PREMIER12: Canada eliminated following loss to Australia
Nov. 8, 2019
SEOUL, Republic of Korea – Logan Wade’s two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth broke a 1-1 tie and ultimately gave Australia a 3-1 win to elimanate the Canadian Men’s Baseball Team from Premier12.
Canada’s hope of earning a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is now put on hold until March when the Americas Olympic Qualifier will take place in Arizona with one spot up for grabs.
“We’re very disappointed in the loss,” said Canadian Manager Ernie Whitt. “Our pitching was outstanding all tournament but you have to score runs to win games and we failed to do that.
Closer Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, BC) entered the game in the eighth with two out and runners on first and second before Wade hit ball into the gap in right-centre.
“My only regret is that we walked the leadoff hitter and it seems anytime you give up a free pass in these tournament it comes back to haunt you,” said Whitt. “We got beat with our best pitchers today but again, you have to score runs to win games.”
Brock Dykxhoorn (Goderich, ON) gave Canada the start it need one the mound as he allowed just a run in the first inning and held Australia to two hits and walk while striking out seven over six innings of work.
Down by one run in the second inning Rene Tosoni (Port Coquitlam, BC) doubled to right field with two out to score Tristan Pompey (Mississauga, ON) for Canada’s only run of the ballgame.
Australia’s Steven Kent fanned seven over four and one-third innings of work before Jon Kennedy and Ryan Searle shut the door in the eighth and ninth.
On the team improvising on the power play leading to Matthews’ goal:
Well, he just shot it. Obviously, we had some real good looks, we had some real good power plays, but didn’t score. Then, we had a couple that were hard to watch. If you look at both teams, the penalty killing was
really good for both teams. They didn’t get much done on ours, we didn’t get much done on theirs. In the end, we were fortunate to win the special teams battle tonight and win. For us, an important shot obviously. We were able to tie it, Freddie made some
big saves for us. It was good.
On if this game was beautiful like the LA game:
What I would say is the game is way higher end. Obviously, they’re a real good team. They’re heavy, they’re fast and they’ve got a great top six, I liked their back-end tonight, I thought Subban played well. I thought
it was a good game. I thought we were better in the first, I thought they were better in the second and I didn’t think there was much to pick between the teams in the third.
On the too many men penalty at the end of the third:
We had a guy on the ice and the other guy wasn’t off. Now, that’ll be our third one. The one was just at the end of the game the one night there just for padding the penalty kill stats, but this one tonight could
have been a big deal. A guy going on can’t go on before the other guy. It’s just simple. We didn’t touch the puck or anything, I haven’t seen any overhead or anything to see whether it was or wasn’t. I’m sure it was.
On Andersen’s recent play:
I think we’re 4-1-1 in our last six. Is that right? So, he’s been playing and he’s been gotten better just like each year. He kind of gets through October and seems to kick it into gear and gets feeling good. He’s
an important player for us, a good leader for us. We need him to make big saves.
On he sees the team loosening up:
That’s what we said before the power play there, ‘Come on, lighten up here fellas. Let’s just go out there and breathe a little bit and do what we’re supposed to do.’ You know, I think the biggest thing is we’re
getting to know each other. I’ve said this a number of times, I don’t know if anyone believes it. It’s easier to play with people you know and over a period of time you get to know each other. I think this road trip we have coming up will be real good for
us as well. It appears that the guys are starting to have more fun, interacting more. I see more abuse, which is — I think that’s a great thing, once you have fun having fun together. That’s once you get to know each other.
On if Hyman will return this weekend:
I don’t think Zach is coming until next week. I don’t know all the details, but he’ll give me a heads up. I don’t think he’s around until next week and I don’t know why.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (37 SAVES)
On a strong performance in goal:
It definitely felt like the puck was following me a little bit around so it’s a good feeling. There’s different nights where the puck seems to bounce your way and it felt good.
On his save in overtime and Rielly’s blocked shot:
Yeah, [Rielly] blocked a shot and obviously, it hit a tough spot and bounced right back to [Marchessault]. I just tried to stay with it and tried to make the save.
On the important of the penalty kill when the power play is struggling.
I think penalty killers just focus on what they can control and just try to eliminate their scoring chances when we take a penalty. Obviously, we just keep believing that we’re going to find one eventually and we
did. Huge goal by [Matthews] and unbelievable shot.
