Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins
07:30 PM at TD Garden
Watch on: ESPN+, HULU, TVAS, SNO
Note the time.
The Leafs last game was at home on October 31 against the Los Angeles Kings, which Toronto lost by a score of 4-1. The Leafs have a record of 5-3-1 so far.
The Boston Bruins last played at home on October 30 against the Florida Panthers. The Bruins won by a score of 3-2, and their current league record is 8-0-1.
Them
The Bruins have a regular season cheat code, and it is, essentially, two goalies who are both playing well. Again. By Moneypuck's reckoning, Jeremy Swayman is the only goalie in the NHL with better results – just barely – than Joe Woll.
It's not like the rest of the team has been low quality, but they don't dominate at five-on-five like the Bruins of a few years back. They actually need the hot goalie to carry on winning most of their games.
The Bruins have switched over to more reliance on the quality of their defence, but we won't see half of it tonight. Matt Grzelcyk is injured and Charlie McAvoy is suspended. Forward, Jakub Lauko was cut on the face by a skate, and is out as well.
Lines are from a practice where some players had maintenance days, but this is the current expected configuration. Milan Lucic is listed as a game-time decision.
Lines
Scott McLaughlin via Daily Faceoff
Pavel Zacha - Matthew Poitras - David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand - Charlie Coyle - Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk - Morgan Geekie - Trent Frederic
John Beecher - Patrick Brown - Oskar Steen
Hampus Lindholm - Kevin Shattenkirk
Mason Lohrei - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Ian Mitchell
Jeremy Swayman - expected starter
Linus Ullmark
Us
Lines at morning skate are unchanged from the last game.
Conor Timmins is now skating, but is not close to returning. Jake McCabe is not on the trip, but is more like day-to-day right now.
Lines
Calle Järnkrok - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Tyler Bertuzzi - John Tavares - William Nylander
Matt Knies - David Kämpf - Max Domi
Noah Gregor - Pontus Holmberg - Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly - TJ Brodie
Mark Giordano - Timothy Liljegren
William Lagesson - John Klingberg
Ilya Samsonov - assumed starter
Joe Woll
The Game
The Leafs need to bring their real game from the top line down. Everyone – every single player – was slow, stupid and disconnected in the last game. Fine, you were all coming down off the road trip. You get that excuse once, now it's used up for the entire season. This is the game you get to be back up for.
Samsonov's last start approached average quality overall, a marked improvement for him. The Leafs need him to get back to something above average. Why not start now?
