This is the 4th meeting between these two clubs this season, and so far the Leafs have gotten the better of the matchup. With a 2-1 record heading into tonight, Matthews and the Leafs will look to continue their winning ways.
After dropping an embarrassing loss to the Senators on Monday night, losing 6-5 in overtime after having a 4 goal lead, they turned things around this week with back-to-back wins. With a 2-1 win on Wednesday and a 7-3 win on Thursday, both against the Senators, they will look to string together a few more wins to continue to pad their lead atop the NHL standings (currently 1st in the NHL with a 4pt cushion but 2nd in P%).
They’ll have a good opportunity to grab a win due to a couple of players coming back from injury (Zach Hyman) and returning to the lineup after a game to rest (Zach Bogosian).
It will be Frederik Andersen vs Carey Price in net.
Elsewhere in the league, Sidney Crosby is about to play his 1000th NHL game. It’s pretty incredible to have been around for his entire career to this point. It’s been filled with moment’s that will go down in history. The Gold Medal winning goal at the Olympics, scoring in the shootout to win the 2008 Winter Classic (BOTH goals against Ryan Miller, who I still hate from his days in Buffalo, made them that much more special), lifting the Stanley Cup on three separate occasions, but, for me personally, the 2016 win was extra special due to the fact that at the time my cousin and best friend was battling cancer, which meant he got to watch his Penguins win the Cup one last time while he still could. On top of that he has won:
- 2 Conn Smyth trophies
- 2 Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies
- 1 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
- 2 Art Ross trophies
- 2 Ted Lindsay Awards
- 1 Lester B. Pearson trophy
- 2 Hart Memorial trophies
That’s a lot of winning and at just 33 years of age, it’s not as if Crosby is washed up.
Congratulations Sidney, you whiney little shit.
Enjoy the game!!
GO LEAFS GO!!