Preview: Oilers @ Leafs
Finally, the Leafs play the Oilers in their only meeting of the year.
Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
07:00 PM at Scotiabank Arena
Watch on: NHLN, CBC, SNO, SNP
The Leafs last game was an away game on March 7 against the New Jersey Devils, which Toronto won by a score of 4-3. The Leafs have a record of 39-17-8 so far.
The Edmonton Oilers last played an away game on March 9 against the Boston Bruins. The Oilers won by a score of 3-2, and their current league record is 36-22-8.
Yes, you read that right, the Oilers beat the Bruins at TD Garden. They also beat the ever-loving crap out of the Leafs in Edmonton not so long ago.
Them
The lines below are their bear-slaying configuration, and it’s not likely to change.
Lines
Last Game: (03/09) via Daily Faceoff
Evander Kane - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Leon Draisaitl - Kailer Yamamoto
Warren Foegele - Nick Bjugstad - Mattias Janmark
Devin Shore - Ryan McLeod - Derek Ryan
Darnell Nurse - Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak - Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner - likely starter
Jack Campbell
Us
The last outing was a wild ride for the Leafs and for all of us watching. At first they were bad, and I was petrified. Kept thinking they could never win without John by Auston’s side. But then they spent the intermissions thinking how they’d done things wrong, and they grew strong, and they learned to get a win.
And so the Oilers are back. I think the Leafs should just show them the door.
The Leafs have a choice to be the team that started the game against the Devils or the team that finished it.
The lines from practice, in the 11F/7D formation you all love so well, are below. The flexibility of this setup can be used to help figure out Gustafsson’s role, not overtax the returning John Tavares, and to generally cause a massive amount of outrage no matter what Keefe actually does in the game.
Lines
Alex Kerfoot - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
William Nylander - Sam Lafferty - Calle Järnkrok
Michael Bunting - John Tavares
Zach Aston-Reese - David Kämpf - Noel Acciari
Jake McCabe - TJ Brodie
Morgan Rielly - Erik Gustafsson
Mark Giordano - Timothy Liljegren
Justin Holl
Matt Murray - confirmed starter
Ilya Samsonov
The Game
Instead of being all angry about the lines and how they don’t look impressive and no one is awed by them on Twitter, let’s play a game. Who is going to play the most with that tantalizing third line that’s missing a right wing?