Toronto Maple Leafs: Game Day Headlines vs Flyers

The Toronto Maple Leafs begin the final stretch of their season tonight as they venture into Philadelphia for a showdown with the Flyers.

This is a relatively strange portion of the Leafs’ schedule. Sitting five points behind the Boston Bruins for second in the Atlantic Divison with only six games remaining, their pursuit of home-ice advantage is all but over with their fate largely sealed at this point.

So, what now? Facing the Philadelphia Flyers, who are currently languishing down at 19th in the NHL standings, what do the Leafs play for now?

Let’s take a look at some of the pre-game headlines.

Andersen Starting (For No Reason)

Look, I’m sure this all makes sense in the mind of Mike Babcock. It has to, really. But opting to throw out your starter once again for a largely meaningless contest in mid-March against a non-playoff opponent mere days after he was run over approximately 15 times while facing yet another non-playoff opponent does not seem to be the most prudent move right now.

Frederik Andersen is the most important player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, full stop. His success dictates that of his entire team, and with a second consecutive first-round showdown with the Bruins looming on the horizon, the Leafs simply cannot afford to enter TD Gardens with a less-than-100% Andersen.

And yet…

Perhaps the Leafs and their cutting-edge sports science staff know something we don’t. In fact, that’s very likely the case here. Nevertheless, with so little on the line pertaining to the overall standings and yet so much at stake down the line, the risk of Andersen aggravating a nagging ailment or even suffering a new one seemingly outweighs the potential reward.

Tonight will be Andersen’s 57th start of the season. Barring a noted effort to give him some rest down the stretch, it looks as if he will break the 60-start barrier for the third consecutive year.

Holl Out (Again)

This is barely worth mentioning anymore. After suiting up for the prior six games, which is far and away a personal best in that regard, Justin Holl will once again watch from the press box tonight for the 67th time in 2018-19, per DailyFaceoff.

Holl wasn’t exactly a workhorse during his stretch of freedom. The 27-year-old’s ice time topped out at a scant 14:40, managing to register a single assist over that span which, funnily enough, came against the Flyers.

Martin Marincin, recently recovered from a bout with the nasty flu bug that terrorized the entire Leafs’ dressing room, will step onto the third pair in place of Holl. Failing to move the needle in either direction himself, this may be Marincin’s final action of the season with Calle Rosen’s promotion expected to occur over the coming weekend.

Enjoy MarMar while he lasts.

Puck drops at 7 PM.