After a week off, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in action tonight against the Calgary Flames. There will be two additions to the lineup as forward, Clarke MacArthur will rejoin the team, playing with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.
I am excited to see the full Grabovski line back in action. Yes, Matt Frattin did an admirable job filling in for MacArthur, but even then I felt like something was missing. Hopefully MacArthur can find his legs early and create some scoring chances.
The other addition will be defenseman, Cody Franson. Franson is most likely taking Jake Gardiners spot on defense, meaning that he will get paired with Mike Komisarek.
Trutfully, I am not sure what will come of this pairing. They seem to slow and mistake prone to be a good bottom pairing, but that could change. Komisarek has played respectable hockey and I have only seen Franson a handful of times, but he seems to get beat by speed. This pairing will have to bring their A game tonight. Also, expect Franson to get some power play time with Carl Gunnarsson. He has a very heavy and accurate shot, that should help the second line PP.
As for the game itself, the Flames will be entering Toronto after winning their first game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens. Looking at the Flames roster, they remind me of the 06-08 Leafs; so many bad memories.
Names such as Nik Hagman, Matt Stajan, and Lee Stempniak all bring me back to the days of mediocrity. Are they horrible players? Not at all. With that being said, they were the dead weight on those Leafs teams. Not players you want if you are deciding to build a contending team.
In a side of Leaf Nation that I hate, I vividly remember some people wanting Matt Stajan to be our captain. Yes, I know that is hilariously funny. Who in their right mind would want that. Leaf Nation puzzles me greatly sometimes.
As for the game, the Leafs will need to score the first goal. Last year, the Leafs were scored on first 2/3's of the time. That would explain their bad record last season. When they did score first, they had a winning record, as did every other NHL team. Obviously the Leafs still have to play a full 60 minute game, but you cannot deny the importance of scoring the first goal of the game - It's a must.
The Leafs should use their speed to attack Calgary's defense. They are not a relatively fast group, and Jay Bouwmeester is not the same player he was in Florida. Look for the Grabovski line to dominate play most of the night.
The Leafs lineup with me slightly altered tonight at the forward position. The defense will remain the same except for Franson taking Gardiners spot with Komisarek. Here are the forward lines:
MacArthur-Grabovski-Kulemin
Lupul-Bozak-Kessel
Armstrong-Lombardi-Frattin
Brown-Steckel-Dupuis
I am loving the depth the Leafs have. A week ago, the fourth line was basically our third line. With bodies slowly coming back into the lineup, the Leafs are showing their depth. All four lines can score, and the third line is filled with very good players.
I am expecting another Leafs win. I feel they will be the better team tonight, but they will not dominate. I expect Reimer to make key, timely saves and the Leafs will feed off that. With three more home games before a four game road trip, the Leafs have to take a minimum 4 of 6 points.
I have Phil Kessel scoring twice and Kulemin scoring his first of the year. 3-2 Leafs.
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