Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz will make his long-awaited return to the lineup against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Stolarz has been out of the lineup since December 12, when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks. He was later placed on injured reserve after undergoing a procedure to remove a ‘loose pebble’ in his knee which was revealed to have no structural damage. source

Projected Lineup:

Knies - Matthews - Domi
Pacioretty - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Holmberg - Robertson
Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Ekman - Lwarsson
Benoit - Timmins

Stolarz*
Woll

*I changed that

After an entertaining win in Edmonton, the Maple Leafs are looking to start a streak through Western Canada but might need to do it without Mitch Marner tonight in Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST, TSN4/Sportsnet West). source

Projected lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Max Domi
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Matt Murray

Scratched: Nikita Grebenkin, Philippe Myers, Dakota Mermis

Injured: Mitch Marner (undisclosed), Calle Jarnkrok (hernia), Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body)

Status report: Marner will be a game-time decision; the forward did not participate in the Maple Leafs morning skate after missing practice Monday because of maintenance. … Domi is expected to skate on the top line if Marner cannot play. …Ekman-Larsson also will be a game-time decision after leaving a 4-3 win at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

The NHL’s salary-cap figures are in, not just for next season, but also the next three years. And they’re going to make quite an impact across the league.

Next season, the cap will jump 8.5 percent to $95.5 million, followed by an 8.9 percent increase in 2026-27 and an even bigger 9.1 percent increase in 2027-28.

As you can see below, those are incredibly dramatic year-over-year changes for this sport, especially considering the cap rose only 5 percent combined over the five seasons before this one.

. . .

So, this is good news for teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, right?

In some ways, for sure. In others, not as much.

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The Maple Leafs are back to full(ish) health for one of the most anticipated HNIC matchups of the regular season tonight in Edmonton (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).

With the expected return of John Tavares and Matthew Knies, the Leafs will have their full complement of talent available to them besides goaltender Anthony Stolarz — who should be back this week — and two players who haven’t played much/any of a role this season in Jani Hakanpaa and Calle Jarnkrok. The Oilers are also reasonably close to full health, albeit with some day-to-day situations due to illness. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Bobby McMann -- Max Domi -- Nicholas Robertson
Pontus Holmberg -- David Kampf -- Steven Lorentz

Jake McCabe -- Chris Tanev
Morgan Reilly -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit -- Conor Timmins

*Joseph Woll Matt Murray

Scratched: Nikita Grebenkin, Fraser Minten, Philippe Myers, Ryan Reaves

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (hernia), Anthony Stolarz (lower body)

I wish him all the second best. 😂

After 51 games, it's safe to say we have a good handle on what the Leafs are and what their needs are. Even after this slide, they have the eighth-best record in the league, and the playoffs are close to a lock. The Atlantic Division is as weak as it's been in years, and despite its inconsistency, Toronto still has as good of a chance at winning it for the first time as anyone.

. . .

You layer on top the team's scoring issues, and it feels like the best-case scenario for the trade deadline would be fulfilling a three-part shopping list:

No. 1: A 3C who can add offence
No. 2: A right-shot defenceman to help Rielly
No. 3: More secondary scoring

. . .

The bigger problem is those first two holes feel incredibly difficult for Toronto to fill. The deadline is shaping up to be a seller's market in a big way, with few teams throwing in the towel on the playoff chase and hardly any marquee names to serve as quality rentals.

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Looking to end their two-game losing slide, the Maple Leafs host a Minnesota Wild team that is without Kirill Kaprizov but is the league’s best road team this season with an 18-5-3 record away from home (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).

In the first meeting of the two-game season series in Minnesota on November 3rd, the Leafs lost a low-event game by a score of 2-1 in overtime while getting outshot in all three periods at even strength (33.72% xGF, 36.7% CF). It was a back-to-back situation for Toronto — and it was the game before Matthews left the lineup for nine games due to injury — but in the Auston Matthews vs. Joel Eriksson-Ek matchup, the Wild owned 92% of the shot attempts (12-1) and 100% of the shots on goal (5-0) at five-on-five. source

Projected Lineup:

Bobby McMann — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Domi — Pontus Holmberg — William Nylander
Max Pacioretty — Fraser Minten — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Jake McCabe
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Phillippe Myers

Joseph Woll
Matt Murray

Scratched: Jacob Quillan, Nikita Grebenkin, Conor Timmins

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), John Tavares (lower body), Connor Dewar (upper body), Matthew Knies (upper body)

Status report: Pacioretty, who missed three games, will return after taking a puck to the head in a 7-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 18.

