The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a great night from Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who combined for nine points in their last game. Both forwards had a big impact offensively, and Toronto will be hoping they can keep that going tonight against the Utah Mammoth, with puck drop set for 9 p.m.
Matthews and Nylander weren't the only players who showed up, though. Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan have continued to make an impact in games when the Maple Leafs need them, which has been good to see. It’s also something that this team needs more of: less responsibility on their top players to do everything on a nightly basis.
There are a few lineup changes to look at ahead of tonight's game, so here are the projected lineups.
Maple Leafs' projected lineup
Kirill Marchenko -- Auston Matthews -- Jack Roslovic
Easton Cowan -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Gavin McKenna -- Nick Paul -- Colton Sissons
Brandon Duhaime -- Teddy Blueger -- Bo Groulx
Morgan Rielly -- Troy Stecher
Jake McCabe -- Darren Raddysh
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Nick Blankenburg
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
Scratched: Zack MacEwen, Miles Wood, Marshal Rifai
Injured: Dakota Joshua (core), Max Domi (undisclosed), Chris Tanev (upper body)
Mammoth projected lineup
Clayton Keller -- Nick Schmaltz -- Lawson Crouse
Kailer Yamamoto -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther
Barrett Hayton -- Vincent Trocheck -- Anders Lee
Jack McBain -- Kevin Stenlund -- Daniil But
Mikhail Sergachev -- Mackenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt -- John Marino
Dmitri Simashev -- Andrew Peeke
Karel Vejmelka
Sebastian Cossa
Scratched: Nick DeSimone, Liam O’Brien
Injured: Maveric Lamoureux (shoulder), Michael Carcone (upper body)
Lineup news & notes
John Tavares is set to return to the lineup after missing the game against the Colorado Avalanche. The veteran forward was away from the team following the birth of his fourth child, Tucker Tavares, and will be back in the lineup tonight against Utah. Getting Tavares back is a good thing for Toronto, as he gives the team another experienced forward to work with. With Matthews and Nylander coming off a big performance, the Maple Leafs will be looking for the rest of their forwards to keep contributing as well.
On the blue line, Chris Tanev will miss tonight's game after leaving Saturday night's matchup with an undisclosed injury. There is currently no timeline for his return, so the Maple Leafs will have to make do without him for now. With there still being no update on how long Tanev could be out, the Maple Leafs will have to focus on getting through tonight's game and hope the injury doesn't keep him out for too long.
Between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz looks to be the projected starter against Utah. That could still change before puck drop, but for now, he appears to be the goalie Toronto will turn to tonight.
This game against Utah gives Matthews and Nylander another chance to build on their big night while also starting their first winning streak of the season. It’s a game that matters more than just the seventh game of the season; it’s trips like this when the team plays well that help a team bond and build chemistry.
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