Toronto Maple Leafs @ New York Islanders
07:00 PM at UBS Arena
Watch on: SN, CBC, NHLN, MSGSN

The Leafs last game was at home on January 1 against the Winnipeg Jets, which Toronto won by a score of 6-5 in regulation. The Leafs have a record of 19-15-6 for a 0.550 Points %.

The New York Islanders last played at home on January 1 against the Utah Mammoth. The Islanders lost by a score of 7-2 in regulation, and their current league record is 22-15-4 for a 0.585 Points %.

Them

Ilya Sorokin is back, but will not start tonight while Bo Horvat is now injured.

The Islanders are down in the bottom 10 of the NHL with the Leafs in five-on-five measures, but they are still a much better team than last year.

Their power play has almost identical measures to the Leafs – mediocre at xG and terrible at actual goal scoring.

They now have the worst xG Against shorthanded, a position the Leafs held for some time. They get away with this, the same way the Leafs do – goaltending.

And that is where the Islanders make up for all this other mediocrity and terrible defending (their xG Against at five-on-five is the fourth worst in the NHL). The Islanders top two goalies are the best tandem in the NHL. Their team Save % is only seventh because of all those quality shots they allow, but the goalies are bailing out the boat and keeping it above water.

David Rittich actually has a better Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 than Sorokin, but they are both in the top five for regular goalies so far this season.

Lines

Denis Gorman via Daily Faceoff from yesterday's practice

Anders Lee - Mathew Barzal - Emil Heineman
Maxim Shabanov - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Maxim Tsyplakov
Jonathan Drouin - Calum Ritchie - Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Cole McWard - Scott Mayfield

David Rittich - confirmed starter
Ilya Sorokin

Us

Matt Benning makes his NHL debut tonight as Phil Myers sits, and Troy Stecher gets a go on the top pair. No Brandon Carlo yet.

William Nylander is still out.

Lines

David Alter via Daily Faceoff

Bobby McMann - Auston Matthews - Max Domi
Matias Maccelli - John Tavares - Matthew Knies
Easton Cowan - Nicolas Roy - Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Järnkrok

Morgan Rielly - Troy Stecher
Jake McCabe - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit - Matt Benning

Joe Woll - starter
Dennis Hildeby

The Game

I know that the Leafs right now are not their season average selves, particularly not on the power play where there has been real growth in quantity and quality of shooting, and also just who plays.

I don't know if the Islanders are this team they've been, worse because of Horvat out, or something new. But the key to the game is to get lots of pucks on Big Save Dave, because eventually some go in.

Game Coverage