Leafs @ Sabres - Mar. 5th, 7:30pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

[CarltonTheBear]

@

39-21-7, 85 points | 20-34-11, 51 points

Projected Lines

Marleau-Kadri-Marner Hyman-Nylander-Brown JVR-Bozak-Kapanen Moore-Plekanec-Komarov Rielly-Hainsey Gardiner-Zaitsev Dermott-Carrick Andersen ​

Girgensons-O'Reilly-Reinhart Wilson-Larsson-Pominville Griffith-Pouliot-Baptiste Nolan-Josefson-Okposo Scandella-Ristolainen Antipin-Nelson Gorges-Beaulieu Johnson​

Scratches

Roman Polak Josh Leivo Matt Martin ​

Evan Rodrigues Justin Falk Kyle Criscuolo Brendan Guhle ​

Game Notes

TOR
?Andersen (32-17-5, 2.74 GAA, .920 Sv%) will likely start for the Leafs
?The Leafs made some changes to the line-up at practice yesterday, most notably putting Nylander back at centre alongside Hyman and Brown
?It looks like Babcock will also continue his theme of only playing Carrick against bad teams
?Moore lined up as a winger on the 4th line instead of Leivo or even Martin. Babcock was asked about that after practice and said he hadn't decided who will play there yet

BUF
?Chad Johnson (6-10-3, 3.18 GAA, .896 Sv%) will start for the Sabres
?The man, the myth, the legend Seth Griffith was recalled by the Sabres last week
?I found it surprising to see Kyle Okposo listed on the 4th line. He has just 1 point in his past 4 games but prior to that he had 17 points in 18 games
?The Sabres are comfortably at the bottom of the Eastern conference standings right now, but in February they did have 2 wins against both Tampa Bay and Boston
Injuries

?Nathan Horton - Back - Out indefinitely ?Joffrey Lupul - Actually Injured - Out indefinitely ?Auston Matthews - Shoulder - Injured Reserve​

?Marco Scandella - Upper Body - Questionable Monday ?Evan Rodrigues - Upper Body - Doubtful Monday ?Jack Eichel - Lower Body - Injured Reserve ?Jake McCabe - Shoulder - Injured Reserve ?Zach Bogosian - Hip - Injured Reserve​

Stream Options

https://www.reddit.com/r/NHLstreams
​

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/ByMHarrington/status/970391934417227777

Some in Buffalo might read this as a roast.

 

[ZBBM]

I appreciate your thoroughness CTB, but I don't really think it's necessary to list injuries to BUF's GM.

 

[herman]

?The man, the myth, the legend Seth Griffith was recalled by the Sabres last week

I will be only a little sour if he scores on us.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

?The man, the myth, the legend Seth Griffith was recalled by the Sabres last week

I will be only a little sour if he scores on us.

Looks like that might not be a problem:

https://twitter.com/JoeYerdon/status/970683374808510466

Imagine not being able to crack THAT line-up...

 

[Kaberle15]

I am expecting nothing but a strong game for the Leafs and Andersen tonight.

Go Leafs Go!!! Crush that AHL team tonight.

 

[herman]

Looks like that might not be a problem:

https://twitter.com/JoeYerdon/status/970683374808510466

Imagine not being able to crack THAT line-up...

Now I am actually sour.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/970696651575889925

Should be Leivo but I mean considering we've been blessed with so much no-Martin time I'll accept a game or two here.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/970696651575889925

Lemons. Just chucking lemons right now.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

Martin with a hatty tonight. 

 

[herman]

Martin with a hatty tonight.

So boarding* major, fighting major, game misconduct from trying to do too much?

* Martin is one of the better check finishers about taking care the other player doesn't get killed.

 

[Strangelove]

Babcock reverting back to midseason form.

He actually seems to think that getting older and slower is the way to win in this league.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Babcock reverting back to midseason form.

He actually seems to think that getting older and slower is the way to win in this league.

In his defence, Martin might be a better skater than Leivo. The top-9 is about as good as it can be right now so that's a positive.

