The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks at Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 PM, with fans able to watch the game on TSN4 and CHSN. The Leafs come into this matchup with a record of 14-12-5 after suffering a 6-3 defeat in their last home game against the Edmonton Oilers on December 13. Their current points percentage stands at 0.532.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks also faced a disappointing 4-0 loss at home against the Detroit Red Wings on the same day. They find themselves with a league record of 13-13-6, translating to a points percentage of 0.500. A significant blow to Chicago’s lineup is the absence of rookie sensation Connor Bedard, who is sidelined due to a separated shoulder and is expected to be out until January. This news was relayed by Kevin Weekes, indicating that the Blackhawks have a challenging road ahead without their top scorer.
Despite their struggles, the Blackhawks exhibit strengths in goaltending and shooting, which could be crucial as they navigate this matchup. Tyler Bertuzzi now becomes the standout player in Bedard’s absence, and he will need to elevate his game even further.
For the Blackhawks, the projected lines according to Charlie Roumeliotis from Daily Faceoff include:
– Tyler Bertuzzi – Frank Nazar – Andre Burakovsky
– Teuvo Teravainen – Jason Dickinson – Ilya Mikheyev
– Oliver Moore – Ryan Greene – Nick Lardis
– Colton Dach – Dominic Toninato – Ryan Donato
On defense, they will feature:
– Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier
– Matt Grzelcyk – Artyom Levshunov
– Wyatt Kaiser – Connor Murphy
Spencer Knight is likely to start in goal for Chicago.
On the other hand, the Leafs will be looking to bounce back after their disappointing performance in their last game. Joe Woll will be in net for Toronto. Chris Tanev, who recently skated on the third pair, will not play tonight, so Henry Thrun is expected to step in.
The projected lines for the Maple Leafs are:
– Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
– Nicholas Robertson – John Tavares – Bobby McMann
– Dakota Joshua – Nicolas Roy – Max Domi
– Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Easton Cowan
Defensive pairings include:
– Morgan Rielly – Simon Benoit
– Jake McCabe – Troy Stecher
– Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Henry Thrun
The Leafs will aim to avoid repeating the mistakes that allowed the Oilers to dominate their last encounter. A strong performance tonight is crucial as they look to improve their standing in the league while competing against a struggling Blackhawks team. With both teams eager for a win, tonight’s game promises to be an exciting showdown.