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Toronto Maple Leafs unveil baffling line combinations following 4-0 loss to the Capitals
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs got laughed out of the building on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, and now, their line combinations are a desperate plea.
After a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals, it is crystal clear that something needs to change for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The lineup simply was not good enough on Thursday, and the hope is that they can find a way to turn things around sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. This weekend, the Leafs are playing the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators, who are playing good-to-great hockey right now.
Today, the team is staying in Washington for practice, and as it turns out, head coach Craig Berube has devised some baffling line combinations.
Maple Leafs show off lineups against the Stars and Predators
Perhaps the biggest issue here is that William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Knies are being kept together despite their horrendous performance last night.
Meanwhile, Easton Cowan, John Tavares, and Nick Robertson are also staying together, despite having a nothingburger of a night.
The only real change was on the fourth line, as Steven Lorentz came out for Calle Jarnkrok, all while Matias Maccelli remains on pace for a healthy scratch.
Knies-Matthews-Nylander
Robertson-Tavares-Cowan
Joshua-Roy-McMann
Domi-Laughton-Jarnkrok
Extra: Lorentz, Maccelli
Rielly-Myers
McCabe-Stecher
Benoit-OEL
Extra: Thrun, Tanev
Woll
HIldeby
Robertson-Tavares-Cowan
Joshua-Roy-McMann
Domi-Laughton-Jarnkrok
Extra: Lorentz, Maccelli
Rielly-Myers
McCabe-Stecher
Benoit-OEL
Extra: Thrun, Tanev
Woll
HIldeby
In the span of a week, it has felt as though the season has jumped the shark. If this isn't panic mode, then we don't know what is.
When you're second-to-last in the Atlantic Division standings, these things are bound to happen.