MITCH MARNER (1 ASSIST)
On a big penalty kill in overtime to give the team a chance to win it:
Yeah, it was nice finally getting some 3-on-3 time in there but, I mean, something we’ve always talked about is staying out of the box, we’ve got to do a better job of that. It’s hard to get even-strength going,
but I thought our team stayed patient with it. It’s a big win.
On if team was getting frustrated on the power play:
No, I think you saw we went through a little drought there. It was tough throughout the middle but I thought we were getting our entries there well and that’s a big goal there by [Matthews]. I think that was our
last power play we had and we needed a goal and we did it.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL)
On tonight’s win:
Yeah, I think in the first period we played well, the second I think they kind of ran that and the third was a toss-up. So, obviously, some big saves from Freddie there, probably by far our best player on the ice
tonight. He just kept us in it with the penalty kill obviously at the end of the game. So, just stuck with it. Like you said just stayed patient and a big two points.
On the power play changing its look ahead of his goal:
I thought as we went along through the first two periods, we were a bit stagnant. In the third, we pretty much said, ‘what do you have to lose?’ Let’s move around, let’s get the penalty kill thinking more. I thought
we did a really good job of that with different guys going to different areas and reacting, playing off our instincts. Not just drawn up plays, but reacting off one another, using each other and making plays. We spread them out a little bit and were able to
score.
JOHN TAVARES (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s overtime winner:
I think Mitch [Marner] did a great job reading their entry and causing a turnover and as soon as I read what he was seeing got good anticipation that he was going to be able to get the puck. After that I’m just trying
to get available and make the lane as easy as I can if he wants to move it over and that’s what he does best. So, just tried to reward a good play that he made.
On the mindset when the team goes to the power play
Just that we’ve got another opportunity and we’re down a goal so we want to make the most of it. Whatever has happened up until that point, we’ve got an opportunity then and now to give ourselves a chance to get back in the game. Obviously, at times I think our execution wasn’t great but I think we also had a lot of looks on net, we put a lot of pucks there and sometimes it’s just getting those second and third opportunities. I think on that last power play that was what happened. We got some pucks to the net, got some looks and we kept retrieving them, retrieving them and finally were able to wear them down. You get [Matthews] inside the dots and there is no better shooter you want in that spot.
Auston Matthews put the Maple Leafs on the board with a power play goal at 8:14 of the third period. Matthews has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games. He has five goals and seven points (5-2-7) in four career games against Vegas. Matthews has 12 goals in 11 home games this season.
John Tavares registered the primary assist on Matthews’ third period goal before scoring the overtime-winning goal at 2:33 of the extra frame. Tavares’ assist was his first point since returning from injury on November 5 vs. Los Angeles. He has six points (3-3-6) in five career games against the Golden Knights. His goal tonight is the 13th overtime goal of his career. Tonight’s game is his second multi-point performance of 2019-20.
Morgan Rielly collected the secondary assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Rielly has four assists over his last five games. He has recorded six points (1-5-6) in five games against Western Conference opponents in 2019-20.
Mitch Marner registered the lone assist on Tavares’ overtime goal. Marner has four points (1-3-4) over his last five games. Of his 14 assists this season, 12 have come on home ice. He is tied for sixth in the NHL in primary assists (10).
Frederik Andersen stopped 37 shots to earn the win. Tonight’s game was Andersen’s 205th appearance as a Maple Leafs, which places him in a tie with Alan Bester for 11th on Toronto’s goaltending register.
The Maple Leafs went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 1-for-6 on the power play tonight.
Toronto’s line of Frederik Gauthier, Nick Shore and Dmytro Timashov were the lone Maple Leafs to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
Mike Babcock won his 700th career game behind the bench to become the eighth coach in NHL history with 700 career wins.
Cody Ceci was on the ice for a team-high 21 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. He finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 48.8 percent (21 for, 22 against).
Jake Muzzin blocked six shots, which ties the Maple Leafs single-game high for blocked shots in a game (Previous: Cody Ceci, Oct. 5 vs. MTL).
