With Max Pacioretty out for several weeks, Connor Dewar steps into the lineup for his season debut as the Maple Leafs look to make it four home wins in a row over Atlantic Division rivals against the 7-7-0 Ottawa Senators (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4/TSN5).
Official combinations won’t be known until line rushes in warmups, but it appears the Leafs will shift Bobby McMann up to Pacioretty’s place on the Tavares-Nylander line, just as he did in the final two periods against Montreal. Dewar likely slides into a third-line wing role with Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson, although it remains to be seen if he’ll start at center or wing. Dewar has played some center in the league and played down the middle in his conditioning stint with the Marlies, but given it is his first NHL action since last spring’s series versus Boston, the wing would make a lot of sense, as it’s the easier position to ramp up and adjust to NHL game speed.
After nine goals in 10 games with the Marlies to start the season, Alex Steeves was recalled on an emergency basis from the Marlies today, but Berube did not indicate that he would enter the lineup when listing the lineup notes this morning. The Leafs are playing a back-to-back on the road tomorrow in Washington, so fresh legs might be called on in 24 hours’ time.
Anthony Stolarz will look to keep it rolling in net after stopping 81 of his last 84 shots vs. Minnesota, Boston, and Detroit (.964 SV%, 2-0-1, one shutout). Stolarz starts opposite the Senators’ big summer signing, Linus Ullmark, who, after a rough start against one former team in Buffalo (five goals on 34 shots), bounced back with an emotional overtime win over his most recent former team, the Boston Bruins, on Saturday night at TD Garden.
Game Day Quotes
Travis Green on the importance of the special teams battle tonight:
Especially on the road… There are a lot of nights when, if you lose the special teams on the road, it is a hard night. That’s the case on the home or the road, really. Toronto’s power play is starting to go now. Our penalty kill is going to have to be sharp.
Green on the Senators’ top-five power play (31.1%):
We’ve got skilled players who are working together. What I like about it is that they are showing they can score in different ways. With the way the penalty kill is today, if you are predictable on the power play, it is a lot easier to defend. They have been working hard at it. [Mike Yeo] and [Daniel Alfredsson] do a good job with them, and the guys are buying in.
Bobby McMann on the keys to success on the second line with Tavares and Nylander:
Continuing to stick with my game and play to my strengths. That is winning puck battles, competing hard, and trying to win those one-on-one battles to get the puck to the guys I am playing.
You are trying to bring what you can and bring an identity to whatever line you are playing on. The guys I am playing with tonight are great with the puck. It is about trying to get them the puck and work to get pucks back. We’ll go from there.
On any line, whether you are first or fourth line, it’s about trying to win battles and get the puck in your hands.
Jake McCabe on the team’s defensive success recently:
Our commitment to tracking through the neutral zone from our forwards allows us to have some good gaps on the backend. In zone, I think we are doing a pretty good job of protecting the middle of the ice. Our box-outs have been good, and we’ve been eliminating second chances and blocking shots.
McCabe on the benefits of playing with a partner of Chris Tanev’s calibre:
It’s the steadiness that he provides as a partner. He seems like he is always in the right spot and is talking out there. He makes the right plays with the puck. It is contagious. We both have the same mindset as it relates to shutting down the opponent’s top lines and doing our job.
McCabe on the return of Connor Dewar to the lineup:
I was pumped to see Dewey out there at practice yesterday. It has been a long road for him. I have also had shoulder surgery in my career. I know what it is like.
I am sure getting reps in with the Marlies was important. He is chomping at the bit to get back in the lineup here and contribute.
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Senators’ offense:
They have a lot of firepower. They have a lot of good players. They are maturing as it goes along and are getting better and better. You have Sanderson and Chabot on the backend, who are highly skilled defensemen who can really skate and get up the ice. Up front, we know the guys they have.
We can’t give them freebies tonight. We have to make them work for everything. We have to make them earn everything they get. We can’t be giving up odd-man rushes against these guys.
We have to check extremely well tonight against this team. That is what it boils down to for me.
Berube on the expectations for Dewar in his first NHL game since last spring’s playoffs:
Simplify, right? He went down and played, but it has been a while. He has been practicing with us, so he is familiar with everything. But there is timing and NHL speed in a game.
Just simplify and play your game. He is an energy guy who is physical grinding it out and checking. It is the first game back, and it has been a long time for him, so it’s about getting up to speed. It is a fast game out there. He has to make sure he is simplifying and playing smart.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #11 Max Domi — #16 Mitch Marner
#74 Bobby McMann — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#24 Connor Dewar — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Philippe Myers, Alex Steeves
Injured (IR): Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpaa, Dakota Mermis
Ottawa Senators Projected Lines
Forwards
#7 Brady Tkachuk — #9 Josh Norris — #71 Ridly Greig
#28 Claude Giroux — #18 Tim Stutzle — #19 Drake Batherson
#73 Noah Gregor — #12 Shane Pinto — #22 Michael Amadio
#21 Nick Cousins — #81 Adam Gaudette — #17 Zack MacEwen
Defensemen
#85 Jake Sanderson — #2 Artem Zub
#72 Thomas Chabot — #3 Nick Jensen
#43 Tyler Kleven — #23 Travis Hamonic
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Linus Ullmark
#31 Anton Forsberg
Injured: David Perron
