Monday, 10.15.18 vs. Los Angeles Kings-7:30 p.m.
The first test of the week for the Maple Leafs will be the Los Angeles Kings, who are without starting goaltender, Jonathan Quick. There is no doubt that the Maple Leafs need to be better defensively to help out their goaltender. They should get plenty of pucks to the net to test the Kings goalie early and often. Toronto will want to get off to a fast start and put some pucks in the back of the net to get going and keep the home crowd in the game. The Maple Leafs should take advantage of their power play opportunities since they have one of the best power plays in the League, while the Kings have one of the worst penalty kills.
Matchup of the Game
The goalies will be the players of this game to keep an eye on. Frederik Andersen is injured for the Leafs so Garret Sparks get the start between the pipes. It will likely be Jack Campbell, who has started the majority of the games while Jonathan Quick has been out, but it could also be Petr Budaj for the Kings. The Kings are going to need a spectacular showing from whichever goalie gets the start because the Maple Leafs have one of the best offenses in the League. Sparks is going to need to be sharp as well since the team tends to play wide open and gives up a lot in front of him.
Thursday, 10.18.18 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins- 7 p.m.
The Maple Leafs have a few days off between games but then the Penguins come to town. The Maple Leafs are going to need to make sure that they play with discipline since the Penguins have deadly power play. Toronto needs to play a strong game at even strength and keep the top six of the Penguins in-check. They want to get plenty of pucks to the net since Matt Murray has had a rough start to the season, while Casey DeSmith has been better, but can be beat. The Leafs will want to have the lead entering the final period of play since they can finish out games when leading.
Matchup of the Game
There will be two big matchups to watch in this game, and that will be how each team handle the opposition's top two lines. Who does Mike Babcock matchup against Sidney Crosby? Does he go with Nazem Kadri's line or does he go with Matthews' line for power against power? Who gets the job of trying to defend the Malkin line? Is it Tavares' line or does he save Tavares for the Crosby line and matchup Kadri's line against Malkin and company?
Saturday, 10.20.18 vs. St. Louis Blues- 7 p.m.
The St. Louis Blues are off to a slow start after the hype of the offseason and acquiring some offensive help. The Maple Leafs will need to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game. Toronto will want to play a discipline game since the Blues power play is operating over 30% on the season. They should try to get in on the forecheck to force turnovers and get some pucks toward the net. The Leafs want to play a smart hockey game and use their speed to draw some penalties.
Matchup of the Game
The power play units for both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the League. The Maple Leafs are ranked 2nd , while the Blues have a 6th ranked power play. The Blues have two balanced units, while the Leafs have depended on the first unit to get the power play scoring.
Weekly Prediction
The Maple Leafs will finish the week at 1-2-0 in their three games. They will win against the Kings, but then lose back-to-back games to the Penguins and Blues. The Penguins will be a good challenge for the Leafs to see if they can beat a perennial playoff team, or if they are not quite there yet. If the Leafs want to steal some points, then they are going to need to play better on the defensive side of the puck and be aware of what is going on around them on the ice.
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