Columbus, OH – The Toronto Maple Leafs face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena at 7:00 PM EST. This marks the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+/SN/SN360/FDSNOH, with radio coverage on SN 590/WBNS-FM 97.1.

The Maple Leafs (9-10-3) are looking to snap a two-game losing streak and improve upon their current position at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets (11-9-3) aim to continue their dominance over the Leafs this season, despite having lost their most recent game against the Capitals.

Toronto has struggled recently, losing seven of their last eight games. However, the team receives a significant boost with the return of Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy from injury. The return of Matthews and Knies, in particular, could reignite Toronto's scoring touch.

Head coach Craig Berube expressed optimism after Tuesday's practice, stating, "The glass is half full. We got an opportunity tomorrow to get two points. That's gotta be our focus & then we'll go from there to the next game".

Here are the projected lineups for tonight's game:

Toronto Maple Leafs:

• Forwards:
  • Knies - Matthews - Nicholas Robertson
  • Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
  • Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok
  • Max Domi - Nicolas Roy - Bobby McMann
• Defense:
  • Morgan Rielly - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
  • Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe
  • Connor Timmins - Troy Stecher
• Goaltenders:
  • Joseph Woll (Likely starter)
  • Erik Kallgren

Dakota Joshua, Matias Maccelli, and Sammy Blais are expected to be scratched.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

• Forwards:
  • Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli - Yegor Chinakhov
  • Miles Wood - Sean Monahan - Kent Johnson
  • Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Brendan Gaunce
  • Isac Lundeström - Zach Aston-Reese - Luca Pinelli
• Defense:
  • Zach Werenski - Ivan Provorov
  • Denton Mateychuk - Damon Severson
  • Brendan Smith - Dante Fabbro
• Goaltenders:
  • Jet Greaves (Confirmed starter)
  • Elvis Merzlikins

Jake Christiansen is expected to be scratched. The Blue Jackets will be without key players due to injury, including Erik Gudbranson, Boone Jenner, Mathieu Olivier and Kirill Marchenko. Luca Pinelli, a Stoney Creek, Ontario native, will make his NHL debut.

Columbus enters the game with a young, energetic core, featuring players like Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, who excel in fast-paced, transitional hockey. The Blue Jackets' ability to generate offense from all four lines makes them a difficult matchup.

The Blue Jackets are slight favorites to win, with the over/under set at 6 goals.