Maple Leafs News:
It seems that most of the news around the Maple Leafs these days is just about more and more injuries. They are now up to six players on their injured list, and none of them are minor players. Obviously, there is the captain Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz, Scott Laughton, Brandon Carlo and Nicolas Roy are all out of the lineup. That is quite an impact to their roster and as a result, they’ve made a a few roster moves to call up players, which includes Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan, they also claimed Troy Stecher off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers.
As for other news, Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday night that he believes the Maple Leafs are looking to make a roster-for-roster trade. However, when Treliving spoke with the media today, he informed them that he wants to stabilize the group before making any moves. He went on to say that if they were to add a player or two, they would be playing in the same situation and nothing would drastically change until the group can stabilize. That could be a smart move, but, it does seem almost inevitable that this team is going to have to make a trade to change something up, before it is too late.
Team Stats
Toronto Maple Leafs
Season Record: 8-9-2 (18 pts)
Top Scorers:
- William Nylander – 8 G, 18 A, 26 P
- John Tavares – 11 G, 13 A, 24 P
- Matthew Knies – 5 G, 17 A, 22 P
- Morgan Rielly – 3 G, 12 A, 15 P
- Auston Matthews – 9 G, 5 A, 14 P
Goalie Stats:
Anthony Stolarz – 6-5-1, 3.51 GAA, .884 SV%
Dennis Hildeby – 2-0-2, 3.81 GAA, .904 SV%
Joseph Woll – 0-1-0, 3.07 GAA, .906 SV%
St. Louis Blues
Season Record: 6-9-4 (20 pts)
Top Scorers:
- Robert Thomas – 3 G, 9 A, 12 P
- Jordan Kyrou – 6 G, 5 A, 11 P
- Jimmy Snuggerud – 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- Pius Suter – 5 G, 5 A, 10 P
- Justin Faulk – 4 G, 6 A, 10 P
Goalie Stats:
Jordan Binnington – 4-5-3, 3.34 GAA, .869 SV%
Joel Hofer – 2-4-1, 4.04 GAA, .867 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, FDSNMW
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Nicholas Robertson — John Tavares — William Nylander
Matthew Knies– Max Domi — Easton Cowan
Matias Maccelli — Jacob Quillan — Bobby McMann
Dakota Joshua — Steven Lorentz — Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Rielly — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit — Jake McCabe
Dakota Mermis — Troy Stecher
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Scratched: Philippe Myers, Sammy Blais
Injured: Auston Matthews (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (upper body), Chris Tanev (upper body), Scott Laughton (upper body), Brandon Carlo (lower body), Nicolas Roy (upper body)
Blues projected lineup
Dylan Holloway — Robert Thomas — Jimmy Snuggerud
Brayden Schenn — Dalibor Dvorsky — Jordan Kyrou
Mathieu Joseph — Pius Suter — Pavel Buchnevich
Alexey Toropchenko — Oskar Sundqvist — Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg — Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler — Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker — Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
Scratched: Alexandre Texier, Hunter Skinner, Nick Bjugstad
Injured: Jake Neighbours (leg)
