Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in a highly anticipated matchup. Here's a look at the projected lineups for both teams.
Penguins Projected Lineup
The Penguins (8-3-2) will likely start with the following forward lines:
- Filip Hallander -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
- Anthony Mantha -- Evgeni Malkin -- Philip Tomasino
- Tommy Novak -- Ben Kindel -- Ville Koivunen
- Connor Dewar -- Blake Lizotte -- Noel Acciari
On defense, the projected pairings are:
- Parker Wotherspoon -- Erik Karlsson
- Ryan Shea -- Kris Letang
- Owen Pickering -- Harrison Brunicke
Tristan Jarry is expected to start in goal, with Arturs Silovs as the backup.
The Penguins have a few players sidelined with injuries, including Rickard Rakell (hand surgery), Kevin Hayes (upper body), Rutger McGroarty (upper body), Caleb Jones (lower body), and Justin Brazeau (undisclosed). Connor Clifton and Mathew Dumba are expected to be scratched.
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
The Maple Leafs (6-5-1) are expected to counter with these forward lines:
- Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Nicholas Robertson
- Easton Cowan -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
- Dakota Joshua -- Nicolas Roy -- Matias Maccelli
- Sammy Blais -- Max Domi -- Bobby McMann
Defensively, the Leafs are projected to line up as follows:
- Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Philippe Myers
- Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo
Anthony Stolarz is the projected starting goalie, with Cayden Primeau as the backup. Joseph Woll and Calle Jarnkrok are expected to be scratched. Scott Laughton (lower body), Chris Tanev (upper body), and Steven Lorentz (upper body) are currently injured. William Nylander will be returning to the lineup after missing some games due to a lower-body injury.
This game marks a clash between two of the league's top talents, Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews. The Penguins are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, while the Maple Leafs are looking to build on their recent wins.
