The situation is this as far as the draft positioning stakes in the final two games: The 26th-placed Hurricanes are two points ahead of the 27th-placed Leafs and the two teams are even in games played with 80GP. If the Leafs split their final two against the Blue Jackets and Canadiens, they’ll need the Canes to grab a point in one of their final two games with Philadelphia and Detroit.
The Leafs hold the tiebreaker with Carolina currently due to one more regulation-overtime win.
Maple Leafs Projected Lines
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel.
Joakim Lindstrom – Nazem Kadri – Richard Panik
Leo Komarov – Peter Holland – Joffrey Lupul
David Booth – Zach Sill – Casey Bailey
Eric Brewer – Dion Phaneuf
Jake Gardiner – Morgan Rielly
Andrew MacWilliam – Tim Erixon
James Reimer
Jonathan Bernier
Scratched: Brandon Kozun
Injured: Nathan Horton (back), Stephane Robidas (shoulder), Roman Polak (sports hernia), Trevor Smith (upper body)
Blue Jackets Projected Lines
Boone Jenner – Ryan Johansen – Cam Atkinson
Brandon Dubinsky – Artem Anisimov – Nick Foligno
Scott Hartnell – Alexander Wennberg – Marko Dano
Matt Calvert – Mark Letestu – Jeremy Morin
Jack Johnson – David Savard
Justin Falk – Dalton Prout
Ryan Murray – Cody Goloubef
Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney
Scratched: Corey Tropp, Jared Boll, Kevin Connauton
Injured: David Clarkson (oblique), Jack Skille (shoulder), Rene Bourque (back), Fedor Tyutin (undisclosed)
Status report: Falk will play his second straight game for the injured Tyutin. … Connauton will be a healthy scratch with the return of Murray. … Bernier is scheduled to be the starter in the season finale against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. (NHL.com)
Who’s hot: van Riemsdyk has goals in three straight games and six points in his past five. … Rielly has one goal and three assists in the past six games. … Dubinsky has three goals and four assists in a five-game points streak. … Columbus has 40 goals in the past 10 games. (NHL.com)
