The Leafs will face the Flames for the first time since shutting them out a couple of weeks ago in Toronto. It’s been a rocky road against the Flames, with Matt Tkachuk giving Toronto goalkeeper, Jack Campbell, a flying knee from the top rope, which started the goalies downward spiral into injury way back in January.
Since then it’s been a back and forth…. followed by more forth from the Flames and a little more forth…. again from the Flames. The only real “response” through it all has been Jake Muzzin flipping a puck in Tkachuks general direction, which sent the rat into a full blown temper tantrum.
However, the Leafs have gotten the better of the season series, going 4-2 over their 6 games. They only have 3 games left against each other this year, so a win tonight would ensure a winning record against Calgary on the season, as they Flames wouldn’t be able to record more than 4 wins to Toronto’s 5.
As always, that will be a tall task with 3rd string goaltender, Michael Hutchinson, getting the start tonight:
Sheldon Keefe confirms no lineup changes for #Leafs other than Michael Hutchinson starting tonight vs. Calgary
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) April 4, 2021
Sitting Jack Campbell was being called precautionary as recent as yesterday. They simply wanted to get him as much rest as possible, we were told, and considering the back-to-back games (they play Calgary tomorrow as well) it only made sense to give Campbell an extra day to rest. However, that was yesterday, this is from today:
I find it odd that he can’t manage to sit on the bench as a backup unless there’s more that we’re not being told. A lingering injury is all but guaranteed, but at this point you have to assume that it’s more concerning than anybody may have originally believed.
The other concern at the moment is the powerplay…. or lack thereof.
The Leafs are currently on a 0-for-26 slide with the man advantage and with this much skill on the roster that should never happen. The coach is talking about getting dirty goals, but the setup sees the puck handed around the outside, with the players trying to pass the puck into the net.
They need to create traffic in front, but, simply enough, they don’t have enough players that are willing to take the damage necessary to make your presence known when you’re screening the goalie.
Enjoy the game.
GO LEAFS GO!!!