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Maple Leafs make the best of a bad situation with intriguing projected lineup against the Blue Jackets
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
With the Toronto Maple Leafs dealing with a ton of injuries, it appears as though they are going with a unique lineup against the hungry Columbus Blue Jackets.
On Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road, and for all intents and purposes, this game is a must-win.
The Leafs have lost even of their last eight and are in last place in the Eastern Conference. If they can't string together some wins, they are going to stay there.
However, the team is dealing with a plethora of injuries and is being forced to field a mediocre lineup that may or may not be able to get them out of this hole.
Toronto Maple Leafs lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets
At practice on Tuesday, the Leafs showed off their projected lineup, and quite frankly, it actually looks pretty good as rookie sensations Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan have been elevated.
The first line is going to consist of William Nylander, John Tavares, and Cowan. Meanwhile, the second line is a mixed bag of Nick Robertson, Max Domi, and Calle Jarnkrok.
On the third line, we have Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz, and Bobby McMann, while Sammy Blais and Dakota Joshua are being swapped around on the fourth line with Quillan and Mattias Maccelli.
Nylander - Tavares - Cowan
Robertson - Domi - Jarnkrok
Lorentz - Laughton - McMann
Joshua/Blais - Quillan - Maccelli
Knies - Matthews - Roy
Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
Benoit - McCabe
Mermis - Stecher
Myers
Woll
Hildeby
Robertson - Domi - Jarnkrok
Lorentz - Laughton - McMann
Joshua/Blais - Quillan - Maccelli
Knies - Matthews - Roy
Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
Benoit - McCabe
Mermis - Stecher
Myers
Woll
Hildeby
Toronto Maple Leafs injuries hold back the team
Tomorrow night, it is very unlikely that Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy get into the lineup. Meanwhile, Anthony Stolarz, Brandon Carlo, and Chris Tanev remain out.
It has been a nightmarish start to the season for the Leafs, who have proven that they just can't hang with the rest of the league when their best guys are out of the lineup.
Against the Blue Jackets, they will simply have to buckle down and truly hope for the best with what they have.
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