There are two key changes in the Tornotn Maple Leafs lineup for tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars. First Erik Kallgren will be the starting goalie. Second, with Auston Matthews’ suspension starting with tonight’s game, he’ll be out of the lineup and John Tavares will take his place on the first line as the center.
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Lineup Change Number 1: Erik Kallgren Gets His First NHL Start
Swedish goalie Erik Kallgren will get his first NHL start tonight for the Maple Leafs. In 26 AHL games for the Toronto Marlies, Kallgren has a goals-against-average of 3.02 and a save percentage of .904. With Jack Campbell out with a rib injury and Petr Mrazek having played on Sunday, Kallgren gets the call.
Line Combinations for the Game
The following lines were tweeted by Mark Masters for the game from today’s practice. Notable is that Alex Kerfoot draws in as the center on the second line. Nick Robertson will also jump to a top-six role. Robertson will face his brother Jason in the game.
Lineup Change Number 2: Auston Matthews Sits Out Game One of His Suspension
Auston Matthews will sit out the first game of the two that he has been suspended for as supplemental discipline for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The play resulted in a two-minute penalty, but when the NHL met about it to review it, Matthews was given the suspension.
Obviously, it was the forceful use of his stick that resulted in the two-game suspension. Matthews will be able to return on March 19 against the Nashville Predators.
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