Maple Leafs Already Making a Significant Lineup Change Ahead of Game 2 Against Ottawa

The Toronto Maple Leafs had one of their best showings all season last night, dismantling the Ottawa Senators by a score of 6-2 and securing a 1-0 series lead in the first round Battle of Ontario.

Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves en route to the win, all members of the Core 4 had multi-point games, and the Leafs saw contributions from all over the lineup, including Scott Laughton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Despite the victory, it seems like Craig Berube is still looking to tinker around with his lineup to find the best combinations. Heading into Game 1, Max Domi was stationed on the second line with William Nylander and John Tavares, but at today's practice, he returned to his usual role on the third line.

With Domi skating alongside Bobby McMann and Nicholas Robertson, Berube promoted Pontus Holmberg back onto the second with Nylander and Tavares, a role he has played pretty well in at previous points during the season.

Domi didn't record a point but was a plus-1 last night, had 2 PIMs, and added a shot on goal and a hit in 14:31 TOI, whereas Holmberg was a minus-1 and registered a blocked shot in 11:31 TOI.

It's a little unusual to make a change like this so early in the post-season, but the trio of Domi, McMann, and Robertson have worked so well together that perhaps Berube wants to see if they can bring that same jam in the post-season.

Nevertheless, the focal point will always start and end with the core players, and if they continue off from their performances in Game 1, it should be a relatively short series.

The trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies remained intact, and for good reason, but perhaps the more surprising trio was Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Calle Jarnkrok, who immediately set the tone from puck drop.

All 4 lines were buzzing, so look for the Maple Leafs to ride their momentum into Game 2, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:30 PM.