The Toronto Maple Leafs begin a three-game homestand against the NHL’s top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The Lightning are running away with the President’s Trophy with a 52-13-4 record, but their real test will begin next month when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
The Leafs split their two games in Tampa (with a loss in December and a 4-2 win in mid-January) and will host the Lightning tonight and in the final game of their regular season home schedule on April 4. Toronto did not lose any ground to Boston in the race for second place, as the Bruins lost for the first time in regulation to Pittsburgh on Sunday and will look to move to within two points of Boston with their game in hand.
Zach Hyman was absent from Monday’s morning skate, with Nic Petan subbing in on the line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock is optimistic that the left winger would be in the lineup, but hinted that Tyler Ennis would be inserted if Hyman could not go. Ennis skated on a unit with Frederik Gauthier and Connor Brown, but it maybe Trevor Moore’s turn in the fourth line rotation.
Frederik Andersen will make his fifth straight start for Toronto and likely Vezina Trophy competitor Andrei Vasilevskiy (31-8-0, 2.24 GAA, .931 save percentage) will go for Tampa Bay.
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The Maple Leafs may be close to getting one of their more mysterious prospects in the fold.
Russian reporter Igor Eronko indicated on Sunday that big winger Yegor Korshkov will be joining the Leafs organization after his KHL season is complete.
The 22-year-old has played two years with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv since being selected 31st overall in 2016 and missed most of this season with a shoulder injury. Korshkov was slated to come to North America last summer but signed for another year in Russia (most likely because of the stockpile of winger prospects in the American Hockey League).
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas went to Russia in January to check out Korshkov and other potential free agent targets and with the promotion of youngsters Andreas Johnsson, Kasperi Kapanen, Trevor Moore and the trade of Carl Grundstrom, there is room for the big forward to come to North America to get significant playing time.
Korshkov had five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 19 KHL regular season games and has one assist in four playoff games. Lokomotiv plays SKA St. Petersburg in the Gargarin Cup Playoffs and it is likely that he signs his entry-level contract once they are eliminated or season ends.
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