The Toronto Maple Leafs, with a lineup closer to what we expect to see in less than two weeks in the regular season opener, will take on the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. A more Marlies reminiscent roster romped over the Habs 7-2 on Thursday, with fourth liners Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz scoring a pair of goals. The game will mark the preseason debut of goalie Anthony Stolarz, who will be seeing game action for the first time since Sam Bennett concussed the Leafs goalie in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final last May.
Based on the line combos and defensive pairings at the morning skate on Saturday, it appears that Auston Matthews will not play against the Leafs Atlantic Division rival, and that Max Domi will be in the lineup for the first time. Domi missed the beginning of training camp with a lower-body injury and skated at center with Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson. After it appeared that head coach Craig Berube was giving newcomer Matias Maccelli a shot at playing on the top line, it is now evident that he was a temporary placeholder for Domi, who would shift to the right side when Matthews is in the lineup.
Veteran Calle Jarnkrok skated at left wing with John Tavares and William Nylander. This could be one of his final opportunities to earn a spot on the Leafs roster, and possibly showcase him to another club before rosters are cut down to 23 players. The 34-year-old is entering the final year of his long-term contract with Toronto and played only 19 regular-season games last season, but may still have value on the trade market for clubs looking for a bottom-six penalty killer and depth forward making just over $2 million.
Maccelli slotted in on the third line with Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy (who is also making his Leafs debut), which may be where the former Mammoth winger will start the season, as it seems Bobby McMann has been penciled in as the left-winger on the second line with Tavares and Nylander. Five of the six starting blueliners (Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be in the lineup, with Matt Benning of the Marlies playing on the bottom pairing.
Conspicuous by their absences are first-rounders Ben Danford and Easton Cowan. Danford skated with prospect Blake Smith as part of the practice group, while Cowan remained on the line with Lorentz and Laughton.
Goaltender James Reimer made his first appearance in Blue and White in nine years at Ford Performance Centre on Saturday, wearing #47, since his previous number is taken by some guy named Matthews. Reimer was signed to a professional tryout contract on Friday. The 37-year-old played 24 games between the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres last season, posting a 10-8-2 record with their Atlantic Division rival and 2.90 GAA last season.
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