Toronto Maple Leafs Enter the Madhouse on Madison

After a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Toronto Maple Leafs look to rebound and pick up a win tonight in Chicago.

The Leafs dominated the Avalanche and played much better on Monday than they have for a while. Sure, the effort didn’t result in a win, but they can take solace that they probably would have gotten one were they not screwed by the goal judge.

Another effort like that and the Blackhawks – not the same elite squad from the last decade – should be no problems.

Carrick Back in Chicago

One highlight from recent games has been the pairing of Travis Dermott and Connor Carrick.

In this matchup with the Blackhawks, Carrick returns home to Illinois to play in front of his family and friends. Carrick grew up a thirty-five minute drive from the Chicago Loop in the suburb of Orland Park, IL.

Once again, Carrick will be paired with Dermott on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second line. Carrick and Dermott played well against the Avalanche and logged approximately 20 minutes of ice-time in addition to some pretty dominant possession stats.  They’ll be looking to continue their strong defensive play against the Blackhawks tonight.

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Fourth Line

Yesterday, Kristen Shilton of TSN tweeted out Mike Babcock’s lines from practice and it’s evident that Babcock decided to make some big changes on his fourth line.

After the decision to send Frederik Gauthier back to the Toronto Marlies and recall Kasperi Kapanen, Babcock has decided to make Matt Martin a healthy scratch and plug in Kapanen and Dominic Moore into his fourth line.

Kapanen has already done more than enough to earn a permanent job in the NHL, and if not for the Leafs incredible depth, he’d be a full-time player by now.

Moore also hasn’t played since late December and has sat in the press box for the last few weeks. After an abysmal few weeks of Gauthier, Babcock has given Moore the nod to centre the fourth line yet again. It’s obvious that signing Moore was a mistake, and the Leafs will be looking for an upgrade at 4C going into the playoffs.

Leafs Goaltending

After the Toronto Maple Leafs battle the Blackhawks, they’ll take on the  Dallas Stars tomorrow.

More from Editor In Leaf

• Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
• Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
• Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t announced their starting net-minder for tonight’s matchup with the Blackhawks, but Babcock should consider starting Curtis McElhinney in net.

I believe McElhinney should start versus the Blackhawks and then Frederik Andersen against the Dallas Stars the following night. So far this season, the Stars have been the better team. Andersen would be of more value shutting against the tough Stars’ offensive than the Blackhawks.

Blackhawks

While the Blackhawks are last in the Central Division, they shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Blackhawks offense has had a quiet year, but the talent is still there. Toews, Kane and Brandon Saad combined have 102 points so far this season.

Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat have also been stellar for the Blackhawks. In Schmaltz’s second season in the NHL, he has tallied 12 goals and 21 assists. He has also been a vigorous component to their special teams play. To date, Schmaltz has ten PP points.

Next: Dion Phaneuf

DeBrincat has also been a goal monster for the Blackhawks and has netted 14 so far. These youngsters are a force to be reckoned with.

If you are looking for a flaw in Chicago’s game, they allow a ton of shots.