Will Bunting bring his ability to be a pest to the forefront when he visits the Maple Leafs for the first time since signing with Carolina?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a goaltending problem, but will do their best to take their mind off it when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday where goaltender Ilya Samsonov struggled in net, allowing six goals on 21 shots.
In scenarios where the club playing games on back-to-back nights, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted they are in a scenario where they have no choice (for now) but to be patient with Samsonov.
With goaltender Joseph Woll unavailable to the club due to a high-ankle sprain, Martin Jones has been thrust into the No. 1 position as Samsonov continues to struggle.
Signed to a one-year, $875,000 in August to be the club's No. 3 goaltender, the 33-year-old Jones is 4-2-0 with a .914 save percentage in seven appearances for Toronto this season.
The Maple Leafs will hold an availability two hours before puck drop when the rest of the lineup becomes clear. It'd be highly unlikely for the club to change much of their lineup barring any injuries to come out from the game.
Defenseman Jake McCabe appeared to tweak something toward the end of the third period. That's something to keep an eye on.
The Hurricanes will counter in goal with Pyotr Kochetkov in the net. He is 8-7-3 with an .898 save percentage.
The game will mark the return of Michael Bunting to Toronto. The Scarborough, Ontario, native spent two seasons playing with the Maple Leafs before signing a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the Canes.
"It's gonna be pretty cool to play them," Bunting told Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal,
Bunting has seven goals and 17 assists in 35 games with Carolina this season.
Where to watch
In Canada, the game will stream across the country on Hockey Night in Canada and on Sportsnet+. In Hurricanes' broadcast region, the game will be broadcast and streamed on Bally Sports. For the rest of the United States, the game will stream on ESPN+. Worldwide, the game will stream on that nation's carrier of NHL Live.
Related
Ilya Samsonov Allows Six Goals on 21 Shots as the Maple Leafs Fall to Blue Jackets in Overtime
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