The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators reignite the battle of Ontario on Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre. The Leafs enter action with a 30-17-2 (62 points) record to lead the Atlantic division. The Senators are 24-20-4 (52 points), just one point out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto has been off since Wednesday night when they lost 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dennis Hildeby started and gave up four goals on just 18 shots in the loss. The next day, he was sent down to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, while Matt Murray was called back up to the big club.
That leaves starting goaltender Joseph Woll or Murray as the options to start in goal tonight in Ottawa.
Leafslatest on X shared the projected starting goalie for tonight's game courtesy of Maple Leafs reporter David Alter.
"Joseph Woll is projected to start in goal for the Leafs tonight in Ottawa," Leafslatest wrote on X.
Woll will look to continue his great season, where he's gone 17-8-0, with a 2.69 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and one shutout. He has stepped up with Anthony Stolarz sidelined due to a knee injury since Dec. 12.
The Maple Leafs are trying to fend off the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division crown
The Toronto Maple Leafs (62 points) hold a slim three-point cushion on the second-place Florida Panthers (59 points) in the Atlantic Division. Both teams have played 49 games and are in action on Saturday.
While Toronto is in Ottawa, the Panthers are in the midst of a California road trip where they'll face the San Jose Sharks tonight at SAP Center. Toronto and Florida will see each other three more times this regular season, so a three-point lead is far from safe.
The Maple Leafs have not won the Atlantic Division in its 10-season existence. They know how important it would be to win the division and face a lesser opponent in the first round of the playoffs, which has not been the case in recent years.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre for the Leafs matchup with the Senators on Saturday night.