The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the San Jose Sharks for the first time this season tonight, with the game airing on Sportsnet's new Monday Night Hockey, only on Sportsnet+. After losing to the New York Islanders on Saturday night, Toronto needs to find a way to bounce back and get back in the win column.
There are also a couple of interesting lineup decisions to watch, with Vinni Letteri getting a look at the NHL level and Artur Akhtyamov dressing as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup. Both players have something to prove, but they are in very different situations heading into tonight's game.
Letteri & Akhtyamov dress against Sharks
Letteri has been playing well with the Toronto Marlies this season, and he has earned an opportunity to see what he can do at the NHL level. He is expected to play on the third line alongside Gavin McKenna and Colton Sissons, giving him a chance to make a good first impression with the Maple Leafs.
For Letteri, this is a big opportunity to show that he can handle a bottom-six role in Toronto. He doesn't necessarily need to put up a bunch of points to make an impression. But he does need to show that he can keep up with the speed of the NHL and contribute when given the chance.
If he plays well, there is a chance this won't be his only opportunity with the Maple Leafs. Toronto needs players who can step into the lineup and do their job, and a strong performance could give Letteri another look before the team decides what to do with him moving forward.
Akhtyamov is in a different situation, as he is expected to back up one of his childhood heroes, Bobrovsky. There has been speculation from NHL insiders that his call-up is simply a case of game management, but there has also been some trade talk surrounding Anthony Stolarz, who is expected to start Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That makes Akhtyamov's situation worth watching. If Toronto is considering moving Stolarz, the young goalie could have an opportunity to make a case for himself as the team's backup. However, he still needs to make the most of whatever chances he gets, especially if he is only up with the club temporarily before potentially returning to the American Hockey League.
Of course, Akhtyamov can't control what the Maple Leafs decide to do with Stolarz, and there is no guarantee he will see any game action tonight. But if he does get into a game before being sent back down, he needs to treat it as an opportunity to show what he can do. A strong performance could force Toronto to reconsider its plans in goal, even if that means making a difficult decision with Stolarz.
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Jack Roslovic -- Auston Matthews -- William Nylander
Easton Cowan -- Nick Paul -- Kirill Marchenko
Gavin McKenna -- Colton Sissons -- Vinni Letteri
Brandon Duhaime -- Teddy Blueger -- Zack MacEwen
Morgan Rielly -- Troy Stecher
Jake McCabe -- Darren Raddysh
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Nick Blankenburg
Sergei Bobrovsky
Artur Akhtyamov
Scratched: Marshall Rifai, Bo Groulx, Anthony Stolarz
Injured: Dakota Joshua (core), Max Domi (undisclosed), Chris Tanev (upper body), John Tavares (lower body)
Sharks projected lineup
Igor Chernyshov -- Macklin Celebrini -- Will Smith
Ivar Stenberg -- Michael Misa -- Kiefer Sherwood
Mason Marchment -- Alexander Wennberg -- Tyler Toffoli
Barclay Goodrow -- Zack Ostapchuk -- Collin Graf
Darnell Nurse -- Michael Kesselring
Sam Dickinson -- Jacob Trouba
Dmitry Orlov -- Luca Cagnoni
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
Scratched: Adam Gaudette, Ty Dellandrea, Nolan Allan
Injured: None
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