The Maple Leafs hit the halfway point of their season tonight against the ramshackle Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m., Sportsnet).
Some will understandably view this game as the beginning of the second-half race to the bottom: The Blue Jackets recently traded their discontented 23-year-old number-one center for a two-years-younger up-and-coming defenceman, and no doubt have visions of Auston Matthews filling the 1C role for them as soon as next season.
While a last-place finish offers less guarantee than ever of securing the first overall pick due to the tweaked lottery rules, the Jackets have the best possible odds, see pro line betting tips, at the moment, dead last in the League with 34 points and a miserable -33 goal differential. The Blue Jackets have again run into the injury bug this season, with most notably Sergei Bobrovsky and captain Nick Foligno currently out hurt.
Meanwhile, in Leafland, two losses in a row — including a 7-0 defeat to the San Jose Sharks most recently — followed by the loss of the Leafs‘ leading scorer James van Riemsdyk to injury for up to two months has brought any visions of a playoff push back down to earth for many Leafs fans and pundits.
The Maple Leafs have had to rejig their lineup due to the JVR injury, moving Shawn Matthias up onto Bozak and Parenteau’s line while Josh Leivo enters the lineup for his Leafs season debut on the fourth line alongside Byron Froese and Brad Boyes. JvR has been the team’s most productive player in terms of point scoring, scoring chances and possession numbers — his loss is huge for a Leafs team already short on scoring talent.
Matthias had four points in five games on a line with Bozak and Parenteau in November, but went cold and was bumped to primarily fourth line duty for the past month and a bit. He should be hungry as he looks to get his season going in the second half knowing full well he’s fighting to keep a job in the League for next season.
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
Kerby Rychel – Brandon Dubinsky – Josh Anderson
Scott Hartnell – Alexander Wennberg – Brandon Saad
Boone Jenner – William Karlsson – Cam Atkinson
Rene Bourque – Gregory Campbell – Jared Boll
Ryan Murray – Seth Jones
Jack Johnson – David Savard
Cody Goloubef – Justin Falk
Joonas Korpisalo
Anton Forsberg
Injured: Markus Hannikainen (shoulder), Matt Calvert (knee), Sergei Bobrovsky (groin), David Clarkson (upper body), Curtis McElhinney (ankle), Nick Foligno (upper body)
Scratched: Dalton Prout, Fedor Tyutin
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
Michael Grabner – Nazem Kadri – Leo Komarov
Shawn Matthias – Tyler Bozak – PA Parenteau
Daniel Winnik – Peter Holland – Joffrey Lupul
Josh Leivo – Byron Froese – Brad Boyes
Jake Gardiner – Dion Phaneuf
Martin Marincin – Morgan Rielly
Matt Hunwick – Roman Polak
Injured: James van Riemsdyk (fractured foot), Nick Spaling (upper body)
Scratched: Frank Corrado
James Reimer
Jonathan Bernier
Mike Babcock Game Day Presser
