The Toronto Maple Leafs, winners of six of their last seven, are looking to keep the points coming against a Nashville Predators team that has disappointed this season and has the second-worst points percentage in the league (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).
Following an offseason spending spree where GM Barry Trotz made three high-profile signings in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, the Predators entered 2024-25 with high expectations but have surprisingly struggled to score. They rank dead last in the league in goals per game, and Roman Josi leads the team in scoring with 22 points in 25 games. No forward on the team has more than Filip Forsberg’s 17 points.
It should be noted that the team has played slightly better of late, as they have taken their last three games to overtime. In their last 11 games, they have played several quality games against good opponents, beating Winnipeg and Vancouver, playing one-goal games against Colorado and Edmonton, and taking Tampa Bay and Minnesota to overtime. Craig Berube noted this morning that they have tightened up defensively over this time, and he’s right — the Predators are ninth in the league in goals against per game over the past 11. Their penalty kill ranks second in over that period as well.
As Berube said, “It’s a desperate team with the situation they are in. We need to be ready to go to match that desperation.”
On the Leafs side of things, Ryan Reaves returns from his five-game suspension, and Alex Nylander will come out of the lineup. It also appears to be another game where we can take a look at how Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner playing apart comes together, while Fraser Minten will continue as the third line center following four points in his first five games.
Jake McCabe will miss his second straight game, giving Phillipe Myers another game to try and work his way into the mix and make a statement. In net, Joseph Woll starts riding a personal five-game winning streak (.938 save percentage).
Game Day Quotes
Chris Tanev on the challenge of blocking Steven Stamkos’ shot:
He has hurt me a few times. We all know how good [his shot] is and where it is coming from. He has scored hundreds of goals from the same general vicinity. He is a hell of a player and a hell of a goal scorer.
I have known Stammer for a long time, and I can’t say a bad word about him. He is a true pro who works his ass off and is a hell of a player.
Tanev on Roman Josi’s game:
He controls the play and dictates the pace of the game because he is up in the play a lot and has the puck a lot. He is one of those guys, and there are not many who can control the flow and pace of the game [like him].
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Predators:
If I look at their team over the last 10 games, they have really tightened things up, in my opinion. Defensively, they’ve gotten a lot better. I think they’ve had five OT losses in those games. Their record could be a lot better.
They have good veterans over there. I am not going to name them all. They have a really good goalie. It is a challenge.
It’s a desperate team with the situation they are in. We need to be ready to go to match that desperation.
Berube on the team’s play without Jake McCabe in Monday night’s win:
Pretty good. Our first period was really good, I thought, but in the second period, we got sloppy with our play and our identity. We got a little loose. We got better in the third.
Without McCabe, we did a good job. Our penalty kill was really good in the game. For the most part, I thought we defended pretty well, other than the second period. The second period wasn’t so much about defending as it was about turning pucks over more than anything.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the challenge vs. the Predators and the Leafs‘ goals for tonight:
We didn’t play the way we wanted [on Monday night]. We have been trying to clear those things up, play a little faster, and not turn pucks over at the line.
Our focus is on our game, but we also know they are probably going to come out hard and are a desperate team over there. We have to match it.
Nick Robertson on the difference on the bench when Ryan Reaves is in the lineup:
It’s definitely a little louder, even in the locker room. His presence on the ice is known, and he is a great locker-room guy. He gets the guys going. We are happy to have him back in the lineup with his physicality. He is physical and hard on pucks. That’s what we need.
Robertson on the Predators:
Their record probably doesn’t show good they are. They have some talented players and made some big additions this past summer. We don’t want to take it lightly. We want to go out and make it hard on them.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Predators
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in four out of five offensive categories and four out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #88 William Nylander
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #16 Mitch Marner
#89 Nick Robertson — #39 Fraser Minten — #18 Steven Lorentz
#71 Nikita Grebenkin — #24 Connor Dewar —#75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Marshall Rifai, Alex Nylander
Injured (day-to-day): Jake McCabe
Injured (IR): Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Jani Hakanpää
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf
Nashville Predators Projected Lines
Forwards
#9 Filip Forsberg — #90 Ryan O’Reilly — #14 Gustav Nyquist
#81 Jonathan Marchessault — #82 Tommy Novak — #91 Steven Stamkos
#17 Mark Jankowski — #40 Fedor Svechkov — #77 Luke Evangelista
#68 Zachary L’Heureux — #10 Colton Sissons — #36 Cole Smith
Defensemen
#59 Roman Josi — #45 Alexandre Carrier
#76 Brady Skjei — #37 Nick Blankenburg
#83 Adam Wilsby — #2 Luke Schenn
Goaltenders
Starter: #73 Juuse Saros
#29 Justus Annunen
Injured: Spencer Stastney, Michael McCarron, Jeremy Lauzon
