Berube shakes up Leafs lineup ahead of first Prime Monday Night Hockey game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to play their first ever Prime Monday Night Hockey game later this evening when they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube will be going with a bit of a different look.

I had speculated that, following a 4-1 loss against the New York Rangers in which the Maple Leafs were shut down by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, we could see veteran forward and proven goalscorer Max Pacioretty slot back into the lineup and that will indeed be the case. According to Maple Leafs beat reporter David Alter, Pacioretty will get a spot in the Leafs lineup tonight after spending the last 2 games sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch.

Of course with Pacioretty slotting into the lineup tonight that means that one Leafs forward will have to come out, and it looks like that will be Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves. Reaves was seen working out on the ice late into Monday's morning skate, an indication that he will be a healthy scratch later tonight. As of yet, the Maple Leafs have not officially confirmed the lineup change, but things do definitely seem to be trending in that direction.

Many had anticipated that Reaves would clash with Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe on Saturday night but that showdown never materialized, and Reaves was largely a non-factor in that contest. The veteran enforcer played just 11 shifts for a total of 8 minutes and 36 seconds of ice time, and it makes sense that Berube would turn to Pacioretty if he feels his team is in need of more of a scoring touch that what Reaves can provide.

Stay tuned for more updates.