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
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.
