Toronto will travel to Winnipeg to face a Manitoba Moose team (10-17-3-1) that has had more than its fair share of problems this season.

It’ll be the fifth and sixth meetings between the two teams, with the first four games played in Toronto.

The Marlies have dominated the series so far, with the Moose picking up a solitary point in a shootout loss. Toronto has pumped 19 goals past the Moose over the four games, and embarrassed their opponents 9-0 in the last meeting between the two teams.

Josh Leivo has certainly enjoyed playing against Manitoba with seven points to his name, while Andrew Campbell has three goals and a helper against the Moose so far.

In team news, Toronto will be without Richard Clune on Friday, as he picked up an extra one-game suspension (supplementary discipline) after last Saturday’s events against Syracuse.

Connor Brown is very close to a return, but the medical staff is holding him back until he’s absolutely healthy.

Kasperi Kapanen should be joining back up with the team, but may only play once this weekend with travel and exertions of the recent World Juniors being taken into account.

Ray Emery was the only goaltender on the roster, however the Toronto Marlies have recalled Rob Madore from the Orlando Solar Bears. If Emery does play (he’s expected to after recovering from flu), I’m sure we’ll see a much improved performance from him after having time to properly practice and get somewhere near game shape.

William Nylander’s status is still unknown, but it’s very unlikely he makes the trip.

Someone who will be taking the flight and making his Marlie debut will be Jeremy Morin, who arrives in Toronto via the Richard Panik trade. He’s a player capable of making an immediate impact. A shoot-first forward (90 goals in 236 AHL games, 2.72 shots-per-game this season), Morin is what the Marlies miss right now. With so many playmakers in the lineup, if Morin isn’t finishing off plays, expect his shots to be producing rebounds for teammates to benefit from.

Although the Manitoba Moose have had a tough year, they are having their best run of form this season since their last visit to Toronto. The 9-0 reverse seems to have had the desired effect on the team, as their record is 5-3-0-2 since, with just one regulation loss at home in their last eight outings.

The biggest improvement has come in the goal-scoring department. The last ten games have seen the Moose accumulate 32 goals after scoring just 33 goals in the 21 games previous.

Defenseman Brenden Kichton continues to lead the Moose in scoring and is on quite the run of form with eight assists in his last eight games.

Rookie centreman Chase De Leo has hit the twine five times in his last six games, including a hat trick, and currently leads the team with nine goals.

Right winger Austen Brassard may have only accumulated 14 points this season, but he’s accumulated half that total in just his last eight outings.

Nic Petan has scored at a higher rate than anyone else on the team since being reassigned by Winnipeg in November. He went scoreless in his last two outings, however, and was scratched from the last game — a win against Grand Rapids Griffins — because he turned up late for a morning skate.

Rookie netminder Jussi Olkinuora has not registered any ice time since being shelled in that 9-0 loss to Toronto. Fellow rookie Eric Comrie has started the last ten games, and his once terrible-looking record has improved to 8-9-3.

One area that Manitoba could make an impact during this weekend is special teams. The penalty kill hasn’t been good at all this season, although it’s improved marginally during their good form of late. What has been impressive is their power play, which is running at just under 20% on home ice.

The Moose have scored eight times with the man advantage in the last eight games, so Toronto will need to stay disciplined.

The Marlies have had a week of practice and some time to rest up — a rare luxury after a crazy December schedule. They should have enough in the locker offensively to see off Manitoba, despite the Moose’s recent resurgence and improved form at home.

Game Schedule

Friday, January 8 — Toronto at Manitoba, 8:00 p.m. EST

Saturday, January 9 — Toronto at Manitoba, 8:00 p.m. EST