Photo courtesy of the National Post
By Lukas Hardonk (@LukasHardonk)
Hot off of a crucial 3-2 victory over Northeast Division rival Buffalo, the Toronto Maple Leafs are back at it tonight as they roll into New York to square off against the struggling Islanders.
Going into last night’s contest against the Sabres, the Maple Leafs not only sat just one point ahead of the Sabres, but one point inside of playoff position. For a team that hasn’t qualified for the post-season since the lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs, being eighth or above in the Eastern Conference standings after 82 games is a must.
Almost 24 hours later and the Leafs find themselves with a tad bit more breathing room; they sit two points ahead of the Washington Capitals, although the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets are tied for eighth.
Expected to help the Leafs out in goal tonight is James Reimer. The 24-year-old has not let up one bit in his last couple of starts, with two consecutive 40-save performances coming against the Los Angeles Kings and the Sabres. Reimer’s recent success has helped him regain his confidence after a not-so-hot return from injury. His goals against average now sits at 2.79, while his save percentage is a mediocre .906.
You can look for Evgeni Nabokov to be at the other end for the Islanders. His GAA is an acceptable 2.69, although he is still looking to regain the form he was in during his days with the San Jose Sharks. His 2-6-0 record isn’t exactly impressive, and it will be tested to the maximum tonight against a very high-flying Maple Leafs offence.
Leading the Islanders in points are John Tavares and Matt Moulson with 27, while PA Parenteau sits directly behind them with 26. Just as the case with the Maple Leafs’ Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, production from other forwards drops off significantly after them. Look for Tavares, Moulson and Parenteau to lead the Isles’ offence, while the same can be said for the Leafs when it comes to Kessel and Lupul.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, Tavares hasn’t scored a goal in his past four games. It’s likely that he has spent a large amount of time watching video, yet he still cannot figure out what is wrong.
“I wish I knew, then I wouldn’t be going through this,” Tavares said.
It’s not just Tavares that will need to produce tonight, though. The Maple Leafs have their own kryptonite; they are 0-4-3 when Lupul doesn’t score at least one point in a game.
With the Leafs having travelled and played last night, this would normally be a situation where the Islanders could rely on their top players and take down the Leafs with relative ease. However, Leafs fans will be happy to know that New York also played and travelled last night, although not far considering their game was against their state rivals, the Rangers.
Someone who you may see a little more of this evening is Nazem Kadri, who is coming off of a very strong performance against the Sabres. Not only did Kadri notch the game-winning goal last night, but was also very smart in his decision making, which resulted in a few extra chances for the Buds.
Look for Kadri to skate on a line with Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur once again, though the Maple Leafs did not skate this morning so it’s impossible to know for sure.
Players to Watch
Toronto – Nazem Kadri: Kadri has been known to get a little to high on himself during his time in the NHL and the AHL. Let’s see how he rebounds after a strong performance against the Sabres, which included the game-winning goal.
New York – Matt Moulson: Moulson is a native of North York, Ontario, so he knows the Toronto area well. Excited to play the Leafs tonight, he joked: “I wore my Jays stuff to the rink today.” He also has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in his last 12 games.
Follow Lukas on Twitter @LukasHardonk for more Maple Leafs coverage.
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