Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs: Game # 81

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern Time

Location: ACC

Broadcast/Streaming: HNIC, GCL now allows Canadians to watch HNIC streams via the app for free if you make a login ID.  CBC.ca also carries the stream for free paid for by your tax dollars in Canada.  The game is on NHL - N and Root in the US.

Opponent SBNation Site: Pensburgh

There is one goal for the Leafs, one outcome needed.  A win.  Two points.  Any way is fine: 11-0 or a scoreless tie decided in a shootout.  Anything in between is fine too.  That’s all this game is about.

One point is okay, that helps, it’s good, better than nothing.  Nothing is not a disaster, but it’s not what anyone wants to see.

The Penguins can’t catch the Capitals and the Blue Jackets can’t catch the Penguins.  They have nothing on the line but preparation and pride.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Lineups are carved in stone again.  No changes expected.

Forward Lines

Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - William Nylander

James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Mitch Marner

Leo Komarov - Nazem Kadri - Connor Brown

Matt Martin - Brian Boyle - Kasperi Kapanen

Defence Pairings

Morgan Rielly - Connor Carrick

Jake Gardiner - Nikita Zaitsev

Matt Hunwick - Roman Polak

Goaltenders

Frederik Andersen

Curtis McElhinney

Pittsburgh Penguins

There is a long list of missing players headed by Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin and moving on to Carl Hagelin and Chris Kunitz.

This is from their last game via shiftchart.com:

Forward Lines

Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Conor Sheary

Tom Kuhnhackl - Matt Cullen - Patric Hornqvist

Bryan Rust - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel

Scott Wilson - Carter Rowney - Josh Archibald

Defence Pairings

Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley

Justin Schultz - Ian Cole

Chad Ruhwedel - Ron Hainsey

Goaltenders

Matt Murray

Marc-André Fleury

Lines subject to update, and there is no official word yet on who is in goal for the Penguins.

“Great stat” is in the eye of the beholder. The Penguins are all broken, and they still win.  Lovely.

Forget that. Just win, Leafs.  Just win.

Update #1:

What a good idea.  In case you missed the Twitter drama, Nazem Kadri missed morning skate for an undisclosed reason and was replaced with OMG! Ben Smith. Babcock has confirmed Kadri is playing.

This is his first skate with the team in a while. The callups speak against him actually playing however.

UPDATED:

Penguins’ lines.

There is no Matt Murray at morning skate, per reports, and one of those callups is a goalie, so I think we can assume Fleury starts.

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