Toronto Maple Leafs game preview: To beat a Predator

Maple Leafs vs. Predators: Game # 56

Time: 7:30PM EST

Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Broadcast/Streaming: Sportsnet, TVA Sports, Fox Sports Tennessee

Opponent SBNation Site: On the Forecheck

The Nashville Predators come to Toronto for their only visit of the season, but they won’t have much time to visit as they leave for Ottawa to take on the Senators the next day.

The Predators are currently on a three game winning streak where they’ve scored five goals in each game, but have been giving up more and more each game: They beat the Kings 5-0, the Rangers 5-2, and the Islanders 5-4 in overtime. Extrapolating this, the Leafs will win by 6-5 in a shootout.

The wonderful, great, practically perfect in every way Maple Leafs were on a four game win streak until the Bruins ruined it, but came back to defeat the Ducks 7-4 last night. Can the Leafs keep their winning ways going?

Toronto Maple Leafs lines

Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
Patrick Marleau - Nazem Kadri - Mitchell Marner
James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Connor Brown
Leo Komarov - Dominic Moore - Kasperi Kapanen

The forwards are doing well these days, especially since the last roster shake up gave us Kapanen over Martin, and Komarov down to the fourth line, and Kadri away from Leo.

Morgan Rielly - Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner - Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott - Roman Polak

OH NO ROMAN POLAK!

Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney

OH NO THE TWITTER DOCTORS!

Nashville Predators lines

Colton Sissons - Ryan Johansen - Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala - Kyle Turris - Craig Smith
Scott Hartnell - Nick Bonino - Calle Jarnkrok
Miikka Salomaki - Austin Watson - Pontus Aberg

I don’t know who most of these people are, since the Predators don’t have a forward corps that people talk about much. Kevin Fiala is a pretty amazing player though.

Roman Josi - Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm - P.K. Subban
Alexei Emelin - Yannick Weber

Ah, here’s what we know about Nashville. They high flying defence. Damn they have such a good top four. And before anyone on the broadcast can say it, Roman Josi was taken with a Leafs pick, but hey we got Yanic Perreault out of the deal....

Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros

Hey we get Vezina caliber Rinne and the Sens get Saros. No matter, the Leafs made minced meat out of Lundqvist, so whats another laplander to get in our way?

Numbers Preview

Tonight we get treated to two top teams facing off and we should be in for some real good hockey. I hope anyway. And, just a request, could someone please avenge our goalie if anyone roundhouse kicks them in the head? I don’t want to go all Don Cherry here, but what the hell guys?

Go Leafs Go!