[Open Thread] Game 8 - Toronto Maple Leafs v. Florida Panthers

Great news! The Leafs will be facing another backup as Vokoun is apparently injured. The Leafs are 1-1-1 when being faced with the embarrassment of playing against the second string tender. Just kidding, there are tonnes of reasons for that not least of which is injuries, back-to-back games, and goalie's track records in breaking certain team's hearts (Damn you Doobie). The Panthers are coming off the right end of a heartbreaking game as they tied their game with Montreal with 10 seconds left before winning it in the shootout. Thanks boys!

The actual good news is that Ponikarovsky will be back in the lineup tonight although there are no indications of who he will be replacing. If I had to hazard a guess I would pick one of Belak, Newbury, or Battaglia to move from the bench to the press box.

According to the Mike Ulmer it's Toskala that will be getting the start as the rotation continues. Eventually a good performance by the goalie will be reciprocated by the team. Speaking of defensive weaknesses, McCabe might have a light at the end of his tunnel of "Gee, golly, I try!" darkness (seriously, does he give a shit?) as Carlo Colaiacovo, with whom the Leafs' scapegoat-du-jour partnered effectively last season will likely make his debut on Saturday night against the Blackhawks. This will likely mean the end of the Wozniewski Experiment and it can't come soon enough.

[Update] Pony will be slotted on to the top line as Kris Newbury is sent to the Marlies to get some more ice-time. Pony's move back to Sundin's wing will likely result in Steen being reunited with Stajan. It will be interesting to see where the changes land Gamache who has been excellent since his re-call.

As per your votes, Nik Antropov edged out Andrew Raycroft as the player of the game for Monday night's heartbreaker. I'll keep a running tally of the results in the right sidebar. Also, in the pre-game comments, I want to get a prediction game going so put in your guesses for who will score take the first shot, get the first penalty, and score the first goal. I'll keep a running tally of the results in the right sidebar.

As always, your thoughts throughout the game are much appreciated in the comments. Each period and overtime/shootout gets their own section so just reply to the relevant section's main post. You need to set up an account to comment so register and share your thoughts.