The Maple Leafs are looking to avenge November’s lifeless loss to the Senators in Toronto when they visit the nation’s capital for the second game of the Leafs vs. Sens season series (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).

Bobby McMann-William Nylander has been a productive duo for the Leafs this season, outscoring the opposition 10-4 at five-on-five, but with Matthew Knies out for tonight, Craig Berube has opted to start McMann on the Matthews-Marner line. source

Projected Lineup:

Bobby McMann — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Domi — Pontus Holmberg — William Nylander
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Nicholas Robertson
Jacob Quillan — Fraser Minten — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Jake McCabe
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Phillipe Myers

Joseph Woll
Matt Murray

Scratched: Nikita Grebenkin, Conor Timmins

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), John Tavares (lower body), Max Pacioretty (upper body), Connor Dewar (upper body), Matthew Knies (upper body)

Status report: Quillan will make his NHL debut. … The Maple Leafs held an optional morning skate Saturday. … Pacioretty, a forward who will miss his third straight game, skated Saturday and is expected to participate fully in practice next week, coach Craig Berube said. … Stolarz, a goalie who will miss his 21st consecutive game, is on the trip and took the optional skate. … Grebenkin, a forward, was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League. … Dewar, a center, was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 20; there is no timeline for his return, Berube said.

Joseph Woll is proving capable of being an NHL starter. With the continued demands to win games and stay atop the Atlantic Division, Berube and the Leafs had been turning to Hildeby without regularity. It all proved to be a damaging situation for the 2022 fourth-round draft pick.

“Listen, he is developing up here, getting practice time and working with NHL shooters and our goalie coach,” Berube said. “But I get what you’re saying. (In an) ideal situation, he is playing more games down in the minors. But that is not the situation right now.”

The Leafs had to change their situation.

Not only did they do that, they made an effective change by bringing Matt Murray back to the NHL and assigning Hildeby to the AHL. Murray likely will back up Woll in the Leafs’ next game on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators.

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Dennis Hidelby starts in goal as the Maple Leafs seek their fourth consecutive win when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).

The Leafs have lost three of the last four to Columbus (two in overtime) and conceded six goals in each loss, including their worst loss of the 2024-25 season back on October 22. The Leafs were 5-0 down just past the midway point of the second period in that game, en route to a 6-2 defeat. source

Projected lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — William Nylander
Max Domi — Fraser Minten — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Jake McCabe
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Dennis Hildeby
Joseph Woll

Scratched: Phillippe Myers, Jacob Quillan

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), John Tavares (lower body), Max Pacioretty (upper body), Connor Dewar (upper body)

Status report: Dewar is day to day after the forward was injured during a 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. … Pacioretty was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 18; Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said the forward is “probably a little longer” than day to day. … Quillan, a forward, was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs hope to make it 3-0-0 in the 2024-25 season series against the Lightning tonight at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime).

Three of Toronto’s forward lines and all three defense pairings will look different than they did to start the game in Montreal. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — William Nylander
Max Domi — Fraser Minten — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Connor Dewar

Morgan Rielly — Jake McCabe
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), John Tavares (lower body), Max Pacioretty (upper body)

Status report: Pacioretty, a forward, is day to day after getting injured during a 7-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Minten, who had been a healthy scratch the past two games since being recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League, will replace Pacioretty. … Benoit will return after being scratched the previous two games.

Enjoy your weekend, everybody!

😂😭

The Maple Leafs are looking to build on one of their best efforts of the season when they visit the Bell Centre for an HNIC matchup against the surging Montreal Canadiens (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).

The parity-filled NHL’s 82-game regular season is as much about when you catch a team on the schedule as who you’re playing, and the Leafs are catching Montreal at a very high point. The Canadiens have beaten Florida, Tampa, Vegas, Colorado, Washington, and Dallas during their recent 11-2-1 run that has propelled them back into the playoff race; they’re currently tied with Ottawa in points percentage for the second wildcard spot. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — William Nylander
Max Pacioretty — Pontus Holmberg — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Jake McNabb — Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Simon Benoit, Fraser Minten, Connor Dewar

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), John Tavares (lower body)

Status report: Reaves will return to the lineup after he was scratched for a 4-3 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. … Dewar, a forward, will be a healthy scratch.

