The air is fresh, and the sun is shining in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as we prepare for Avalanche vs. Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Unfortunately, fans who call the Maple Leafs their favorite club are likely feeling a bit cloudy in confidence after the Leafs lost their last three games, all in regulation. The visitors have been battling their own demons, as the Avalanche are 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in their last five while on the road.
Colorado Avalanche
13 players on Colorado’s 23-man roster were born in Canada,
and five of those 13 are from Ontario, CA, home of their next opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs. So it’s homecoming for T.J. Hughes, Nazem Kadri, Brent Burns, and netminders Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Let’s see how those players impact tonight’s game, with plenty of family likely in attendance.
The Avalanche have been reeling a bit on the road, as mentioned in the intro, but more than that, it’s been the slow starts while on the road that have really cost them. A key to victory tonight for Colorado has to be starting on time and getting on the board first. The Avalanche are 7-1-1 when they score first and 3-5-1 when their opponent scores first.
Cale Makar was seen leaving the practice ice early, gesturing toward a lower body ailment on Sunday, according to Aarif Deen, so we will keep an eye on his status going into this evening. The Avs did recall defender Alex Gagne ahead of the trip, but it’s reported that the move is precautionary. Speaking of precautionary, that’s how the reasoning for Makar’s early departure from practice was described, as we have since heard from Corey Masisak that Makar is good to go tonight in Toronto.
Projected Lineup:
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Nazem Kadri — Nicolas Roy
Jaden Schwartz — Brock Nelson — T.J. Hughes
Parker Kelly — Fedor Svechkov — Logan O’Connor
Brett Kulak — Cale Makar
Devon Toews — Sam Malinski
Noah Juulsen — Brent Burns
Toronto Maple Leafs
November has brought growing pains for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who early on looked like a team that could surprise pundits by being a viable threat out of the East again. Gavin McKenna’s arrival has gone relatively well, considering his age, and captain Auston Matthews has been excellent. More recently, however, headlines have focused on those not showing up lately, which, in most cases (for the time being), has put William Nylander in a not-so-good spotlight.
I’d argue the expectation in Toronto should be to find a way back into the playoffs and that they are right on track for that. Lofty goals and aspirations built on the first ten games of the season are a recipe for disaster. Especially when you consider the budding talent of Gavin McKenna and how important it is to support his comfort and development.
The Leafs could be without Jack Roslovic tonight, as he was a late scratch in their last contest, and we will see Ryan Tverberg make his season debut after playing just two games for Toronto last season.
Projected Lineup:
Easton Cowan — Auston Matthews — Jack Roslovic
Ryan Tverberg — John Tavares — William Nylander
Dakota Joshua — Nick Paul — Gavin McKenna
Brandon Duhaime — Teddy Blueger — Zack MacEwen
Jake McCabe — Darren Raddysh
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Dakota Mermis — Troy Stecher
Netminders
Sergie Bobrovsky is the confirmed starter (per Terry Koshan) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and unless the Avalanche know something we don’t, it’s safe to assume Mackenzie Blackwood will be backstopping Colorado, as he was the first tender off at morning skate, according to Corey Masisak of the Denver Post. Blackwood is fresh off his first shutout of the season after a 4-0 dismantling of the Detroit Red Wings.
