The view from left field

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You spoke this morning about how it’s not easy to beat a team twice in a row and it certainly wasn’t easy tonight. How did you see your team find a way?

Sheldon Keefe: Obviously, we were reeling there for quite a while, but the fact that our best people just got to work when things were all even again and went out there and found a way to get us another one, and then we were pretty good there right to the very end. Again, with the penalty kill, we made it even harder on ourselves, but it was a pretty gutsy win that way. We don’t like a lot of things about the game today in terms of how we let them back in it, of course. That just shows, again, where we need to continue to grow as a team. 

At the same time, that’s a good team over there. That’s two games they played us hard. They carried play for good chunks of time in both games. We knew they were going to push back. I wish we could have been a little better there, but to come out of it with another win here tonight is a really good sign for our team. In terms of the resiliency and not folding and not feeling sorry for ourselves when we give up the lead when they find their way back, all really good healthy signs for our team. There’s lots of things we’ll take away from here tonight that will help us get better from here.  

FREDERIK ANDERSEN 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: A bit of a wild ride for the team and for you, in terms of the action you were seeing. Not much at first and then quite a lot of pucks near the end. From your perspective, how did the team pull this one out?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, you said it pretty good. We scored some big goals at the right moments and then had some good kills at big moments as well so I think we can chalk that up to a few timely goals and  couple PKs. Pretty good first period, obviously. We didn’t really give them anything and got some goals so that was a good start.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You’ve obviously been teammates with Mitch Marner for a while now, what’s your perspective and what’s standing out to you about the way he’s started this season?

Frederik Andersen: It’s good. He’s a skillful player. He sees the ice so well, and creates a lot of time and space out there. Great shot today so that was nice to see.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: I wanted to ask you about Mitch’s shot. We all know how good of a shot Auston had all his career but Mitch has really seemed to have stepped up his game shot-wise. What have you seen of his progression as a shooter when you face him in practice?

Frederik Andersen: I think it’s underrated. I think he’s good at picking spots and being pretty elusive and tricky about where he’s going to go. That’s probably what he’s been really good at. I think he wants to be more than an incredible passer and playmaker. I know he wants to add to his game and I think he’s done that throughout the years I’ve played with him.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: As a goalie, when you’re looking at guys who have good shots and are good playmakers, is it all the more tough to anticipate what they’re going to do with the puck?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, of course. There’s more options so you’ve got to respect both the shot and the pass option so the better you can be at both, the more it’s going to help you.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: When you guys have a game like that where it’s kind of one story in the first and then another one in the second period, and you still manage to battle back and win, what do you think that says about the team and some growth that has been made in the last couple of years, or do you see it that way?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, of course. It’s good character to battle these games out and get the two points. Obviously, we had a chance to take all four today in this little mini-series and we wanted to do that so it’s really nice to see the way we battled to the end and got away with the two points again tonight. Obviously, we don’t want to make it this hard every night but again, it’s a good character win.

TRAVIS BOYD 

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: I’m wondering since the camp ended, what was the priority for you to work on to stay sharp? What approach did you take into tonight’s game?

Travis Boyd: Coming out of camp was just trying to get up to speed. I think, just like everybody else, you only had a week of camp this year and I think it only ended up being six ice days or something like that. Just trying to get up to speed, get your conditioning going and, for me personally, also just trying to get used to the systems. My first year with the organization so just getting used to how they play and the structure that they want to play with every night. 

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: That aside, and a nice by Muzzin and Engvall to get that going, but how difficult did you find it to get into the rhythm of the game and that sort of thing, or did you after watching the first seven?

Travis Boyd: I actually thought, myself personally and my line, I thought we were good from the start tonight. Really had some good O zone shifts in the first and even in the second before we ended up scoring. Once you start playing you’re right back into it.  Obviously, like I said, I felt a few times out there tonight I had maybe been a little out of position or whatever versus how the structure is that we want to play with here, but other than that I thought we were good tonight. I thought my line was really good, I thought we had some good O zone shifts and didn’t give up a whole lot. 

TJ BRODIE 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How did you get it done tonight?

