Maple Leafs lines vs. Panthers tonight: Where Matthews, Nylander and Knies are slotted
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, and Craig Berube is expected to roll out almost the same lineup that dominated in Pittsburgh.
It's going to be the first time the Panthers and Maple Leafs square off since the 2025 Eastern Conference semi-finals, where the Panthers took the Maple Leafs to seven games, won the series, and went on to capture their second straight Stanley Cup.
Tuesday night is going to be a very high-octane and intense clash between the two Atlantic Division rivals, and with both teams struggling early on this year amidst injury woes -- this already feels like one of the more important games of their season so far.
Toronto has a chance to overtake Florida in the standings with a win, but that's only going to come from a complete effort from the entire lineup.
How the Maple Leafs are lining up at forward vs the Panthers tonight
Speaking of the lineup, while we don't have any official lineups from the team, we can take a look at how the team is projected to line up.
Based off Monday's practice lines, the team is projected to use the same lineup they had against Pittsburgh, with one change: Simon Benoit drawing back in for Dakota Mermis after Benoit's one-game absence.
Forwards:
Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Max Domi
Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
Dakota Joshua - Nicolas Roy - Bobby McMann
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Nick Robertson
Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
Dakota Joshua - Nicolas Roy - Bobby McMann
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Nick Robertson
Extras: Calle Jarnkrok, Matias Maccelli
Defense:
Morgan Rielly - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jake McCabe - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Philippe Myers
Jake McCabe - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Philippe Myers
Extras: Dakota Mermis
Goalies:
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Dennis Hildeby
These lines are simply a projection based off of Monday's practice in Florida, and Craig Berube has the ability to change things up prior to game-time.
'If it's not broken, don't fix it' seems to be Berube's mentality for Tuesday night, and he's clearly hoping the momentum from Saturday's win in Pittsburgh carries over against the defending champions.
The only real change is that Benoit enters back in but it is a bit interesting that Berube decided to continue with Myers as opposed to Mermis -- who has quietly been a solid depth piece this year.
Also as a side note regarding the Florida lineup, there is a possibility that forward Sam Reinhart misses the game, as he was not on the ice for a second straight day.
Panthers Head coach Paul Maurice will likely update the media later on Tuesday regarding Reinhart's status.
Who gained and who lost ice time with tonight's line changes
Not much has changed in terms of the actual lineup, but with how we saw certain players perform last game, they could end up earning more ice time.
Names like Dakota Joshua and Bobby McMann finally put in strong efforts, and if they can continue to ride that hot hand, then you can expect Berube to utilize them a little bit more than he has been.
One name to keep an eye on is Troy Stecher, as he led the Maple Leafs defense last game in ice-time, and his addition to the lineup tto give the team a bit more footwork and offense has worked wonders so far.
While there's always a chance Craig Berube tweaks his lineup before puck drop, this current group has already shown it can succeed when it sticks to the game plan.
Against a Panthers team that loves to grind you down over 60 minutes, how long this lineup can repeat Saturday's standard will be one of the biggest stories to watch tonight.
TRENDING NOW
