Right before the Maple Leafs were to take the ice against Ottawa for the Battle of Ontario, they didn't make any tweaks to their lineup much to everyone's surprise.
As the Maple Leafs head into their third game of the season, it's a heated affair against their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators - who are playing their first game of the season on Saturday night.
It's going to be an intense matchup for sure and with both teams making changes this offseason, it's going to be a different battle between the two clubs, but that doesn't mean there isn't some excitement. Gavin McKenna gets his first taste of the long-standing rivalry, and Daniel Alfredsson takes on his old team for the first time since being hired by Toronto this summer.
Maple Leafs lineup vs. the Senators revealed
But it was a question as to what the lineup will look like given that the team could do some early season tinkering, and with how good Easton Cowan has been so far, perhaps it was time to give him more of a spotlight.
It seems like Jim Hiller made no real changes except for starting Sergei Bobrovsky as they look to make it two in a row.
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Bobrovsky gets the start after a three-day rest, as he sat for the back-to-back with Anthony Stolarz taking the crease on Wednesday night.
Key stories to watch during the Battle of Ontario
The Maple Leafs are going to need their lineup to be as succinct as possible if they want to take out the Senators, who are going to counter with a very solid lineup as well:
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A couple of stories to keep an eye on is the return on Jake Sanderson after he was initially a question mark heading into the game, as well as how Ottawa will respond after losing Tkachuk this season, and seeing how their new lineup is going to gel.
We are also looking to see Gavin McKenna's first point, which will be a momentous occasion when it finally happens, and he should start setting the tone early on if he wants a shot at winning the Calder - as he hopes to do.
It will also be Senators coach Travis Green's 500th career game, so he and the rest of the Senators are surely going to be extra motivated to get the win for their bench boss.
Are you surprised at Jim Hiller's lineup decision?
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