TJ Brodie: We came out hard. I thought we played well in the first. We had some looks. We let it go in the second a little bit there and started chasing it but we found a way to hold on and get the two points.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What’s your perspective on working alongside Frederik Andersen as a defenceman back there? What stands out the most to you about him?

TJ Brodie: He’s great. He’s always in position and I’ve been really impressed with the way he handles the puck. I haven’t had the chance to play against him too much, it’s definitely something that he does well.

Q: Luke Fox, Sportsnet: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about Mitch Marner that you didn’t know before coming to Toronto?

TJ Brodie: Just how great defensively he is. He’s always in the right spot, great stick and on the penalty kill, he’s real effective. Whether it’s up ice or in the zone, it’s something like I said not playing too much in Toronto through the years, it’s something that I didn’t really get to see or notice.

JUSTIN HOLL

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: From your perspective, after a strong first period, why was it difficult to maintain that as Calgary had a push back in the middle of the game?

Justin Holl: I thought they did a really good job of squeezing us in our defensive zone. They had four guys on one side while we were trying to breakout so I think we need to do a better job of finding the weak side D. That’s kind of our way out of it and we didn’t do a very good job of doing that. Then a little bit of panic set in where guys are throwing pucks and obviously I’m guilty as well. Some things we need to clean up but we’re just happy to get in here and get two wins in a row and onwards.

Q. James Mirtle, The Athletic: How do you feel your season has gone so far through eight games for you personally?

 

Justin Holl: I think it’s been good so far. The way I measure my game mostly, especially if I’m playing a lot of minutes like I have been, is if we win, really. Having a 6-2 record through eight games is positive for our team. I don’t think the games have been perfect, I don’t think we’re rolling yet, but that’s kind of how I measure success in terms of Muzz and I on the ice.  

MITCH MARNER 

Q: Mark Masters, TSN: Mitch, not easy to beat a good team back-to-back, especially on the road . Your perspective on how the team got it done tonight.

Mitch Marner: I think the first period we came out how we wanted to. Second period, obviously we sat back, gave them everything, game them all the opportunities, Freddie stood strong for us there. I think we gave up way too many shots, chances against. O-zone wasn’t there for us, controlling it wise puck.  Like I said, Freddie kept us strong in there. Then it came to us in the third, again we were sitting back a little too much. I think everyone got their feet under them, kind of calmed down the bench and did what we needed to do.

Q: Mark Masters, TSN: What did you see the on game-winning goal? An example of that kind of shot mentality you talked about wanting to establish?

Mitch Marner: I’ve really been working on that shot with Matts. I think if I can try to find that shot more, I know that Matts can find me there. We’ve been trying to work on that shot a lot. For me, it’s just trying to get it off my stick quickly and on to the net, for a chance on net, for a rebound or something for [Hyman] to go in, which it did. But again, I mean I’m trying to get more of a shot mentality in there, trying to be more of a threat. It was a great dish by Matty and that’s big goal.

Q: Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: About your shot, how much do you work on it like 12 months a year, all season and you seem to have really gotten better with it in the last year or two. What are you doing to get to another level with that shot?

Mitch Marner: I think obviously weight helps, put on a lot of weight since first and second year, got a lot stronger on my stick and everything like that, more flex. I guess less flex on my stick actually got higher up in that range. I mean I think just the last two years I’ve been trying to work on it. I feel like it’s a mentality thing. I feel like I really want to try and make an extra play most of the time but this year around, trying to be more of a threat. More of a guy that can be more a consistent shooter on net, kind of change things up on goalies and that’s what I did tonight. I had a couple of good opportunities in the second. I just missed the net on both which I’ve got to fix that opportunity but like I said, great play by Matty there, great dish by him and great space and for me, it’s just trying to put it in.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (6-2-0 – 12 Points) vs.

