The Maple Leafs are looking to keep the momentum going from some one-sided victories over Chicago and Montreal when they visit the Windy City for a rematch against the Blackhawks (6:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).
The fast and dirty line-up notes: Ilya Samsonov has recovered enough from his illness to start tonight, but Rasmus Sandin took a knock in last night’s win and is replaced on the blue line by Conor Timmins. TJ Brodie will switch to left flank and pair with Timmins while Morgan Rielly joins a pairing with Justin Holl. The Leafs’ lines otherwise remain the same, with ROR sitting between John Tavares and Mitch Marner and Noel Acciari centering ZAR and Alex Kerfoot.
Head to Head: Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs
In season-to-date statistics, the Leafs have the advantage over the Blackhawks in four of five offensive categories and five of five defensive categories.
Game day quotes
Sheldon Keefe on Ryan O’Reilly’s ability to help the second power play unit:
We will see. We didn’t have practice time or anything, but he made a significant contribution to the power play in St. Louis. He’s played more first-unit time in recent years than he has this year.
Anything from a true faceoff man to a versatile player who is very good in mid-ice, whether as a net front or as a bumper… We’ll continue to play around with this a bit and see where it fits in best Regarding where its place will be and who are the best guys to fill it out.
Noel Acciari on his first 24 hours as a Maple Leaf:
It was a bit of a whirlwind, but it was exciting to come here, meet everyone and just get going. It was nice not to take a day off and just jump straight into the mix. It was good to get that out of the way.
Acciari on the growth he’s seen playing against them over his years from the core of the Leafs:
I think they’ve grown every year. I was young when I played these guys early on. I think they added a lot more to their game. It’s two-sided.
These guys are top players in the league. They added aspects that help their game and make them more difficult to play against. Now I can join them and help them in any way I can.
Ryan O’Reilly on the spirit around the team:
The energy in the room and between periods, the way the guys are… With the focus and detail they put in, you could just tell they’re trying to win. For me it’s fun to be there. you can see it It’s a collective group. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it is rejuvenating to be around this type of energy.
O’Reilly on the opportunity to play alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner:
It’s great that I’ve played with them internationally before to kind of come in and talk straight away about what we want to do. Having that relationship before definitely helped a lot. The players that they are… I can see the focus and creativity they both have and the tenacity they have. It’s a lot of fun to play with.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forward
#58 Michael Bunting – #34 Austin Matthews – #88 William Nylander
#91 John Tavares – #90 Ryan O’Reilly – #16 Mitch Marner
#47 Pierre Engvall – #64 David Kampf – #19 Calle Järnkrok
#12 Zach Aston Reese – #52 Noel Acciari – #15 Alex Kerfoot
defender
#44 Morgan Rielly – #3 Justin Holl
#55 Mark Giordano – #37 Timothy Liljegren
#78 TJ Brodie – #25 Conor Timmins
goalkeeper
Starter: #34 Ilya Samsonov
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Conor Timmins, Wayne Simmonds, Jordie Benn
Injured/Out: Rasmus Sandin, Matt Murray, Nick Robertson, Jake Muzzin, Victor Mete
Chicago Blackhawks projected lines
Forward
#23 Philipp Kurashev – #13 Max Domi – #88 Patrick Kane
#90 Tyler Johnson – #70 Cole Guttman – #11 Taylor Raddysh
#17 Jason Dickinson – #24 Sam Lafferty – #89 Andreas Athanasiou
#14 Boris Katchouk – #52 Reese Johnson – #43 Colin Blackwell
defender
#6 Jake McCabe – #4 Seth Jones
#8 Jack Johnson – #5 Connor Murphy
#82 Caleb Jones – #51 Ian Mitchell
goalkeeper
Starter: #30 Jason Stauber
#34 Peter Mrazek
Injured/Out: Jonathan Toews, Alex Stalock, Jared Tinordi
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