Maple Leaf vs. Senators Game Day Preview: Preseason #2 – Hockey Writer – Toronto Maple Leaf
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their 2025-26 preseason, another date against the Ottawa Senator, Ontario. The two teams are in their first preseason game, with the Maple Leafs winning the game 4-2 in one game, with the Senators dressing up more regulars.
However, tonight, the Maple Leafs are wearing a very heavy NHL lineup, and the Senators are expected to dress up more magazines and edge players at the final preseason meeting. Maple Leafs fans will see the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares for the first time.
This type of lineup is not surprising. In the latest version of the podcast, Elliotte Friedman talks about why some preseasons have a lot of NHL talent.
“But you dress up your own players, I agree.
That’s why tonight, you’ll see the Maple Leafs’ roster is very close to their opening lineup. Meanwhile, the Senators are still playing some NHL players, but more people are fighting for a place on the team, similar to what happened on Sunday, but in the opposite direction.
Maple Leaf News
The Maple Leafs have been in training camp for less than a week and have already had a lot of damage. Defensive Simon Benoit is reportedly dealing with upper body issues and staying ahead of Sunday’s game. Nicolas Roy has been working on low-body injuries, which Craig Berube calls “a bit of scratch,” even though he returns to the ice and skates.
There are also personal issues being addressed. Max Domi was not at her grandfather’s funeral and was not practicing with the team. As for Joseph Woll, today announced that he would take a leave to handle personal family affairs. Currently, there is no timeline for his return, and the organization requires everyone to respect his privacy.
Projection lineup
(If changed before the puck drops)
Toronto maple leaves
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mattheas
Bobby McMann – John Tavares – William Nylander
Joshua Dakota – Luke Hems – Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Easton Cowan
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Ben Danford
Denis Hildeby
Artur Akhtyamov
Ottawa Senator
Arthur Kaliyev – Dylan Cozens – Fabian Zetterlund
Nick Cousins - Sean Pinto – Michael Amadio
Olle Lycksell – Stephen Halliday – Tyler Boucher
Xavier Bourgault – Garrett Pilom – Hayden Hodgson
Jake Sanderson – Carter Jacquemchuk
Tomas Hamara – Artem Zub
Donovan Sebrango – Nikolas Matinpalo
Leevi Merilainen
Hunter Shepard
The drop of the hockey was set at 7:00, and the Maple Leafs hope to improve to 2-0 in the preseason. While many fans think preseason hockey isn’t really important until week two, tonight’s roster brings players like Robertson, Cowan and Danford to the game once again. More specifically, it gives them a chance to have an almost complete NHL roster. It could be a big night for these three to help them decide where to start the 2025-26 season.
There are other names to watch. Maccelli skates with Matthews and Knife on the top line. For him, it could be a game of success or failure. If he doesn’t have a great night, he may lose the chance to start the season at this place. Finally, the goalkeeper. On vacation, someone will need to back up Anthony Stolarz. The battle comes down to Hilderby and Akhtamov, and tonight may be another big test for both of them.
