3 Keys: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, Game 5 of Cup Qualifiers
No. 9 Blue Jackets vs. No. 8 Maple Leafs
8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, FS-O
Only-of-5 sequence is tied, 2-2
Goalie Joonas Korpisalo will initiate and defenseman Zach Werenski will be within the lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets after they play the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sunday.
The winner will play the Tampa Bay Lightning as the No. 7 seed within the Eastern Conference First Spherical in Toronto, the Eastern hub city. The loser can dangle a 12.5 percent likelihood of successful the No. 1 buy within the 2020 NHL Draft within the 2d Section of the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday.
The Blue Jackets will be taking a witness to leap advantage following a 4-3 extra time loss in Game 4 on Friday, after they led 3-0 with decrease than four minutes closing within the third length. Werenski left the sport midway by design of the length. As section of the NHL Return to Play Notion, a personnel is not very authorized to expose player hurt or illness data.
Korpisalo started the major three video games of the sequence, nonetheless used to be pulled after permitting three targets in Game 3. Coach John Tortorella told the Blue Jackets radio network that Elvis Merzlikins is injured.
Matiss Kivlenieks is projected to advantage up Korpisalo.
“[Korpisalo] had a immense twelve months sooner than his hurt (in March),” defenseman Seth Jones said. “He came and did some immense things on this sequence for us. No topic goalie is within the web we’re contented and we’re confident and joyful with that. I know he’ll dangle a immense recreation tonight.”
The Maple Leafs are taking a witness to personal an NHL postseason sequence for the major time since 2004, after they defeated the Ottawa Senators in seven video games within the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
“It used to be extra or less not easy to sleep thanks to the adrenaline (following Game 4),” Maple Leafs ahead Mitchell Marner said.
Here are 3 keys to Game 5:
1. Prime gamers must step up
Every personnel figures to need its top gamers to upward push to the occasion in present to come. Toronto will be counting on forwards Auston Matthews, who scored the extra time purpose in Game 4 and leads the Maple Leafs with six aspects (two targets, four assists), Marner (four assists), William Nylander (four aspects; two targets, two assists) and John Tavares (three aspects; two targets, one aid).
Columbus will witness to forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has four aspects (three targets, one aid) within the past two video games, in conjunction with the major hat trick in Blue Jackets postseason history in Game 3, and Cam Atkinson, who leads Columbus with 5 aspects (two targets, three assists).
2. Blue Jackets goaltending
Korpisalo had a 28-place shutout in his first NHL postseason recreation in Game 1, a 2-0 personal. He also played effectively in a 3-0 loss in Game 2, stopping 36 of 38 shots, nonetheless he struggled a bit in Game 3, permitting three targets on 15 shots sooner than being pulled for Merzlikins.
“I judge our goaltenders dangle been immense,” Blue Jackets fashioned manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “And I’ve said it from the starting up of the sequence and coming into this qualification spherical, that it’s a power of ours to dangle two goalies that can perhaps perchance compete in opposition to every thoroughly different internally and continually can dangle to be No. 1. So I judge it’s a immense dispute for us, and both dangle confirmed here that they are able to carrying that responsibility.”
3. Toronto’s depth
The Maple Leafs dangle relied carefully on their top-six forwards for offense within the sequence, nonetheless their fourth line stepped up as effectively in Game 4. Jason Spezza‘s fight with Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan within the second length brought some much-fundamental vitality to the bench, and linemates Kyle Clifford and Pierre Engvall played some key minutes down the stretch.
“He and his line were noteworthy for us,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We were the utilize of in general six guys with the goalie out, after which we were the utilize of Spezza’s line, our fourth line, that is what we were the utilize of within the closing 4: 00 of the sport. So it speaks to how they were competing and the affect they were making on the sport the day gone by.”
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Alexandre Texier — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Cam Atkinson
Gash Foligno — Boone Jenner — Gustav Nyquist
Liam Foudy — Riley Nash — Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eric Robinson — Alexander Wennberg — Nathan Gerbe
Zach Werenski — Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov — David Savard
Ryan Murray — Dean Kukan
Joonas Korpisalo
Matiss Kivlenieks
Scratched: Emil Bemstrom, Gabriel Carlsson, Adam Clendening, Stefan Matteau, Markus Nutivaara, Devin Shore, Kevin Stenlund, Scott Harrington
Unfit to play: Elvis Merzlikins, Josh Anderson, Brandon Dubinsky
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Zach Hyman — Auston Matthews — Mitchell Marner
Nicholas Robertson — John Tavares — William Nylander
Ilya Mikheyev — Kasperi Kapanen — Alexander Kerfoot
Kyle Clifford — Pierre Engvall — Jason Spezza
Morgan Rielly — Cody Ceci
Martin Marincin — Justin Holl
Travis Dermott — Tyson Barrie
Frederik Andersen
Jack Campbell
Scratched: Frederik Gauthier, Kasimir Kaskisuo, Timothy Liljegren, Denis Malgin, Nic Petan, Calle Rosen, Rasmus Sandin, Joseph Woll
Unfit to play: Jake Muzzin, Andreas Johnsson