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Bruins vs. Maple Leafs 11/15/19 PREVIEW

Two teams in a slump are looking to get the monkey off their backs. Who will do so?

By SkyonAir
2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Boston Bruins At TD Garden Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Just the Facts:

The Time: 7pm EST

The Place: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario Canada

Place to Watch: NESN, TVAS, TSN-4

Place to Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Know Your Enemy:

  • Auston Matthews is your goals and points leader for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has 26 points in 20 games, with 13 of those being goals.
  • After waiving Mike Hutchinson, Freddy Andersen was for a time the only goaltender on the Leafs before Kaskisuo’s call-up. Andersen has posted a .912 SV% through 15 games. Things are fine.
  • William Nylander is David Pastrnak’s friend from when he was playing in Sweden, and has generally been one of the more consistent Leafs. Keep this in mind if the Leafs continue to flounder and panic sets in!

Game Preview:

Bad news: The Bruins are once again as hurt as any team could ever possibly dream of being, have played the last four games terribly (with an honorable mention performance against the Panthers), and they’ve been getting routinely outshot. Their goaltending, and defense look shot and fans are looking to panic.

Good news: The first round dance partner has been on the exact same crappy November ride as the Bruins. WE TOLD YOU TO DELETE OUR NUMBER, TORONTO.

While they may not be as injured as Boston, Tronna has lost key members of it’s offensive corps to the injury bug, and defensive deficiencies, especially ones that happen in the first period of the game, and a shocking desire to play uninspired hockey through the first couple of months have plagued their season to the point that they are sub-.500 if you count OTL’s towards that. Which you should, because it’s infinitely funnier to think of a team that spent a gorillion dollars on three players being sub-.500.

That said, it’s not like this is gonna be a cake walk. Their last couple of games have had the Leafs playing to one-goal games that are usually absolutely insane in the third. Even if they aren’t winning, they’re still making it difficult.

Tonight’s game also asks how Trent Frederic ends up doing as a winger in replacement of the ever worryingly increasing list of players currently on IR, this time Zach Senyshyn, and whether or not history will repeat itself in Urho Vaakanainen’s fourth NHL contest mirroring his second. For our sakes, let’s hope it doesn’t.

Will Boston finally get over their slump? Let’s find out tonight!