Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Opponent Analysis

How the Blue Jackets lineup compares to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Per DailyFaceoffs.com, the Blue Jackets forward lines during the regular season looked like so:

The first line contains Alexander Wennberg (5–17–22) on left wing, Pierre Luc Dubois (18–31–49) as the center, and Emil Benstrom (10–10–20) on right wing.

At the age of 25, Wennberg is the oldest player on the line and most experienced, with Dubois having three seasons under his belt and Benstrom in his rookie year.

The second line for the Blue Jackets contains captain Nick Foligno (10–21–31) on left wing, Boone Jenner (11–13–24) as the center, and Gustav Nyquist (15–27–42) on right wing.

This is perhaps the most experienced line in the Blue Jackets lineup, with all three having over six NHL seasons under their belts.

While playing with the San Jose Sharks in last year’s playoffs, Nyquist became one of their better players after recording 11 points in 20 games.

During this season with the Blue Jackets, Nyquist  often playing on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand (21–15–36) who is Columbus best forward.

This was of course until Bjorkstrand’s injury in February which he is slowly recovering from. If Bjorkstrand returns from injury and returns to his old linemates, they could be one of the most dangerous lines the Leafs will play against.

The third line for the Blue Jackets contains Kevin Stenlund (6–4–10) on left wing, Riley Nash (5–9–14) as the center, and rookie Eric Robinson (7–5–12) on right wing.

The fourth line for the Blue Jackets contains Jakob Lilja (2–3–5) on left wing, Devin Shore (1–1–2) as the center, and Stefan Matteau (2–1–3) on right wing.

It should also be kept in mind that although last season was the first year the Blue Jackets qualified for the second round, none of these three players were on the team then.