Leafs look to get back in the win column against the red-hot Islanders

Toronto has a tough task ahead tonight as the team attempts to get a win against the New York Islanders. The Isles have a 13-game point streak going and are coming off a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers Sunday night.

The Maple Leafs suffered back-to-back losses last weekend after a 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia Saturday and a 5-4 loss to Chicago on Sunday. They’ll get some help in the lineup tonight as Zach Hyman finally returns from a torn ACL to play his first game of the season. Hyman set career highs in goals (20) and points (41) last season. He’s expected to play on a line with captain John Tavares and Kasperi Kapanen. Freddy Andersen gets the call between the pipes. Recently recalled goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo will have to wait until this weekend to get his first NHL start.

Semyon Varlamov gets the start for the Islanders. He has a record of 5-2-1 and is ranked 10th among goaltenders in the NHL with his .924 save percentage his 2.37 goals against average. Casey Cizikas draws back into the lineup. He practiced with the Islanders yesteday after leaving Saturday’s game against Florida due to blocking a shot from Aaron Ekbald. Former Leaf Leo Komarov is also back after missing eight games with an illness and neck injury. He’s expected to be his usual pesky self now that he’s fully recovered.

The matchup pits two teams who are currently sitting 2^nd in their respective divisions. The Islanders have 25 points, with an impressive record of 12-3-1. The Maple Leafs have 22 points, with a record of 9-6-4.

Projected Lines:

New York Islanders

Anders Lee - Mat Barzal - Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier - Brock Nelson - Josh Bailey

Michael Dal Colle - Derick Brassard - Leo Komarov

Ross Johnston - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk

Devon Toews - Scott Mayfield

Semyon Varlamov

Thomas Greiss

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Toronto Maple Leafs

Andreas Johnsson - Auston Matthews - William Nylander

Zach Hyman - John Tavares - Kasperi Kapanen

Ilya Mikheyev - Alex Kerfoot - Trevor Moore

Nic Petan - Nick Shore - Frederik Gauthier

Morgan Rielly - Cody Ceci

Jake Muzzin - Tyson Barrie

Travis Dermott - Justin Holl

Frederik Andersen

Kasimir Kaskisuo