Maple Leafs Game Day #10: Seeking third straight W vs. injury-ravaged Golden Knights

The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off back-to-back wins but it has not been easy so it is not like they should be resting easy for Tuesday’s home game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Maple Leafs are 4-4-1, having been outscored 29-21 in the first nine games of the season.

An early-season slump has prompted some changes to the Maple Leafs lineup. Michael Bunting and William Nylander moved up the depth chart. Mitch Marner dropped to the second line and Nick Ritchie is now on the fourth line.

There were changes on the Maple Leafs blueline, too. Travis Dermott is now playing with Morgan Rielly. T.J. Brodie joins Jake Muzzin. To shore up the Muzzin pairing, Justin Holl has been a healthy scratch. Timothy Liljegren was inserted into the lineup, to play alongside Rasmus Sandin, and was outstanding in Saturday’s 5-4 win against Detroit.

Goaltender Jack Campbell, who has a .918 save percentage in seven appearances this season, should return to the net for the Maple Leafs.

Here are the Toronto Maple Leafs’ expected lines for Game #10 vs. Vegas.

FORWARD LINES

Bunting – Matthews – Nylander

Kerfoot – Tavares – Marner

Engvall – Kampf – Kase

Ritchie – Spezza – Simmonds

DEFENCE

Rielly – Dermott

Muzzin – Brodie

Sandin – Liljegren

GOALTENDERS

Campbell

Mrazek

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights arrive in Toronto in a state of disarray, with major injury issues. The most recent news is that William Karlsson is out for six weeks with a broken foot. He joins Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, Alex Tuch, Nolan Patrick, and Mattias Janmark as Vegas forwards out of the lineup.

That accumulation of injuries is part of what prompted the Golden Knights to claim Michael Amadio off waivers from the Maple Leafs. Amadio had played three games for Toronto at the start of the season so it could be a brief video montage celebrating the Michael Amadio era in Toronto.

The Golden Knights are 4-4, having been outscored 26-21 in the first eight games of the season.

Vegas’ defence is relatively healthy, though Zach Whitecould is injured. The Golden Knights have some quality defenders, including Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, and Nic Hague.

Robin Lehner has been one of the league’s top goaltenders across the past five seasons, though he has a .910 save percentage, closer to league average, in seven games this season.

Here are lines for the Vegas Golden Knights for Tuesday’s game.

FORWARD LINES

Marchessault – Roy – Smith

Carrier – Stephenson – Krebs

Dadonov – Amadio – Kolesar

Howden – Leschyshyn – Rondbjerg

DEFENCE

Hague – Pietrangelo

Martinez – Theodore

McNabb – Coghlan

GOALTENDERS

Lehner

Brossoit

Watch on TSN and listen on TESN 1050 Radio in Toronto.

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