GDT: Game #24, Toronto Maple Leafs vs Dallas Stars (7:30pm, TSN4)

For the disappointing — relative to off-season hype — Dallas Stars, the key to victory has been quieting/limiting Seguin, Spezza and Benn. After that, the Stars have been dealing with a pretty big drop off in terms of production up front.

[quote_box_right]”I think he’s a great player,” Seguin said of Kessel. “I’m still a bit of a Leafs fan at heart. I grew up watching the Leafs and loving them. Obviously he’s their top guy. He’s a great player. It’s weird how it all worked out, how I could have been there. But I think we’ve both moved on from that.” – Tyler Seguin[/quote_box_right]The Maple Leafs are the third highest scoring team in the League thanks to renewed depth up front. Phil Kessel hasn’t scored in five games and the Leafs have points in four of their last five; we wouldn’t have thought that to be possible last season. That depth has been dealt a blow, however, with the loss of offensive revelation Leo Komarov (16 points) for an undetermined about of time due to an apparent head injury. It may well be (hopefully is) a precautionary scratch, but he won’t be in the lineup tonight.

Toronto has four home games in the next week starting tonight. After a patchy start at home, with some very ugly moments at the ACC in the opening month and a half of the season, the Leafs picked up a blowout win over the Caps and are now looking to build some momentum on home ice.

Dallas’ goaltending has let them down this season with the seventh from bottom save percentage at 5v5. Expected starter Keri Lehtonen is sporting a subpar .905 entering tonight’s game.

Hopefully the good times can keep rolling offensively, but the threats are obvious on this Stars team and they might be a bit of a sleeping giant.

Dallas Stars Projected Lineup

Forwards
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Ales Hemsky
(8g-15a-23pts) – (18g-13a-31pts) – (1g-5a-6pts) (27g TOT)
Erik Cole – Jason Spezza – Patrick Eaves
(5g-3a-8pts) – (4g-15a-19pts) – (3g-5a-8pts) (12g TOT)
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt
(5g-7a-12pts) – (5g-5g-10pts) – (3g-5a-8pts) (13g TOT)
Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Travis Moen
(3g-5a-8pts) – (2g-5a-7pts) – (0g-0a-0pts) (5g TOT)

Defence
Trevor Daley – Jason Demers
(5g-7a-12pts) – (1g-1a-2pts) (6g TOT)
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
(1g-9a-10pts) – (3g-5a-8pts) (4g TOT)
Jyrki Jokipakka – Jordie Benn
(0g-2a-2pts) – (0g-4a-4pts) (0g TOT)
Goal
Kari Lehtonen
(9W-5L-3.03gaa-.905sv.%)
Anders Lindback
Scratched: Jamie Oleksiak, Colton Sceviour
Injured: Patrik Nemeth (arm laceration), Valeri Nichushkin (hip)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Forwards
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel
(9g-10a-19pts) – (11g-11a-22pts) – (11g-14a-25pts) (31g TOT)
Joffrey Lupul – Nazem Kadri – Mike Santorelli
(3g-2a-5pts) – (5g-6a-11pts) – (3g-10a-13pts) (11g TOT)
Richard Panik – Peter Holland – David Clarkson
(4g-1a-5pts) – (5g-4a-9pts) – (7g-1a-8pts) (16gs TOT)
Daniel Winnik – Trevor Smith – David Booth
(1g-8a-8pts) – (0g-1a-1pts) – (0g-0a-0pts) (1g TOT)

Defence
Cody Franson – Dion Phaneuf
(4g-11a-15pts) – (1g-10a-11pts) (6g TOT)
Morgan Rielly – Stephane Robidas
(3g-6a-9pts) – (0g-3a-3pts) (3g TOT)
Jake Gardiner – Korbinian Holzer
(1g-5a-6pts) – (0g-0a-0pts) (1g TOT)

Goal
Jonathan Bernier
(8W-5L-2.59GAA-.917sv.%)
James Reimer

Scratched: None
Injured: Leo Komarov (upper body)

Status report: Komarov will miss the game Tuesday with an upper-body injury. He left the game Saturday against the Washington Capitals after being hit by Alexander Ovechkin. … Panik likely will play after being scratched the past two games. … Garbutt returns to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for a knee-on-knee hit against the Oilers’ Hall.
Who’s hot: Goligoski has seven assists in games against Eastern Conference teams. … Benn is on a six-game point streak with three goals and seven assists. … Bozak has five goals in his past three game and is on a four-game point streak. … Santorelli has four assists in the past three games. – source: NHL.com

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Dallas Stars - Head to Head