A good sign that the Toronto Maple Leafs are spiraling is that this is their third "most important game of the season" in a row.
First up, it was the matchup last week against the Florida Panthers, the team the Toronto Maple Leafs see as their biggest threat to becoming Atlantic Division champs. Since the consensus is that the winner of the Atlantic has a much easier path to the Finals, and since Florida is the reining Cup Champs, this game took on undue importance for a mid-season matchup. Unfortunately, even though the Panthers were down several key players, the Leafs came up short.
This prompted the "most important game" to be Saturday as the Ottawa Senators were on tap for the proverbial four-point game. This game also carried symbolic implications as the Senators are the Leafs most local rival and are often seen as sort of a "little brother" franchise. Of course the Senators won, sending the Leafs into a total panic.
Now, in order to stop the bleeding, it's yet another most-important-game of the season. The Leafs will host the Calgary Flames. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Maple Leafs back again for yet another 'most important game of the season'
If the Leafs stick with the lines Berube used in practice, they'll be back to their old ways of pairing Matthews with Marner, Tavares with Nylander and Domi at 3C. You know, the lineup configuration that has been utterly terrible for months now.
The Leafs mixed things up for about one game, but seem to have very little patience with experimentation. It also looks extremely bad that after just four games Scott Laughton finds himself centering the fourth line after so much was made for the need for a 3C and so much was paid to get him.
Laughton has struggled badly since joining the Leafs, though Saturday was by far his best game yet.
The Flames come into this one having lost to the Avalanche on Friday, however before that they were on a five game streak of getting at least one point in every game.
The Flames should be hard to play against tonight because they are only two points out of a playoff spot, but also have two games in hand. The Flames are fighting it out with the Flames and Canucks, Kraken and Blues for the final playoff spot.
Tonight's goalie matchup will likely be Joseph Woll vs Dustin Wolf.