CALGARY FLAMES (3-1-1 – 5 Points)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
TORONTO	2	1	1	–	4
CALGARY	0	2	1	–	3

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Wayne Simmonds put the Maple Leafs on the board at 3:44 of the first period. Simmonds has goals (2) in two consecutive games. He has 16 points (8-8-16) in 27 career games against the Flames.
• Auston Matthews scored the second Toronto goal of the night on the power play at 14:16 of the first period and later had the primary assist on Mitch Marner’s third period goal. Matthews has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his second multi-point performance of the season. He has registered seven points (4-3-7) over his last five games played.
• Travis Boyd scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game at 2:09 of the second period. Boyd’s goal is his first goal as a Maple Leaf and his first point as a Maple Leaf. He had 10 points (3-7-10) in 24 games as a member of the Washington Capitals last season. Tonight’s game is his first game as a Maple Leaf.
• Mitch Marner registered the primary assist on Matthews’ first period goal and later scored Toronto’s fourth goal of the night at 12:14 of the third period. Marner has assists (4) and points (2-4-6) in three consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his fifth multi-point game of the season. He is tied for the NHL lead in points with 12 (5-7-12) through eight games played.  He leads the NHL in even-strength goals (5). Toronto is 6-0-0 when Marner records a point this season.
• Justin Holl recorded the primary assist on Simmonds’ first period goal. Holl has five assists in eight games played this season. The Maple Leafs are 3-1-0 when Holl records a point this season.
• Jimmy Vesey collected the secondary assist on Simmonds’ first period goal. Vesey has two points (1-1-2) over his last three games played. Tonight’s assist is his first point on the road in 2020-21.
• Morgan Rielly had the secondary assist on Matthews’ first period goal and later had the secondary assist on Marner’s third period goal. Rielly has assists (5) in two consecutive games. He has recorded five (0-5-5) of his six (1-5-6) points on the road this season.
• Pierre Engvall recorded the primary assist on Boyd’s second period goal. Engvall’s assist is his first point of the 2020-21 season. In 48 games as a rookie in 2019-20, Engvall registered eight goals and seven assists.
• Jake Muzzin picked up the secondary assist on Boyd’s second period goal. Muzzin has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. He has 19 points (3-16-19) in 33 career games against the Flames.
• Frederik Andersen stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced to earn his fourth win of the season.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	10 (6)	5 (5)	6 (6)	–	21 (17)
CALGARY	1 (1)	18 (17)	7 (5)	–	26 (23)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	12 (8)	16 (16)	11 (10)	–	39 (34)
CALGARY	9 (7)	27 (26)	17 (14)	–	53 (47)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road	3-1-0 (4 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Calgary	63-60-12-5 (140 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Calgary on the Road	27-41-5-2 (75 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	3 (Marner)
Shot Attempts	6 (Marner)
Faceoff Wins	11 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage	100% (Engvall – 1 won, 0 lost)
Hits	3 (Muzzin)
Blocked Shots	3 (Anderson)
Takeaways	1 (Eight players tied)
TOI	23:53 (Muzzin)
Power Play TOI	1:46 (Marner, Matthews)
Shorthanded TOI	3:43 (Holl)
Shifts	31 (Muzzin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	53.3% (Simmonds – 8 for, 7 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first	3-1-0
Lead after 1	2-0-0
Lead after 2	5-0-0
Score 1 power play goal	4-0-0
Allow 1 power play goal	2-2-0
Outshot by opponent	3-1-0
Tuesday	1-0-0

OF NOTE…

• The Maple Leafs went 3-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-2 on the power play tonight.
• Toronto has scored at least one power play goal in seven of the club’s eight games this season.
• Joey Anderson skated in his first game as a Maple Leaf.
• Zach Hyman and Jake Muzzin started 33.3% of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
• Auston Matthews was 9-for-15 (60%) in the faceoff circle when matched up with Calgary centre Elias Lindholm.
• Jake Muzzin was on the ice for a team-high 14 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 40.0% (14 for, 21 against).

UPCOMING GAMES:

• Thursday, January 28, 10:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (TSN4, TSN 1050)
• Saturday, January 30, 7:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
• Thursday, February 4, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (TSN4, FAN 590)
• Saturday, February 6, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
• Monday, February 8, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)

Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distribution. Please consult official NHL game sheets (links above) to confirm no statistical changes were made.