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. EST. Toronto is on a three-game losing streak as the Maple Leafs have been changing their lineup. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — Max Domi — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Pontus Holmberg — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Connor Dewar

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Ryan Reaves, Fraser Minten, Simon Benoit

Status report: Tavares, a center, is week to week and was placed on injured reserve after taking an awkward fall during practice Wednesday. … McCabe will return after missing four games with an upper-body injury. … Minten, a forward, was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Thursday. … Stolarz skated prior to the Maple Leafs optional morning skate Thursday; the goalie has not played since Dec. 12.

Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Stars, the Toronto Maple Leafs held an optional morning skate, with several regulars taking the morning off.

Steven Lorentz — who has been promoted to the first line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — Max Pacioretty, Connor Dewar, David Kampf, Nick Robertson and Matthew Knies were among the forwards in attendance, while Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, Marshall Rifai and Conor Timmins joined the skate as well.

Dennis Hildeby was in attendance, while Joseph Woll is expected to start against the Stars. Woll took accountability for the 6-3 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, and while his teammates appreciated the accountability, they didn’t pin Thursday’s defeat on their goalie. source

Projected Lineup:

Steven Lorentz — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nicholas Robertson
Connor Dewar — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Pontus Holmberg, Marshal Rifai, Max Pacioretty

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Jake McCabe (upper body)

Status report: Reaves will play after being a healthy scratch the past two games. … McCabe participated in the Maple Leafs optional morning skate Tuesday, but the defenseman will miss his fourth straight game.

After their five-game winning streak was snapped in Carolina (and the top line drowned in minuses), the Maple Leafs are looking for a response effort against a tired Canucks team mired in on- and off-ice turmoil (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC). source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Connor Dewar

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Dennis Hildeby
Joseph Woll

Scratched: Ryan Reaves, Pontus Holmberg, Marshal Rifai

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Jake McCabe (upper body)

Status report: Pacioretty will return after being a healthy scratch in a 6-3 loss at the Hurricanes on Thursday. … McCabe skated on his own prior to the Maple Leafs morning skate Saturday; coach Craig Berube said there is no timeline for the return of the defenseman, who will miss his third straight game, but that he “feels good and he’s doing well.” … Stolarz, a goalie, is expected to resume skating next week.

Forty-two games of Craig Berube hockey have led to this: The Leafs have the sixth-best record in the league, on pace for 109 points, which would be good for second in what’s looking like a shallower Eastern Conference.

. . .

What’s changed is the Leafs are no longer a possession team (24th in the league). They often get outshot (20th). Their goalies steal them games (3rd in save percentage). They allow scoring chances regularly (19th in expected goals against at even strength) but limit high-danger opportunities better than other clubs (12th).

They win more games with their penalty kill (7th) than their power play (18th). They’re no longer an offensive juggernaut (12th). But they hit (5th), block shots (6th), win faceoffs (4th), win when they score first (1st) and win in close games (3rd).

. . .

If you’re a regular listener to our podcast, you’ve heard Jonas and I kick this subject back and forth all year: Can the Leafs keep winning this way — losing the possession battle, relying heavily on goaltending, and having a harder time scoring than we’re used to seeing given their talent level?

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The Maple Leafs are seeking their sixth win in a row as they enter a more challenging stretch of their schedule tonight in Carolina (7:30 p.m. EST, TSN4).

The Maple Leafs have been grinding out wins despite some uneven five-on-five performances against lesser competition thanks to their ability to defend, manage games, capitalize on their chances, and strong goaltending. Now, they’ll be tested against a structured, playoff-bound team with elite special teams and a generally strong command over the five-on-five play. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — John Tavares — William Nylander
Nicholas Robertson — Max Domi — Steven Lorentz
Connor Dewar — David Kampf — Pontus Holmberg

Morgan Rielly — Philippe Myers
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Max Pacioretty, Ryan Reaves, Marshall Rifai

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Jake McCabe (upper body)

Status report: Holmberg enters the lineup after missing five games with an illness.

The Maple Leafs are looking for a similar result but a better 60-minute process in the rematch against the Flyers tonight in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).

