Coming off the high of a big win over Edmonton at home, a tired Maple Leafs team hits the road for a stiff test against the rested Hurricanes (6:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario). Ilya Lyubushkin, TJ Brodie, and Tyler Bertuzzi return to the lineup for Toronto.
Game Day Quotes
Sheldon Keefe on the decision to reinsert TJ Brodie as well as the return of Ilya Lyubushkin on the blue line:
We just figured, with the back-to-back, it makes sense to utilize our depth not unlike we did in the earlier back-to-back. It is a good chance to get Brodie and Lyubushkin back involved.
Keefe on the message to Brodie ahead of his first game coming off of back-to-back healthy scratches:
Just go out and play. A chance to watch the team compete on a night like last night is a good example of what we are looking for from all of our defense in terms of being competitive below our circles and helping us move the puck up the ice.
He knows how to play the game. We are just hopeful that a little bit of time away gives him a chance to reboot, get back out, and compete against a tough team today.
It is a chance for us to continue to utilize our depth, which I think is extremely important. The more injuries and illnesses that we have faced, the more that we have learned about the value of our depth. It is a chance for us to utilize that again.
Keefe on the encouraging takeaways from yesterday’s game:
The attitude that we played with and the assertiveness, especially defensively with the way that we closed, the physicality, and the way that we protected our net.
Over the last couple of months, all of those things have been on display. It takes a lot of work, commitment, discipline, and energy. Last night, we had all of that.
You want to be able to duplicate that as best as you can. Certainly, the opponent tonight will demand that.
Keefe on whether there has been an added emphasis on physicality/assertiveness with the playoffs nearing:
It has been an emphasis for us the entire season. There are a number of factors that go into doing it consistently: energy, discipline, commitment, and all of those types of things.
Since the deadline has passed and we’ve brought in extra depth, Edmundson is going to bring that. Lyubushkin is going to bring that. Dewar is coming in on the forward end of things. These are guys who play hard, honest games. That just enhances it further.
If you look at the others who have done it fairly consistently for us, on defense, in particular, it’s McCabe and Benoit. We think we have grown a lot in that area both in our personnel and our attitude.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Hurricanes
In the season-to-date statistics, the Leafs hold the advantage over the Hurricanes in three out of five offensive categories, but the Hurricanes hold the advantage in five out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #34 Auston Matthews – #11 Max Domi
#74 Bobby McMann – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander
#23 Matthew Knies – #29 Pontus Holmberg – #89 Nick Robertson
#24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #18 Noah Gregor
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin
#78 TJ Brodie – #22 Jake McCabe
#20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#31 Martin Jones
Scratched: Conor Timmins, Ilya Samsonov, Simon Benoit, Ryan Reaves
Injured/Out: Mitch Marner, Calle Jarnkrok, Mark Giordano
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines
Forwards
#59 Jake Guentzel – #20 Sebastian Aho – #24 Seth Jarvis
#37 Andrei Svechnikov – #92 Evgeny Kuznetsov – #88 Martin Necas
#48 Jordan Martinook – #11 Jordan Staal – #23 Stefan Noesen
#18 Jack Drury – #82 Jesperi Kotkaniemi – #86 Teuvo Teravainen
Defensemen
#74 Jaccob Slavin – #8 Brent Burns
#76 Brady Skjei – #22 Brett Pesce
#7 Dmitry Orlov – #5 Jalen Chatfield
Goaltenders
Starter: #31 Frederik Andersen
#52 Pyotr Kochetkov
