Preseason Preview & Open Thread, Game 2: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators

All the worry from the intra-squad play and the low expectations that followed a mediocre rookie tournament vanished with one overtime goal.

It did help that the overtime winner came from our prized first-round pick. It was gorgeous and it was against a stronger Maple Leafs team IN Toronto.

But tonight is another good test for the team, especially for some big players like Stützle and Tkachuk.

Anton Forsberg is expected to start tonight with the projected lineup as follows:

And a quick look at the power play pairings from practice.

I don't think anyone is sure what to expect from PP2 but PP1 looks like a group that can do a lot of damage. I am especially interested to see what kind of impact Perron has on the power play.

On the other side, the Toronto Maple Leafs are resting all their stars for tonight's game. We will however get to see Alex Nylander, if anyone was interested in the new brotherly addition to the team.

Game Notes:

• The biggest concern coming into the season was Josh Norris. These concerns weren't dimmed one bit when the team decided to be "cautious" with Norris and not include him in any of the intra-squad or scrimmage games. Travis Green insists everything is okay and that Norris should be playing an exhibition game soon but confidence isn't at a high point right now.
• Linus Ullmark is another player fans are very excited to see and once again he has not been very present because of an undisclosed "tweak". Once again, Green has assured fans that it's fine and that they are being cautious. The team seems to be taking a lot of caution lately, which in a way is a good thing especially early on.
• I try not to read too much into pre-season lineups but it is quite painful to see Jake Sanderson being saddled with Travis Hamonic.
• If there is anything this team desperately needs is for a young defenseman to really step it up and reach a new level, good enough to convince the team that Hamonic has no place in the lineup. My bet is on JBD, who is due to finally blossom.
• You can enjoy tonight's game on TSN at 7PM.