Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
Toronto Maple Leafs (14-11-5, 33 Pts) at Washington Capitals (18-9-4, 40 pts)
Venue: Capital One Arena
Date: Thursday, December 18
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV: ESPN+/SNO/MNMT
Radio:Â SN 590/WJFK 106.7 FM
Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster
Toronto Maple Leafs News & Notes:
The Maple Leafs have been working their way from the basement of the Atlantic towards a playoff spot as they turn around a rough start to their season. The Atlantic Division is very tight this year, so the team has still stayed in the mix, but if Toronto wants to pull into playoff position and stay there, they will need to compete with full effort on a nightly basis, especially against playoff-calibre teams like the Capitals, whom they face tonight.
Washington Capitals News & Notes:
The Capitals are 1-2-2 in their last five games, their last game being a 5-0 loss to the surging Minnesota Wild. The Capitals will look to quickly rebound as they look to build off a successful season last year. The Capitals are looking to find consistency in their game, and will look to find their way back into the goal column tonight against Toronto after not scoring in their last game.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Knies-Matthews-Nylander
Robertson-Tavares-Cowan
Joshua-Roy-McMann
Lorentz-Laughton-Domi
Rielly-Ekman Larsson
McCabe-Stecher
Benoit-Thrun
Hildeby
Woll
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Toronto Hockey – Inside The Rink
Washington Capitals Projected Lines:
Ovechkin-Strome-Beauvillier
Protas-Sourdif-Wilson
Milano-Lapierre-Frank
Duhaime-Dowd-McMichael
Fehervary-Carlson
Chychrun-Roy
Sandin-van Riemsdyk
Thompson
Lindgren
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Washington Hockey – Inside The Rink
Players To Watch:
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies scored one of the two Toronto goals in their loss to Washington back in November and has been slumping as of late, with just one assist in his last five games. Even with the slump, Knies still sits at a point-per-game pace and will look to help contribute to the team’s offense again tonight, as the Leafs continue their push. Knies has been a spectacular draft pick coming from the second round and has become a solid power forward, helping dish the puck to Matthews.
Washington Capitals
Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist in Washington’s 4-2 win over Toronto on November 28th and has been defying predictions about his decline for quite some time now. It’s to the point now where Wilson is in many discussions about the Olympic roster, which is impressive considering how competitive the player pool is for Canadian forwards. Wilson has been held off the scoresheet the past three games but is still performing at just shy of a point-per-game pace and is currently on pace for a career high in both goals and points at 31 years old.
Injury Report:
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Anthony Stolarz – Out
D Dakota Mermis – Out
D Brandon Carlo – Out
D Chris Tanev – Out
Washington Capitals
F Pierre-Luc Dubois – IR
F Ryan Leonard – IR
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