William Nylander is a game-time decision (illness) and Timothy Liljegren will make his season debut on the blue line as the Maple Leafs look to make it three wins in a row when they welcome the LA Kings to Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).
One of the league’s strongest defensive teams at five-on-five last season, the Kings started the 2024-25 campaign by limiting the Sabres and Bruins to just one goal apiece in regulation before Monday’s visit to Ottawa went squirrely on them defensively. They ran into major penalty trouble and allowed easy access to the middle of the ice throughout the final 40 minutes. Darcy Kuemper, out with a lower-body injury tonight, experienced a nightmare outing in the crease as LA conceded eight in an OT loss to the Senators.
The response to such a circus game—especially from a team with a strong defensive reputation like the Kings—is often a recommitment to discipline and defensive details. Add in the large contingent of Ontario-born players in the lineup for the visitors (five, even without Drew Doughty in the lineup), and the Leafs will need to be prepared for a motivated LA team tonight. Kings head coach Jim Hiller went ahead and provided some bulletin board material before the game:
“Of course, we are missing Drew. Drew loved to play in Toronto. He would bring everybody in from London. He is encouraging the guys and letting them know that you don’t lose when you come into Toronto.”
Speaking of defensive play, Toronto is off to an encouraging start. Through three games, they have yet to allow more than two goals to the opposition, and three of the five goals they’ve conceded have come on the opposition’s power play. They’ve kept things simple with the puck in their own zone and made the opposition go through numbers to create any looks, conceding very few odd-man opportunities at even strength thus far. With that early defensive progress in mind, Liljegren has been encouraged by his head coach to keep it simple with the puck and be hard/competitive around his net front as he makes his debut after three consecutive healthy scratches to start the season.
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Kings:
They are heavy. Big team. Strong down low in the offensive zone. They play a different syle than they have in the past. They are a lot more on the go now.
They have some very good players over there, led by the leader, Kopitar. Fiala is dangerous. They are good on the power play; they scored three the other night against Ottawa. We have to be disciplined.
Big, heavy team. Any time you play the Kings — and this has been the case for years now — it is going to be a battle. We have to win the battles. We have to be strong at our net front. Puck battles are important tonight.
Berube on Max Domi’s ability at the center position:
He was moving really well. He moves a lot better in the middle, I would say, in terms of moving his feet. He is a very good playmaker, so when he gets open ice and has some speed, he can really skate.
He is dangerous. He can make plays. In saying, he should shoot more. He had a couple of opportunities, and he passed up on some shots. We are trying to get him to shot a little bit more on his opportunities.
Max Domi on his versatility to shift around from wing to center:
Whatever position any of us are asked to play, you step in and do it to the best of your ability. That has been the story. I don’t mind whether it is left wing, center, or right wing. I am equally as comfortable with all three of them.
Domi on Nick Robertson’s start to the season:
We played together a lot last year. He has been around for a while. For the amount of talent he has, he is a guy you could see scoring 30 goals every year.
You watch him in practice, and other than maybe Auston and Willy, he is right behind them in terms of, “He doesn’t miss.” Those guys don’t miss, either, but Nick is right behind them.
He is doing a lot of the other things that come with being an NHL player consistently, night in and night out. He is backchecking like crazy. He works super hard, which he always has. His defensive stuff is coming along, too.
He looks great. I’ve always loved playing with Nick. He has a lot of confidence right now. It is great to see.
Berube on the expectation for Timothy Liljegren in his season debut:
He has ability with his skating and when moving the puck. He should be a good puck mover. It is just about him managing his game, managing his puck movement, and making good decisions with it — not risky ones. Just simplify.
And then you have to win your battles, right? As a defenseman, it is important that you are defending well, are strong at your net front, and are winning those board and corner battles. He has to do that.
Berube on what he’s learned about Anthony Stolarz’s game:
I have known him for a while. I had him in Philly. This year, he is calm and cool in net. He is making the saves he is supposed to. He looks comfortable in net and is tracking pucks well.
We are doing a good job in front of him, too, and we need to. It is kind of a combination. It works both ways with a goalie and how you are defending in front of him.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #88 William Nylander
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly — #8 Chris Tanev
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson — #22 Jake McCabe
#2 Simon Benoit — #37 Timothy Liljegren
Goaltenders
#41 Anthony Stolarz
#35 Dennis Hildeby
Extras: Philippe Myers, Conor Timmins, Max Pacioretty
Injured (IR): Joseph Woll
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpaa, Connor Dewar, Dakota Mermis
Los Angeles Kings Projected Lines
Forwards
#14 Alex Laferriere — #11 Anze Kopitar — #9 Adrian Kempe
#10 Tanner Jeannot — #24 Phillip Danault — #12 Trevor Moore
#22 Kevin Fiala — #55 Quinton Byfield — #37 Warren Foegele
#47 Andre Lee — #15 Alex Turcotte — #61 Trevor Lewis
Defensemen
#44 Mikey Anderson — #92 Brandt Clarke
#84 Vladislav Gavrikov — #7 Kyle Burroughs
#5 Andreas Englund– #82 Caleb Jones
Goaltenders
#31 David Rittich
#29 Pheonix Copley
Out: Drew Doughty, Darcy Kuemper, Joel Edmundson
