line up Toronto Maple Leafs training on Sunday as reported by David Alter He was:
Maple Leafs’ front units
First line: Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Second line: Tavares-O’Reilly-Nylander
The third line: Carefoot – Okari – Greenkrok
Fourth line: AstonReese-Kampf-Lafferty
Additions: Knies, Simmonds
Maple Leafs Defensive Pairings
First pairing: McCabe Brody
Second pairing: Giordano Hall
Third pairing: Riley Shane
Extras: Gustafsson Lillgren
Related: Maple Leafs news and rumours: Simmonds, Murray, Lafferty and Samsonov
Notes stemming from the Maple Leafs variety
The first thing we want to say is if this is the starting lineup, that means the Maple Leafs start the playoffs with the traditional 12 forward/6 defense lineup.
Consider the front units
Passing line by line and pairing by pairing.
Line No. 1 Matthews Marner Lace
It makes sense and it’s what we expected.
Line No. 2 Tavares O’Reilly Nylander
This line also makes sense. Having O’Reilly in the top six home runs when Sheldon Keefe has his final changeup means Keefe has two loaded lines he can put on the ice against weaker opponents, or for an offensive tackle.
It wouldn’t surprise us to see O’Reilly move to the third line when the Series turns to Tampa and the Lightning make a change.
Line #3 Carefoot-Akyari-Yernkrok
This combination might be a little surprising since Kampf isn’t focusing on this line. Most would consider him the Maple Leafs’ No. 1 shutout center. Maybe Keefe feels the Acciari could provide a little more physicality to this line.
Line No. 4 Astonries-Kampf-Lafferty
Kampf may be on this line rather than the third line in an effort to provide more balance in the bottom six.
Synagogue Additions – Symonds
Although Knies performed well in the three games he played, it’s no surprise Keefe didn’t wear a 20-year-old out of college with only three games of NHL experience. This is not to say that if someone gets injured or performs poorly, we won’t see Knies at some point in the series.
While it wouldn’t surprise me if Keefe considered donning Simmonds for this game in case things got out of hand or Tampa tried to run players, it would probably be wise not to move a hornet’s nest. The Maple Leafs have more fitness in their lineup this season even without Simmonds playing. If you feel fists are necessary, Lock Shin is qualified to handle it.
It also helps that Keefe gets ten more minutes from Aston Race or Laverty than Simmonds plays five to eight minutes.
If the game moves south, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Simmonds in Game 2.
Related: Can Lightning Simply Flip a Switch to Beat a Maple Leaf?
Consider defensive pairs
Defensive Pairing #1 Maccabi Brody
Again, with the latest change, it looks like Keefe will want McCabe and Brody up against Stamkos, Kocherov and Point.
Defensive Pairing #2 Giordano Hall
Even at the age of 39, Mark Giordano is still one of the four best defensemen in the National Hockey League. As for Justin Hall, he finished the season with a very solid hockey game. It may be considered the best of his career. It’s definitely better than what he’s done in the past two seasons.
Defensive Pairing #3 Riley Shane
This is another match that might be better at home with the latest change. If McCabe and Brody spend the most time facing Tampa’s top line, that gives Riley easier competition to use his offensive talents against. Schenn did a decent job handling the defensive responsibilities of this duo in the time they had together at the end of the regular season.
We fully expect to see Rielly play 20 or more minutes into the game. It makes sense to have him play more than the average two-outfielder he usually plays. The increase in ice time for him likely comes at the expense of Giordano trying to keep his ice time lower.
Gustafsson-Liljegren Additions
Once all the moves were done on the deadline, it looked like Liljegren’s starting qualifier job was in jeopardy. While Liljegren’s gameplay has improved dramatically this season, he’s still error-prone. In a series that might be so tight that a single mistake could make a difference, it only makes sense that Keefe would be cautious about using Liljegren.
Gustafsson was slated to be a depth piece from the start.
Either of those players can see action in later games in case one of them gets hit, or Keefe decides to use an 11 forwards/7 defense lineup in a later game.
Related: Count on Ilya Samsonov’s long-term signing with the Maple Leafs
Note: I wanted to thank my frequent co-writer Lee Stan Smith for providing the content for this post.