Gameday: Matthews injured for Maple Leafs against Islanders

New York Islanders @ Toronto Maple Leafs
7:30 p.m. on SNO and MSG+

Note the departure time, which should be illegal on a Sunday.

It’s like we just played a game yesterday, so I don’t know why the Leafs invited the Islanders tonight, but here we are.

Them

The Leafs have two guys who are 38, and they don’t have either, obviously we know who’s better.

The Leafs and Islanders make up a very high percentage of the right-side lineup.

Last time the Islanders were (from Daily Faceoff, where they give you lines, starting goaltenders and actual journalism and opinion on the NHLPA report):

Anders Lee – Brock Nelson – Anthony Beauvillier
Josh Bailey – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Kyle Palmieri
Zach Parise – Mathew Barzal – Kieffer Bellows
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Ross Johnston

Zdeno Chara – Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
2ebastian Aho – Andy Greene

Ilya Sorokin
Ken Appleby

The Islanders played in Montreal on Friday, and reading the Tweets from their media, you’d think the Habs won, but no! The Islanders lit them 3-0 with Sorokin in net. Suppose Varlamov leaves tonight. UPDATE: Varlamov is out tonight. Sorokin is in the net again by Newsday’s Andrew Gross.

We

Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
(Oh oh! Pre-game update: Matthews is out!)

We take two:

Ilya Mikheev – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
William Nylander – Alexander Kerfoot – Pierre Engvall
Michael Bunting – David Kampf – Colin Blackwell
Nick Abruzzese-Jason Spezza-Wayne Simmonds

Morgan Rielly – Ilya Lyubushkin
TJ Brodie – Justin Holl
Mark Giordano – Timothy Liljegren

Jack Campbell – confirmed holder
Erik Kallgren

The game

Victories are less and less important now. With a four-point cushion on the Lightning and a hill too high to climb to catch the Panthers, everything seems set.

Personally eliminating the Islanders is a worthy goal, however.

Go Leaves go! Don’t hurt yourself.