Jim Hiller might be facing a tough decision with the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup, but that is nothing compared to what he could've been facing on Wednesday morning if his team hadn't rallied from down 3-0 to defeat the Nashville Predators. In a scene we've seen too many times before, the Leafs started slow, leaned on their highly skilled offense to rally late, and now embark on a tough road trip with a .500 record instead of a 1-3-0 start.
Is it sustainable for Hiller's new team? Past experiences would tell us no. But it does give the team a big of good mojo to have all the stars contribute to the comeback win, including Gavin McKenna's first goal and assist of his career. It certainly silences some of the noise before the trip, and it would've have happened if the head coach hadn't put the lines in a blender after the bad start.
Hiller had seven different lines that played at least two minutes together at five-on-five. Among the best was the new-look first line of William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Jack Roslovic, who absolutely dominated their 3:15 together. Among the worst were the original top six to start the game, as Kirill Marchenko failed to connect with Matthews again, and the infamous second line had the worst shot differential of any combination.
Which star winger should play with Auston Matthews?
If you're in Columbus, you might be able to move Kirill Marchenko to the second line to try and get a boost without much fanfare. However, if Hiller makes a permanent move to put Marchenko on the second line, it will create some buzz that the new addition is already demoted. If the Russian winger struggles alongside John Tavares and whoever the other winger is, the noise will only get louder and louder.
Hiller is doing everything he can to get the lineup going, but Marchenko still hasn't found a proper fit. He looks good in a vacuum with his puck-possessing rushes and ability to use his size in the offensive zone, but pairing him with Matthews has been a bit of a mess. If the head coach can find a way for them to each drive their own line, it'll serve the Leafs better in the long run.
The new addition was the player most moved around on Tuesday night. He played 8:39 at five-on-five with his original line, but then took shifts with Matthews and Nylander (1:55), Tavares and Easton Cowan (1:29), and Tavares and Roslovic (1:12).
In a limited sample size, McKenna, Nick Paul, and Colton Sissons looked like a solid trio. Hiller's best move could be to keep Matthews with Nylander and Roslovic, Tavares with Cowan and Marchenko, and move McKenna to the third line. It's a shuffle that will cause some noise, but for the team's benefit, it might be his only option.
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