The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Both teams enter with records of 8-8-2 for Toronto and 8-5-4 for Chicago, but the Maple Leafs will be without star center Auston Matthews and goaltender Anthony Stolarz due to injuries. The game airs at 7 p.m. ET on CHSN, SNP, SNO and CBC.
The Toronto Maple Leafs head to Chicago for an Original Six clash against the Blackhawks, aiming to halt their slide after four straight losses. Currently seventh in the Atlantic Division with 18 points, four ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, and 14th in the Eastern Conference, Toronto is grappling with internal issues that have dropped them from last season's division title.
Recent roster moves highlight the team's struggles. Auston Matthews was placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 11, a significant blow at center. In a corresponding move, forward Easton Cowan was recalled from the AHL but is unlikely to play tonight and is listed as scratched. Goaltender Joseph Woll was activated and could make his season debut after a personal leave, while Anthony Stolarz joined Matthews on IR retroactive to November 11 against the Boston Bruins. Defenseman Troy Stecher was claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers today and will report but is also scratched. Forward David Kampf cleared waivers for contract termination and is now fielding interest from three teams, per NHL insider Darren Dreger.
Chicago, with 20 points, boasts a hot Connor Bedard leading the scoring with 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. The Blackhawks have injuries of their own, including forward Jason Dickinson missing his seventh game and game-time decisions for Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi. Defenseman Sam Rinzel is a healthy scratch for a reset.
Projected Lineups
Maple Leafs:
- Forwards: Matthew Knies -- John Tavares -- William Nylander; Nicholas Robertson -- Max Domi -- Bobby McMann; Matias Maccelli -- Nicolas Roy -- Brandon Carlo; Dakota Joshua -- Steven Lorentz -- Calle Jarnkrok
- Defense: Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo; Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe; Dakota Mermis -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Goalies: Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby
- Scratched: Philippe Myers, Sammy Blais, Easton Cowan, Troy Stecher
- Injured: Chris Tanev (upper body), Scott Laughton (upper body), Auston Matthews (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (upper body)
Blackhawks:
- Forwards: Tyler Bertuzzi -- Connor Bedard -- Andre Burakovsky; Teuvo Teravainen -- Ryan Greene -- Ilya Mikheyev; Oliver Moore -- Ryan Donato -- Colton Dach; Sam Lafferty -- Nick Foligno -- Sam Lafferty
- Defense: Alex Vlasic -- Louis Crevier; Wyatt Kaiser -- Artyom Levshunov; Matt Grzelcyk -- Connor Murphy
- Goalies: Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom
- Scratched: Sam Rinzel
- Injured: Frank Nazar (lower body), Jason Dickinson (upper body), Laurent Brossoit (hip)
Toronto's top scorers include William Nylander (25 points) and John Tavares (23 points), while Chicago's Spencer Knight leads goalies with a 2.46 GAA.