The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning face off tonight for the first of their four matchups this season.
Both teams are coming off losses from Saturday night, with the Maple Leafs falling 4-1 to the New York Rangers and the Lightning losing 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators after starting the season with three straight wins.
The Maple Leafs will aim to contain Nikita Kucherov, an early favorite for the Hart Trophy, who has scored in every game this season, including a hat trick in the opener. The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner leads the league with seven goals, bolstered by strong chemistry with his new teammate, Jake Guentzel.
Max Pacioretty Returns to the Line-up for Toronto Maple Leafs
Craig Berube announced after the Monday morning skate that Max Pacioretty will return to the lineup, replacing Ryan Reaves. Pacioretty scored the Maple Leafs’ first goal of the season in their second game after the team was shut out in the opener, but he struggled to contribute offensively, resulting in him being a healthy scratch for the last two games.
Reaves will sit out as a healthy scratch for the second time this season. However, the 37-year-old has shown improvement, forming a solid partnership with David Kämpf and Steven Lorentz on the fourth line.
Anthony Stolarz will make his fifth start in six games and has emerged as one of the Maple Leafs’ most valuable players early in the season. The 2024 Stanley Cup champion has a record of 2-2-0, having stopped 104 of 111 shots over his first four games, resulting in a 1.79 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Berube also mentioned that Joe Woll hasn’t been ruled out for starting the second game of their back-to-back this week and could return in net against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. If Woll comes back, Dennis Hildeby will return to the Toronto Marlies, potentially sparking a goaltending controversy.
Last season, the Maple Leafs and Lightning split their series two games each, with Toronto needing overtime to secure both victories, thanks to winning goals from John Tavares and Calle Järnkrok in the extra period.
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