Toronto Maple Leafs News

Bobrovsky is coming off a light, 20-save performance against the Ottawa Senators on Monday, in which he recorded his second shutout of the season in a commanding 5-0 victory. Bobrovsky will return to the crease on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, a team he has been terrific against throughout his career, posting a 2.48 GAA and .921 SV% in 24 games (15-7-1). The Panthers are sizeable -244 road favourites against the Canadiens, who played last night in a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets and rank sixth-worst in the league offensively (2.77 GF / GP).

Pezzetta has played five consecutive games for the Canadiens but will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Joel Armia to draw back into the lineup. Through 17 games this season, Pezzetta is averaging 7:48 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A).

Anthony Stolarz will draw his first start in five games with Florida on the second half of their back-to-back Tuesday and will take on Toronto on the road. The 29-year-old has excelled in his first season backing up in Florida, with his impressive 3-1-0 record, 2.28 GAA and .917 SV%. He will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have lost two-straight contests and are ninth in the NHL in goals per game (3.42).

McWard played 15 games with the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL this season, scoring four points (1G / 3A) and will make his Vancouver debut on Tuesday. He is expected to replace Mark Friedman, who will be a healthy scratch.

Lettieri has been recalled from the Iowa Wild of the AHL as a lineup replacement for Ryan Hartman, who is serving a two-game suspension. Lettieri has already spent time in the NHL this season, scoring two points (2G / 0A) in 11 games, most recently playing on November 18th. During his stint with Minnesota, he most commonly played on a line with Connor Dewar and Brandom Duhaime.

Bobrovsky played very well on Friday but received no goal support, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) in a 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and will get the chance to bounce back into the win column on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. Bobrovsky has lost three of his last four (1-3-0) but has played some of his best hockey of the season in terms of consistency, allowing three goals or fewer in each of those games and posting a .910 SV%. The Panthers are -125 road favourites against a Senators team that could again be without goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who has been between the pipes for five of the Senators' eight wins this season.

Lettieri had two goals, 14 SOG, four PIMs, and a -4 plus/minus in 11 games in 2023-24 but has been placed on waivers Thursday and assigned to Iowa (AHL) Friday. The 28-year-old forward will = return to Iowa, where he has a goal and three points through four games this season prior to his call-up.

McWard had a goal, three assists, four PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 15 games with Abbotsford (AHL) but has been recalled for the first time this season to Vancouver. The 22-year-old undrafted defensemen made his NHL debut in 2022-23 straight from Ohio State (NCAA) and had a goal and six SOG in a small five game showing to close out the year.

Bobrovsky will start for the third consecutive game on Friday when the Panthers take on the Winnipeg Jets. Despite a strong 9-5-1 record, Bobrovsky only has seven quality starts in 15 games (.467), a rate that rivals career lows and is significantly beneath his .571 quality start rate over his career. The Panthers are -132 home favourites, but as previously mentioned, Bobrovsky's performance is a coin-flip, especially against a Jets team that has won four straight, outscoring their opposition 17-9.

Lorentz will be a healthy scratch on Friday, signalling that Aleksander Barkov will likely return to the Panthers lineup. In 18 games this season, Lorentz has three points (1G / 2A), 10 shots, and 15 hits while averaging 8:22 time-on-ice.

Lettieri had two goals, 14 SOG, four PIMs, and a -4 plus/minus in 11 games in 2023-24 but has been placed on waivers Thursday. The 28-year-old forward will likely return to Iowa (AHL) if unclaimed, where he has a goal and three points through four games this season prior to his call-up.

A busy schedule for the Panthers has limited Bobrovsky to only two starts in their past four outings, but the team will hope the extra rest will have him at his best on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins. Bobrovsky was heroic in the first round of the playoffs last season and was the main reason the Panthers defeated the Bruins in seven games. Bobrovsky has only lost once in his last seven contests (6-1-0), saving 167 of 184 shots faced (.908 SV%), but was unsuccessful in his only matchup against the Bruins this season, allowing three goals on 26 shots (.885 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime loss on October 30th.

Bobrovsky played well in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in his last contest, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%), but will look to get back into the win column when he starts against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Bobrovsky is in the midst of a strong stretch of hockey, helping his team record at least a point in seven of his last eight games (6-1-1) while saving 196 of 215 shots faced (.912 SV%). The red-hot Panthers are only slight -107 home favourites as they welcome an Oilers team that, despite snapping a season-best three-game winning streak on Saturday, seems to have refound their scoring touch, scoring four goals in each of their last four contests (1-3-0).

Stolarz allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Panthers' win in San Jose on Tuesday. Stolarz has had very easy matchups so far this season, facing the Sharks twice and the Blackhawks once, and he's gone 2-1-0 with an .892 SV%. You'd certainly expect him to have better numbers, but he draws another strong matchup tonight vs. his former team, the Ducks, who will be without Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson.