GAMEDAY: Maple Leafs, Canadiens meet in actual meaningful game

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Toronto Maple Leaf (48-26-4) Montreal Canadian (39-31-9)

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when: Saturday, 7pm, Skoniubak Arena

television: CBC SportsNet radio: TSN 1050

Odds: Canadian +167, Maple Leaf -208

Buzzing

The Tampa Bay Chargers scored a point in an overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night, and the Maple Leafs’ lead in the Atlantic Division was trimmed. Leaf has 100 points and 4 games left. The Lightning still has 98 points and three games… Before they played against the Senators in Ottawa on Friday night, the Canadians were shocked as they consolidated the position of the second universal card in the Eastern Conference. Montreal won six straight games, not giving up more than two goals in either of them. This changed in the U.S. capital as the second phase Sens led 3-0 in the early stages of the second phase and continued to win 5-2… The Canadiens scored six points in the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Red Wings. …On December 1, the Canadians ranked 31st overall, one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, entering Friday, the Canadiens have finished the 10th best record in the NHL, 31-18-6. In the same 34-19-2 spanning the leaves, the best against the seventh is…not only Canadians defender Lane Hutson leads all NHL rookies and enters Friday with 64 points, he is ninth among all NHL players with 58 assists. With all the due respect for Macklin Celebrini and Dustin Wolf, can you say Calder Trophy? …After losing 1-0 against the Canadiens in the season opening game, the Leafs easily handled their long-term enemies in the next two meetings, winning 4-1 in Toronto on November 9 and 7-3 in Montreal on January 18.

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news

Montreal’s first round draft pick forward Ivan Demidov plans to join the Toronto club upon arrival from Russia. The 19-year-old landed in the NHL in the NHL with 49 points in 65 games in St. Petersburg in KHL. When arriving Thursday night, a group of Canadian fans greeted Demidov at Pearson Airport. Canadians coach Martin St. Louis said Friday night that Demidov would not play in Toronto…Leaf will play with five defenders after Oliver Ekman-Larsson was injured in Tampa on Wednesday…Practice has not clarified, but Anthony Stolarz is expected to be on Net for Net for Net for net for net for the Leafs…Jakub Dobes will be on Net at the Canadiens’ Net.

Quotation

“With the Tampa Bay game, it jumped a little further because he scored (three) goals, but I think he’s been playing a good game for a while. There are games you have to score, you play well, no one talks about it. He’s been doing a steady job and trying to find his place on that young guy (Auston Matthews), a group like him, who has such a great group, he’s great.”

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– Leaf defensive player Morgan Rielly on Matthew Knies

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Poll

If veteran forward Max Pacioretty is healthy against the first game of the playoffs, what should Leaf do?

1. Put him in the first game
2. Leave him until the loss
3. He was injured for the first time
4. Don’t use him at all

The expected lineup of leaves

forward

Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner

Calle Jarnkrok-John Tavares-William Nylander

Bobby McMann-Max Domi-Nick Robertson

Pontus Holmberg-Scott Laughton-Steven Lorentz

defense

Morgan Rielly-Brandon Carlo

Simon Benoit-Chris Tanev

Philippe Myers

Target

Anthony Stolarz

Joseph Wall

Injuried

Tor: D Jake McCabe (not public), C David Kampf (upper body), D Jani Hakanpaa (knee), F Max Pacioretty (not public), D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (not public).

MTL: F Kirby Dach (lower body), F Emil Heineman (not published).

predict

Leafs used a Canadian team to arrive in Toronto in the early hours of Saturday after playing in Ottawa. 5-2 Toronto.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @ @koshtorontosun

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