For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to continue one streak and end another against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Centre on Saturday. A win over the Stanley Cup Champions would extend the Leafs home winning streak to a club-record 10 games and also would also end the club’s four game losing skid. Toronto split the first two games of the season series played in Pittsburgh (where they have a league-best 25-8-1 record), but the Pens are under .500 on the road (14-17-3) and are without starting goaltender Matt Murray, who is out with a concussion. The Leafs face a challenge against Pittsburgh, who are arguably the strongest up the middle in the NHL with centers Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the recently acquired Derick Brassard and spread out their top three scorers (Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel) on three lines. With Auston Matthews unavailable, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock made adjustments to his line combinations at practice on Friday, moving Leo Komarov up to play with Patrick Marleau and Nazem Kadri and William Nylander between Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner. It is likely that Babcock will match up the Kadri line against Crosby, but it is unknown whether he will give the assignment of playing against Malkin to veteran Tyler Bozak or the neophyte Nylander, who has played only a few games up the middle this season. “I think (Nylander) has done a nice job, he’s more competitive all the time. He’s still got to learn to stop in the right spots and play without the puck.… Babcock said on Saturday morning. “Tonight is a real test, you’re playing real players. There’s no matchup you like, you just say ‘here it is’, you’ve got to look the other guy in the eye and outplay him, it’s just that simple. I think that’s why you’re in the game, you want to play against the best, you want to measure yourself against the best and you want to show that you’re better. I don’t think when you do one night, it’s a huge deal, but I think when you are a young guy, it is.… Games at center will likely have future ramifications for the 21-year-old, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. It is expected that Bozak will not be re-signed by Toronto and that they will be looking for help up the middle in free agency or in a trade next summer. Pursuing John Tavares is more fantasy than reality with the Islanders center likely looking to be paid close to Connor McDavid’s salary by New York or another club and the chances of Joe Thornton coming to Toronto as a free agent are possible but far from guaranteed. If Nylander convinces Babcock that he can grow into a responsible two-way center, he would be the most viable and least costly option to replace Bozak. Most of Nylander’s two-plus NHL seasons have been on the wing and alongside Matthews, which means comparables on a new deal will be other wingers like David Pastrnak ($6.66 Million) or Nikolaj Ehlers ($6 Million) and not 25-and-under centers Leon Draisaitl ($8.25 Million), Ryan Johansen ($8 Million) or Evgeni Kuznetsov ($7.8 Million). Roman Polak is expected to be in the lineup after skating with rookie Travis Dermott on Friday. Frederik Andersen (32-18-5, 2.78 GAA, .919 Sv %) will make his 57th start of the season for Toronto, while Tristian Jarry (13-5-2, 2.66 GAA, .914 Sv %) will get the start in goal against the Leafs. Jarry has won three straight and may be the Penguins goalie in the postseason if oft-injured Cup winner Matt Murray continues to have concussion issues. *******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
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