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Maple Leafs pull off last-minute lineup moves before facing the Blackhawks Saturday
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs are severely hampered by injuries right now, and before they play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, coach Craig Berube has made notable changes to their lineup.
The Original 6 foes Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs will play each other tonight, and both teams are moving in different directions.
The Blackhawks have impressed fans and analysts alike with their strong start to the year, while the Maple Leafs have struggled to put together any kind of consistency.
The Maple Leafs are also severely shorthanded, with top players like Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev and Anthony Stolarz all not able to play because of various injury issues.
Per analyst Nick Barden, the Maple Leafs are going to be playing with the following line combinations tonight:
Nick Robertson - John Tavares - William Nylander
Sammy Blais - Nicolas Roy - Easton Cowan
Matias Maccelli - Max Domi - Bobby McMann
Dakota Joshua - Steven Lorentz - Calle Jarnkrok
Sammy Blais - Nicolas Roy - Easton Cowan
Matias Maccelli - Max Domi - Bobby McMann
Dakota Joshua - Steven Lorentz - Calle Jarnkrok
The Blackhawks Are Impressing While The Maple Leafs Are Not
The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are moving in opposite directions, as the Blackhawks are on their way up, while the Maple Leafs can't seem to shift things into the proper gear.
The Maple Leafs are also missing the contributions of Mitch Marner, who had a career-best 102 points last year in what was his final season in a Toronto sweater before a major sign and trade deal to the Vegas Golden Knights.
If the Blackhawks can take advantage of the shorthanded Leafs, it would be their latest accomplishment in what's been a good start to the year.
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