 

[Zee]

Criscuolo sounds like an italian dessert.  I'll take the criscuolo and nocciola gelato thanks.

 

[Highlander]

I'd like to see Marner on with Willie.
good article on Zaitzev in the Athletic today.  Shows lots of examples of how lost Z is  out there.  They gotta teach him to stick to his man like glue instead of turning his back on them. I can't believe how inept he has become.

 

[herman]

Babcock reverting back to midseason form.

He actually seems to think that getting older and slower is the way to win in this league.

For the most part, I do agree with you. I think Babcock would characterize it as smarter and stronger, rather than older and slower. As always, it is really simple to point out what's not working, and much harder to figure out how to make it work better.

Leivo hasn't really been good in his stints during Martin's exile. However, that is probably more to do with the mid-season form opponents are in and the lack of playing time Leivo has had, per Anthony Petrielli's latest Notebook entry on MLHS. I wish Babcock played him more early on and last season, but there are some things he does that puts him into a very deep hole with the coach.

Moore's major problem in Babcock's eyes are his defensive zone turnovers; this applies to Leivo as well. They don't offer enough on the other end of the ice to offset too many DZ turnovers the way Nylander and Marner do. If Plekanec can get some more practices on the Leafs system under his belt, he should start making a difference. Right now, on a road trip, he's left spending a lot of his game processing on trying to figure out where he should be on the ice.

Edit: Here's the coach on that exact thing Plekanec is going through
https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/970711523671896065

Circling back to playing certain vets over the kids, I do firmly believe the sub-optimal personnel decisions these past couple of seasons have an eye toward either sheltering, bolstering, or teaching the young core players depending on their developmental need -- even occasionally holding them back (artificially) to see if they smash through anyway (Kapanen!). What looks to be at cross purposes to winning tonight is still, at least in my opinion, pointed towards winning for 5-10 years.

 

[Strangelove]

Babcock reverting back to midseason form.

He actually seems to think that getting older and slower is the way to win in this league.

In his defence, Martin might be a better skater than Leivo. The top-9 is about as good as it can be right now so that's a positive.

He may be a better skater but I don't for a second think he's more useful than Leivo or Moore in the offensive or defensive end.

Regarding the top 9, I don't think it makes much sense to have Brown and Hymen on the same line. Babcock tried that earlier in the season with Matthews at center and the line got destroyed by the other team, since the opposing side could basically ignore Hymen and Brown and focus on Matthews. To me, putting Kapenen with Nylander makes a lot more sense. Kapenen's speed is wasted with Bozak and JVR.

 

[ZBBM]

Or, you know, Plekanec may simply be on the decline.  But yes, Babs is right that he's still adjusting.  Whether things will "work out perfect" is an open question.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

To me, putting Kapenen with Nylander makes a lot more sense. Kapenen's speed is wasted with Bozak and JVR.

Wasted seems harsh. If anything I think the idea is to make sure the speed is a little more spread out. And when Brown is with those two the common complaint is that the line doesn't have a primary puck carrier, which is something that Kapanen will be able to provide them. That's a line that I'd actually like to see get a solid audition, because it's something that might be able to stick once Matthews returns. Then the 4th line could go Komarov-Plekanec-Brown. Everything else is basically set in stone from prior to Auston going down.

 

[herman]

To me, putting Kapenen with Nylander makes a lot more sense. Kapenen's speed is wasted with Bozak and JVR.

Wasted seems harsh. If anything I think the idea is to make sure the speed is a little more spread out. And when Brown is with those two the common complaint is that the line doesn't have a primary puck carrier, which is something that Kapanen will be able to provide them. That's a line that I'd actually like to see get a solid audition, because it's something that might be able to stick once Matthews returns. Then the 4th line could go Komarov-Plekanec-Brown. Everything else is basically set in stone from prior to Auston going down.

Yeah, if anything, it could help kick JvR-Bozak back into gear with more space (caused by Kapanen's speed) to do damage. Brown was good there for a time (he got them pucks and out of DZ jams sometimes), but they really need a carrier through the NZ to help them shine.