Puck Drops: 7:00 EST
TV: Rogers Sportsnet
Radio: AM640
OK, so it's not the first time that Kris Versteeg comes back to play the Leafs - he picked up two goals in his return while playing for Philly, as the Leafs won 3-2 - but last season just wasn't that long ago, and I'm sure we'd all love to see his Florida Panthers soundly beaten.
Of course, beating the Panthers is much more important than Kris Versteeg, since the Panthers are actually on pace to make the playoffs, and will likely be one of the teams the Leafs have to stay ahead of. For me, beating other bubble teams is becoming something of a theme here, even though it's early in the season.
It is November, after all.
Jonas Gustavsson will start once again for Toronto, as team doctors attempt to stitch James Reimer's head back on. Scrivens will back up the Monster.
Cody Franson, Colton Orr, and Jay Rosehill are scratches tonight for the Leafs, as Luke Schenn is re-inserted into the lineup. Hopefully, he's given his head a bit of a shake, and is ready to start erasing fools that try to cross our blue line.
As previously reported, with the injury to Tim Connolly, Matt Frattin will get another shot on the Leafs' third line with Matthew Lombardi and Joey Crabb. Not sure that I'm crazy about that third line, but Crabb has played well enough in the last couple games to merit staying, and I'm in no rush to have Kadri back.
Here are tonight's lineups, as per James Mirtle's recap at the Globe:
Leafs projected lineup
MacArthur - Grabovski - Kulemin
Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
Frattin - Lombardi - Crabb
Steckel - Dupuis - Brown
Gunnarsson - Phaneuf
Liles - Komisarek
Gardiner - Schenn
Gustavsson
Panthers projected lineup
Fleischmann - Weiss - Versteeg
Upshall - Santorelli - Kopecky
Sturm - Goc - Skille
Bergenheim - Matthias - Bradley
Campbell - Garrison
Ellerby - Jovanovski
Kulikov - Weaver
Theodore
