Toronto Maple Leafs News

The reigning Stanley Cup Champion Panthers find themselves at the bottom of an ultra-tight Eastern Conference and hope to snap a three-game losing skid on Thursday, turning to Bobrovsky against a Nashville Predators team flirting with last place in the Western Conference. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky was serviceable in his most recent outing, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but did not receive enough goal support in a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky sports a pedestrian 2.89 GAA and .883 SV% through 18 games this season (10-8-0). Still, the Panthers enter the action as -180 home favorites over the Panthers.

Marchenko has not played in the last several games and has been sidelined since November 22nd due to a upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old Marchenko looks to add to his 22 points (8G / 14A) through 22 games, a career-best pace, when he returns to a familiar place on the Blue Jackets' top-six and top powerplay unit.

The Blue Jackets have leaned heavily on Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but will turn to Merzlikins on Thursday in a rare consecutive start for the Latvian goalie after a solid 30-save performance (.909 SV%) in Monday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a subpar 3.50 GAA and .895 SV% in 10 games (5-5-0) this season. He has not had a sub-3.00 GAA since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -114 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins.

Simon Benoit (personal) will return to the lineup on Tuesday, resulting in Mermis being a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Mermis is averaging 13:16 time-on-ice and has one goal in 10 games this season.

The Panthers have lost two straight and will attempt to return to the win column on Tuesday with Bobrovsky between the pipes against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky had an impressive 32-save shutout in a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on November 20th, but has otherwise struggled in recent games, posting a sub-.900 SV% in four of his last five (2-3-0). The 37-year-old veteran netminder has a 2.88 GAA and .882 SV% in 17 games this season (10-7-0). The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as -150 home favorites against a Maple Leafs team coming off an explosive 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Merzlikins has taken a backseat to Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but the Latvian netminder will return to the crease on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has lost four straight contests (0-4-0), allowing three or more goals in each. The Blue Jackets rank mid-pack in the league defensively (3.28 GA/GP), but have struggled with Merzlikins, who has an ugly 3.55 GAA and .894 SV% in nine games this season (4-5-0). The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest as +124 road underdogs against a Devils team that defeated them 3-2 earlier this season.

For the first time this season, veteran Max Domi will be a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old forward has only six points (3G / 3A) in 23 games this season and has only two assists in his last 12 outings. Matias Maccelli draws into the lineup as Domi’s replacement.

Stolarz, originally considered day-to-day, has been sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury on November 11th. The team has not revealed concrete details about his injury, but this latest development suggests he is not close to returning. The 31-year-old Stolarz struggled before his injury, posting a 3.51 GAA and .884 SV% in 13 games (6-5-1). Expect Joseph Woll to continue seeing most of the action while Stolarz is sidelined.

Nylander is battling an illness and will miss his fourth game of the season after only missing one game in his previous four seasons combined. The 29-year-old Nylander is leading the Maple Leafs offensively with 31 points (11G / 20A) in 20 games. The Maple Leafs will likely welcome a defenseman back onto their top powerplay unit with the absence of Nylander.

The Oilers have struggled this season, 10-10-5 through 25 games, and received more bad news on Friday, announcing that Roslovic will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old Roslovic has been a terrific fit with the Oilers since signing with them at the beginning of October, scoring 18 points (10G / 8A) in 23 games.

Marchenko did not play on Monday and will miss a second straight game, day-to-day with a upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Marchenko has been terrific this season and his offense will be sorely missed. He has 22 points (8G / 14A) and 65 shots in 22 games this season.

Quillan made his NHL debut last season, playing one game with the Maple Leafs, but has predominantly played at the AHL level. The undrafted 23-year-old forward has impressed with the Marlies (AHL) this season, scoring 14 points (2G / 12A) in 14 games.

With several notable players returning from injury, Joshua will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch for the first time as a Maple Leaf. The 29-year-old Joshua has five points (2G / 3A), 69 hits, and -8 plus/minus in 22 games this season.

Matthews has not played since suffering a lower-body injury from a Nikita Zadorov hit two weeks ago, but has been practicing for a week and will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old Matthews has not been as dynamic as in previous seasons, but his goal-scoring prowess has been greatly missed by a Maple Leafs team that has lost seven of its last eight games (1-4-3). Matthews has 14 points (9G / 5A) through 17 games. Expect him to play on a line with Matthew Knies, who is also returning from a multi-game absence due to an injury.

The Panthers are coming off an explosive 8-3 win over the Nashville Predators with Daniil Tarasov tending the twine, but they will return to the services of their starting netminder on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Bobrovsky will look to rebound after a poor performance in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 17 shots (.765 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The 36-year-old Bobrovsky has a 2.80 GAA and .887 SV% in 16 games this season (10-6-0). The Panthers enter the action on Wednesday as -173 home favorites against a Flyers team coming off a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.