In a tune-up game before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs will do battle at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Hockey is finally back. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will start very soon, but before then, teams are having exhibition games to get back in the swing of things. On Monday, June 28, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the away team in their own arena against the Montreal Canadiens.
The NHL clearly wanted rivalries in their exhibition games, which is a fascinating decision. It will certainly make people excited to watch, even if they will be merely exhibition games.
Since neither team has played a meaningful game of hockey since mid-March, let’s catch up to the teams on both sides of the ice.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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This has to be the first time in modern NHL history a team has been listed as the road team in their own arena. But these are very odd times, so perhaps the weirdness of it is perfectly appropriate.
The Leafs will be sticking with their usual lineup, though there’s an interesting twist to it. 2019 second-round pick Nicholas Robertson impressed the Maple Leafs quite a bit this season, as he stuck with the team longer than anyone expected in training camp and proceeded to have an outstanding season in juniors.
He’ll be on the third line tonight. Take it with a grain of salt because this is an exhibition game, but at the very least, the Leafs clearly view him as a legitimate option for their lineup. Rasmus Sandin will not be playing, which probably means he won’t crack Toronto’s lineup unless there’s an injury.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference, which means they’ll be entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs with nothing to lose. As they always say, the worst opponent to face is one that has absolutely nothing to lose.
Tonight’s lineup isn’t set in stone, but for what it’s worth, here’s what the practice lines looked like yesterday.
Habs say lines are:
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 27, 2020
Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Drouin - Suzuki - Armia
Byron - Kotkaniemi - Lehkonen
Weise - Domi - Weal
Hudon - Poehling - Evans - Belzile
Chiarot - Weber
Kulak - Petry
Ouellet - Mete
Olofsson - Folin
Fleury - Juulsen
The Canadiens still have some huge question marks about their third defensive pairing and fourth line, so maybe tonight’s game will provide some answers. Obviously, the Habs will be hoping to see star goaltender Carey Price perform well, as they’ll need him to be at his best to go anywhere in the playoffs.
Viewing Information
Date: July 28, 2020
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Where: Scotiabank Arena
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV Broadcast: NHL Network, SN1, TVAS
Live Streaming: Reddit NHL streams, NHL.tv (subscription required)
Yes, it’s merely an exhibition game. But gosh darn it, there hasn’t been a puck drop in four months. It’s going to feel so awesome to watch hockey again.