Yahoo Sports 'You Have To See How The Game Goes': Will Ryan Reaves End Fighting Drought Against Arber Xhekaj And The Canadiens?
MONTREAL — The Toronto Maple Leafs will dress enforcer Ryan Reaves when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday.
The Leafs are coming off a 4-3 overtime victory against the New Jersey Devils that also snapped a season-high three-game losing streak. Despite the win, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube felt inclined to change his lineup with just one tweak.
#Leafs lines during morning skate Jan. 18/25
Knies-Matthews-Marner
McMann-Domi-Nylander
Pacioretty-Holmberg-Robertson
Lorentz-Kampf-Reaves
Extra: Minten, Dewar
Rielly-Myers
McCabe-Tanev
OEL-Timmins
Extra: Benoit
Woll
Hildeby@BodogCA— David Alter (@dalter) January 18, 2025
"It's a big game, Montreal. It's a big rivalry, obviously. They've got some physical players over there. So we've got to be physical tonight," Berube said. "They're playing extremely well. Playing fast, using their skill. They've got some real good skill over there. We've got to make sure that we're ready to go. And we've got to play a heavy game."
Reaves infamously doesn't have a single fight this season. Berube attributed that to the fact that there are "not a lot of takers" for the enforcer. Still, Reaves intends to be physical when he steps out onto the ice.
"My game is being physical, so I wouldn't say I'm putting pressure on myself, but I'm not playing my game if I'm not playing physical," Reaves told The Hockey News.
Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj seems like the most logical combatant for Reaves to break the lack-of-fighting streak.
"I mean you see how the game plays out. He's there to play physical just like I am," Reaves says. "It's good when sometimes those guys get into it or whatever happens, but you have to see how the game goes."
Reaves and Xhekaj fought last season.
After starting the season with five wins in their first 17 games, the Canadiens have rallied off an impressive 11-2-1 record in their last 14 games and enter action against Toronto just one point back of the second Wild Card position and just two points back of the first one.
Woll in goal
The Leafs will start Joseph Woll, who missed what was supposed to be his scheduled start in the season opener due to lower-body tightness.
Woll is 2-0-0 with a .961 save percentage all time.
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