The upcoming matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, with coverage available on CBC in Canada and the NHL Network in the United States.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, currently holding a record of 32-16-8 and occupying the third spot in the Atlantic division, enters the game riding a six-game winning streak, following a commanding 7-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Key players driving the Toronto Maple Leafs' success this season include Auston Matthews with 76 points, William Nylander with 75 points and Mitch Marner with 70 points.
As for the Colorado Avalanche, they hold a record of 35-18-5 and sit in second place in the Central division. Their recent performance includes a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, preceded by wins against the Vancouver Canucks and the Arizona Coyotes.
Leading the charge for the Avalanche is Nathan MacKinnon with 93 points, Mikko Rantanen with 72 points and Cale Makar with 60 points.
Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineups
Forwards
- Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
- Tyler Bertuzzi - Max Domi - William Nylander
- Bobby McMann - John Tavares - Nicholas Robertson
- Pontus Holmberg - David Kampf - Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
- T.J. Brodie - Timothy Liljegren
- Morgan Rielly - William Lagesson
- Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe
Goalies
- Ilya Samsonov
- Martin Jones
Toronto Maple Leafs starting goalie
Ilya Samsonov is expected to start for the Maple Leafs. Here are his stats for this season:
- Games Played (GP): 25
- Games Started (GS): 25
- Wins: 13
- Losses (L): 4
- Overtime Losses (OTL): 6
- Goals Against (GA): 74
- Goals Against Average (GA/G): 3.19
- Shots Against (SA): 629
- Saves (SV): 555
- Save Percentage (SV%): .882
- Shutouts (SO): 2
- Time on Ice per Game (TOI/G): 55 minutes and 44 seconds
Colorado Avalanche projected lineups
Forwards
- Jonathan Drouin - Nathan MacKinnon - Mikko Rantanen
- Miles Wood - Ross Colton - Logan O'Connor
- Artturi Lehkonen - Ryan Johansen - Zach Parise
- Kurtis MacDermid - Chris Wagner - Joel Kiviranta
Defensemen
- Devon Toews - Cale Makar
- Samuel Girard - Josh Manson
- Jack Johnson - Bowen Byram
Goalies
- Alexandar Georgiev
- Justus Annunen
Colorado Avalanche starting goalie
Alexandar Georgiev is expected to start for the Avalanche. Here are his stats for this season:
- Games Played (GP): 47
- Games Started (GS): 46
- Wins: 30
- Losses (L): 13
- Overtime Losses (OTL): 3
- Goals Against (GA): 133
- Goals Against Average (GA/G): 2.90
- Shots Against (SA): 1312
- Saves (SV): 1180
- Save Percentage (SV%): .899
- Shutouts (SO): 2
- Time on Ice per Game (TOI/G): 58 minutes and 35 seconds.