The debuting Luke Haymes and Artur Akhtyamov will both dress for the Maple Leafs against an Islanders team in a do-or-die situation (6:45 p.m. EST, TSN4).
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on what he’s hoping to see from his team as goaltender Artur Akhtyamov and forward Luke Haymes make their Leafs/NHL debuts:
They’ve got to feel their way into the game, and we’ve got to play with a lot more intensity tonight than we did last night.
AA is in net tonight. He’s had a great season with the Marlies this year. He is a highly competitive goalie. Looking forward to seeing him.
We talked about it this morning: We have to help each other out tonight. He’ll be nervous, Haymes. It’s his first game. We’ve just got to get him in there and tell him to be confident and play simple. He doesn’t have to complicate the game. Play a simple game, be competitive, and play hard. His teammates need to help him.
Berube on the importance of playing hard for AA in his first career start:
Hopefully, our group is dialed in and wants to play for their goalie in net tonight, with it being his first start. And also help Haymes out. That’s their job as leaders in that locker room.
Berube on the desperate opponent:
If you look at their schedule and where they’re at, these are Game 7s for them. We are going to get the best out of them. We talked about that this morning: We’ve got to be ready for the challenge.
Berube on what springs to mind about Pete DeBoer’s coaching career:
Consistency. For every team he’s gone to, he has gotten them into a good place and into a playoff position. He’s been a great coach for a long time.
It will be a battle. His team is always very well prepared. They play a certain style. It will be different from what we saw with the Isles earlier. I feel they will be a lot more aggressive here tonight.
New Islanders head coach Pete Deboer on jumping into a playoff race so late in the game:
It’s exciting. Do I wish we had a few more games? Yeah, absolutely. But it is what it is.
As I told our players, I think you have to embrace the opportunity that we are one of a handful of teams here with an opportunity to play a week from now in the playoffs. While we don’t mathematically control our own destiny, for the most part, I believe we control our own destiny. If we win all of our games, we’re in a really good spot.
Maple Leafs (32-32-14) vs. Islanders (42-31-5): Head-to-Head Stats
via NaturalStatTrick.com & AdvancedHockeyStats.com
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#53 Easton Cowan – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander
#23 Matthew Knies – #11 Max Domi – #63 Matias Maccelli
#18 Steven Lorentz – #43 Luke Haymes – #89 Nick Robertson
#61 Michael Pezzetta – #26 Jacob Quillan – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#44 Morgan Rielly – #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit – #28 Troy Stecher
Goaltenders
Starter: #70 Artur Akhtyamov
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: William Villeneuve, Ryan Tverberg
Injured: Dakota Joshua, Anthony Stolarz, Brandon Carlo, Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev
New York Islanders Projected Lines
Forwards
#27 Anders Lee – #14 Bo Horvat – #92 Simon Holmstrom
#10 Brayden Schenn – #13 Mat Barzal – #64 Calum Ritchie
#49 Maxim Shabanov– #44 JG Pageau – #51 Emil Heineman
#81 Ondrej Palat – #53 Casey Cizikas – #16 Marc Gatcomb
Defensemen
#48 Matthew Schaefer – #6 Ryan Pulock
#3 Adam Pelech – #77 Tony DeAngelo
#4 Carson Soucy – #24 Scott Mayfield
Goaltenders
Starter: #30 Ilya Sorokin
#33 David Rittich
Injured: Kyle Palmieri, Semyon Varlamov, Pierre Engvall, Alex Romanov
