Toronto Maple Leafs vs Caps In Outdoor Game

As of late, Mitch Marner has been unstoppable and has been pivotal in the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ success.

In the last five games, Marner has tallied three goals and four assists. He’s been able to be successful in difficult matchups including games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins. Marner looks to continue his hot streak tonight against the Washington Capitals at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Unfortunately for Marner, he has failed to light up the lamp in two previous matchups against Washington earlier this season. Perhaps, he finally puts the puck past the Capitals’ starting net-minder, Braden Holtby tonight in Maryland.

As reported yesterday by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Marner will likely continue to play alongside Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau. This season, Kadri and Marner have developed a strong chemistry and play very well together. They’ll be looked upon to lead the charge for the Toronto Maple Leafs with Auston Matthews still out of the lineup.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The only change in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup will likely be Roman Polak being inserted back in the lineup.

Polak was out of the lineup against the Florida Panthers, as the Panthers aren’t too aggressive. Connor Carrick was a better fit against the Panthers, as Florida has a lot of speedy forwards. [Editors Note: Carrick is the better fit against every team, by virtue of his superiority to Polak in every single way that matters].

The Capitals play differently than the Panthers. Washington has a lot of aggressive players including Tom Wilson, Jay Beagle and Brooks Orpik. Currently, the Capitals sit in the top 15 for hits on the season. So, Polak will be asked to help counter-act the Capitals physicality.

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Aside from Polak being inserted back into the lineup, I’m particularly interested to see how the Tomas Plekanec, William Nylander and Zach Hyman combination shakes out against Washington. The line was pivotal in helping the Toronto Maple Leafs tie the game against the Panthers. In the second period against Florida, Nylander set up Hyman with a pass in front of the net for a goal. If the line continues to excel, it might make it difficult to pair Nylander and Hyman with Matthews when he returns from his shoulder ailment.

Washington Capitals

Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington tweeted out the Capitals projected lines yesterday. The Capitals’ top line will likely be Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. The top line for Washington is one of the best lines in the NHL and it seems as if Ovechkin is back to normal after having a shaky season last year. In 64 games this season, Ovechkin has tallied 39 goals, 32 assists, 12 PPG and 25 PPP.

While Ovechkin is having a strong year, his line-mate, Backstrom is having one of his worst seasons in the NHL. Backstrom has totaled 46 points and 16 PPP. It seems that for Backstrom, his point total is taking a dip when Washington is playing up a man. In the previous four seasons, Backstrom has totaled over 30 points on the power-play. This season, Backstrom will be lucky to total over 25 points on the power-play.

Eller & Kuznetsov’s Lines

If you are worried about the other Washington lines, you shouldn’t be. While the Capitals do have talent on the other lines, it shouldn’t be enough to be concerned. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller are both having phenomenal seasons, however their wingers aren’t.

In the case of Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie has been pretty un-characteristically quiet. Oshie has 12 goals and 23 assists in 58 games. His current totals are way off from last season’s. Last season, Oshie was extraordinary for the Capitals and had 56 points in 68 games. Kuznetsov’s other winger, Jakub Vrana has been quiet as well. Vrana has posted 20 points in 57 games and has failed to be a strong top 6 winger in Washington.

Based on the holes in Washington’s offensive lineup, you can expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to outplay the Capitals in the offensive zone.

Next: Leafs Top Prospects: Christmas Update

Prediction

As long as the Toronto Maple Leafs can keep the Capitals’ top line away from Frederik Andersen, the Maple Leafs should be able to pick up a win in Annapolis. My prediction is that the Toronto Maple Leafs will defeat Washington by a score of 4-2.

stats from NHL.com