Updated: New lines ahead of tonight’s contest reveal the game strategy
The Leafs have their backs to the wall.
2018 NHL Playoffs Round 1 Toronto vs Boston: Game #5
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: TD Garden, Boston
Broadcast/Streaming: NBC/CBC
Opponent SBNation Site: Stanley Cup of Chowder
Here we are. Leafs win, they get a Game 6, Leafs lose, season’s over. The Leafs can’t win three games in one night; as much as it’s a cliché, all they can do is focus on trying to get one and maybe giving Boston some anxious feelings. That’s how it starts.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Forward Lines
Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - Connor Brown
Patrick Marleau - Nazem Kadri - Mitch Marner
James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Kasperi Kapanen
Andreas Johnsson - Tomas Plekanec - William Nylander
Defence Pairings
Morgan Rielly - Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner - Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott - Roman Polak
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
Mike Babcock looks to be making some surprising changes here to spread out his offence against the last change, putting four of his top five scorers on different lines. It’s a desperate measure for a desperate time; I can’t say I love it, but at this point, it might work.
Boston Bruins
Forward Lines
Brad Marchand - Patrice Begeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Rick Nash
Danton Heinen - Riley Nash - David Backes
Tim Schaller - Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari
Defence Pairings
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Adam McQuaid
Matt Grzelcyk - Kevan Miller
Goaltenders
Patrice Bergeron is a game-time decision, but is “anticipated to play”. If he can’t go, Riley Nash will take his job, Noel Acciari will move up and Tommy Wingels will re-enter the lineup.
The reality is the Leafs played very well in Game 4; they got burned bad on a couple of errors and ran into peak Tuukka Rask. They have the capacity to beat this team. They need luck, and it’s going to be tough, but they absolutely are capable of it. So let’s go into Boston and do it.
GO LEAFS GO