It wouldn’t make much sense to have Ryan Reaves on the NHL roster — if you’re going to have Ryan Reaves on the NHL roster — and not insert him for a game following the Jake McCabe-Garnet Hathaway incident Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win for the Leafs. It means the fourth line, which was trending in a positive direction, will be broken up tonight, and someone needs to sit up front. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — John Tavares — William Nylander
Max Pacioretty — Max Domi — Steven Lorentz
Connor Dewar — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Philippe Myers
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Nicholas Robertson, Marshall Rifai

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Pontus Holmberg (illness), Jake McCabe (upper body)

Status report: Reaves will play after being scratched the previous two games. He’ll replace Robertson, a forward. … McCabe was placed on injured reserve Monday, retroactive to Sunday; coach Craig Berube said there was no timeline for the defenseman to return. “He needs to get back on the ice, and then we’ll go from there,” Berube said. “I think that’s probably the best way I can put it. And I’m not sure when that is.” … Rifai, a defenseman, was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Monday but will not play. … Ersson skated before practice but the goalie will miss his third straight game.

Auston Matthews’ return means the Maple Leafs’ lineup is at full strength for this much-anticipated HNIC rivalry game against the Boston Bruins (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).

Encouragingly, the Leafs‘ McMann – Domi – Robertson third line, along with a couple of goals from the fourth line (vs. NYI and DET), remained productive during Matthews’ recent six-game absence. The top six, which was in a makeshift configuration with Matthews out and the third line remaining together, wasn’t outscored at five-on-five but wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders during the team’s 3-3-0 stretch without the captain. source

Projected Lineup:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Connor Dewar

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Conor Timmins, Ryan Reaves

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Pontus Holmberg (illness)

Status report: Matthews will return after missing the past six games with an upper-body injury; the center was a full participant in the Maple Leafs morning skate Saturday.

Should play on a line with Reavo so nobody dares to touch him. 😂

The rubber match to determine the winner of the Maple Leafs vs. Islanders season series takes place tonight in Elmont, New York (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).

The three meetings between these two teams, including back-to-back matchups this week, are playing out like a mini-playoff series given the timeframe, albeit the first game was unfair to judge due to the Leafs‘ scheduling situation, as they were playing tired vs. a rested Islanders team. source

Projected Lineup:

Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies — David Kampf — William Nylander
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — Connor Dewar — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe– Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Marshall Rifai, Conor Timmins

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Auston Matthews (upper body), Pontus Holmberg (illness)

Status report: The Maple Leafs held an optional morning skate Thursday. … Matthews made the trip but will miss his sixth straight game; the center was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, retroactive to Dec. 20. … Ekman-Larsson will play after he missed a 3-1 win against the Islanders on Tuesday because of an illness. … Holmberg, a forward, will miss his second straight game.

Seems like we have so many 3 games in 4 nights scenarios this season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action today against the New York Islanders. They're coming off a disappointing loss to the Washington Capitals, one team the Maple Leafs are chasing in the points category in the NHL. They enter play today against New York at 22-13-2, first in the Atlantic Division. New York is 14-16-7 on the year.

Auston Matthews remains day-to-day, and it's not clear when he'll be back in the lineup. It might be today. Anthony Stolarz remains on Injured Reserve with his knee injury. Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa is also on IR with a knee injury. source

Projected lineup:

Matthew Knies -- David Kampf -- William Nylander
Max Pacioretty -- John Tavares -- Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann -- Max Domi -- Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz -- Pontus Holmberg -- Connor Dewar

Morgan Rielly -- Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe-- Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit -- Conor Timmins

Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby

Scratched: Ryan Reaves

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Auston Matthews (upper body), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (illness)

Status report: Holmstrom's status is unclear after he left during the third period of the a 3-2 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The Islanders had a day off Monday after back-to-back games. ... Matthews, a center, practiced Monday but will miss his fifth straight game. ... Ekman-Larsson is questionable after not practicing Monday. Coach Craig Berube said the defenseman would be reassessed Tuesday.

It would be a struggle for any team to lose a centre like Matthews, top three in the world when he’s healthy. And the Leafs survived as well as could be expected when Matthews wasn’t around in November, winning seven of nine. But that was primarily a product of league-best goaltending and A-plus defending that’s been hard to replicate recently amid Anthony Stolarz’s injury, some ill-fitting pieces on defence and the limitations of that centre-ice crew.

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