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Toronto Maple Leafs: Nic Petan to Make Debut vs Sabres

By James Tanner

WINNIPEG, MB - FEBRUARY 2: Nic Petan #19 of the Winnipeg Jets looks on during the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell MTS Place on February 2, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - FEBRUARY 2: Nic Petan #19 of the Winnipeg Jets looks on during the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell MTS Place on February 2, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight.

The Sabres will be visiting Toronto for the second time in less than a week, but Buffalo will be seeing a vastly different Toronto Maple Leafs team this time out.

Since the Leafs turned it on to beat the Sabres over the course of about ten minutes Monday night, the Leafs have lost 50% of their good defenseman.

Travis Dermott separated his shoulder and is out for about a month, while Jake Gardiner is contemplating potentially season-ending back surgery.

Excepting the opinions of the Toronto version of Islanders fans, Jake Gardiner is a beloved player who is the Leafs second best blue-liner.  Travis Dermott is the Leafs fourth best option on the back-end, so the Leafs are in tough going forward.

On Thursday, Babcock used Justin Holl and Martin Marincin to fill in.

Tonight’s Lineup

It appears that tonight’s game will feature the return of Holl to the pressbox (where it’s possible he lives) in favor of Igor Ozhiganov.

Besides this change on the blueline, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be making one more change: the recently acquire Nic Petan will make his Leafs debut.

Petan was the Leafs sole deadline day acquisition, made near the 3PM deadline in exchange for Par Lindholm.

In Petan the Leafs get a younger, more highly skilled player under team control for longer.  Petan is described as an elite passer with the potential to be an effective top nine NHL player.

Tonight he will sub in for Tyler Ennis and play on the fourth line with Pierre Gauthier and Trevor Moore.  Personally, I’d like to see Nylander skate with these two wingers and have Guathier play with Marleau and Brown.

Alternately, I think either Brown or Guathier would have been better healthy scratch choices than Tyler Ennis who always seems to be effective when he plays.

Of course, the Leafs are a small team and Gautheir gives them a size element they otherwise lack, so I do see the logic in Babcock’s decision here.

Either way, I’m just happy to see what Petan can do.

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As for the game itself, the Sabres should have revenge on their mind, and the Leafs are down Kadri, Gardiner and Dermott, so it might be a tougher game than Monday was.

That said, I expect that the Leafs will feel embarrassed  about their game on Long Island and try to make amends with a great performance tonight.

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