The Maple Leafs are seeking redemption for their 3-1 loss in early December as they close out the season series against the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals (.706 PTS%), who welcome the return of Alex Ovechkin to their lineup (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC). source
Matthew Knies — Pontus Holmberg — William Nylander
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz — David Kampf — Connor Dewar
Morgan Rielly — Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe– Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Matt Murray
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Ryan Reaves, Conor Timmins
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Auston Matthews (upper body)
Status report: Matthews skated by himself Saturday but the center will miss his fourth consecutive game. … The Maple Leafs did not hold a morning skate Saturday following a 5-2 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
See that injuries list? Same thing every year. Wait until the playoff stretch comes. It’s not like conditioning is important here, a change in athletic programming doesn’t fit well with the culture apparently.