Nick Shore was 3-for-3 (100%) in the faceoff circle when matched up with Vegas centre Nicolas Roy.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saturday, November 9, 7:00 p.m. vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Sunday, November 10, 7:00 p.m. at Chicago Blackhawks (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Wednesday, November 13, 7:00 p.m. at New York Islanders (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Friday, November 15, 7:00 p.m. vs. Boston Bruins (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Saturday, November 16, 7:00 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪ TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus VEGAS
ALL-TIME RECORD:
3-1-0-0 (4 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:
2-0-0-0 (2 Games)
2018-19:
2-0-0
LAST FOUR:
3-1-0
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus VEGAS
GAMES PLAYED:
Jake Muzzin (9), Tyson Barrie (6), Alex Kerfoot (6), Jason Spezza (6)
GOALS:
Auston Matthews (4), Mitch Marner (2), John Tavares (2)
ASSISTS:
Jake Muzzin (4), William Nylander (3), Morgan Rielly (3)
POINTS:
Auston Matthews (6), Four players tied (4)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Alex Kerfoot (4), Jake Muzzin (4), Seven players tied (2)
MAPLE LEAFS – GOLDEN KNIGHTS TEAM STATS
TORONTO
VEGAS
GOALS FOR (Rank):
55 (t-4th)
49 (t-11th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
52 (t-26th)
46 (16th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
9/52 [17.3%] (20th)
13/55 [23.6%] (7th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
43/57 [75.4%] (26th)
53/59 [89.8%] (2nd)
SHOTS (Rank):
505 (t-9th)
545 (t-2nd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
679 (2nd)
667 (3rd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
51.2% (7th)
50.8% (13th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):
52.9% (3rd)
49.5% (17th)
MAPLE LEAFS – GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES
FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS:
Nov. 6, 2017 vs. VGK (Toronto 4, Vegas 3 SO)
ALL-TIME RECORD:
3-1-0-0 (4 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME:
2-0-0-0 (2 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD:
1-1-0-0 (2 Games)
LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT AT HOME:
Nov. 6, 2018 (Toronto 3, Vegas 1)
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Tyson Barrie
400th career NHL game (Mar. 26, 2017 (COL) at VGK)
Auston Matthews
100th career NHL point (Dec. 31, 2017 at VGK) 100th career NHL goal (Feb. 14, 2019 at VGK)
Jake Muzzin
200th career NHL assist (Dec. 8, 2018 vs. VGK)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
12 (Matthews)
ASSISTS
13 (Marner)
POINTS
18 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS
7 (Marner)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
2 (Kapanen)
PIMs
16 (Kerfoot)
SHOTS
60 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
60.8% (Shore)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
56.6% (Nylander)
BLOCKED SHOTS
31 (Ceci)
TAKEAWAYS
22 (Marner)
HITS
35 (Moore)
TOI PER GAME
25:38 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
3:20 (Matthews, Rielly)
SH TOI PER GAME
3:41 (Ceci)
MAPLE LEAFS NOTABLES
– Frederik Andersen has made four career appearances against Vegas and has posted a 3-1-0 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He is 38-15-7 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 61 career games during the month of November.
– Tyson Barrie has been on the ice for 271 Toronto shot attempts this season, which ranks second among all NHL skaters in on-ice shot attempts for. He had three points (1-2-3) in three games against the Golden Knights last season.
– Cody Ceci is tied for 14th among NHL skaters in blocked shots (31). He ranks seventh among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time (58:52).
– Andreas Johnsson has nine points (3-6-9) in 10 games on home ice this season. He has been on the ice for 22 Toronto goals, which is tied for fifth among NHL left wingers in on-ice goals-for.
– Kasperi Kapanen has a pair of assists in two career games against Vegas. He is one of five Maple Leafs to have recorded multiple shorthanded takeaways.
– Alex Kerfoot has won 52.2 percent (24 won, 22 lost) of his faceoffs when the Maple Leafs are leading in games. He is tied for second on the team in even-strength goals (4).
– Mitch Marner is tied for 13th among NHLers in points (4-13-17) and tied for eighth among NHL skaters in assists (13). He is tied for seventh among all NHL skaters in primary assists (9). He leads the NHL in takeaways (22).
– Auston Matthews is third in the NHL in goals (12) and is tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (9). He ranks sixth in the NHL in shots on goal (60) and is tied for second in the NHL in wrist shots (44). He is fourth in the NHL in goals per 60 minutes (2.29) among skaters who have appeared in at least 10 games.
– Ilya Mikheyev is tied for the lead among all NHL skaters in shots on goal while shorthanded (8). He is the only rookie forward in the NHL to have recorded multiple shorthanded takeaways.
– Trevor Moore is the only NHL rookie to average at least 1:00 per game in power play ice time (1:29) and 1:00 per game in shorthanded ice time (2:00).
– Jake Muzzin ranks second among Maple Leafs skaters in shifts per game (28.4). He is the only Maple Leafs defenceman to registered at least 25 hits (30) and 25 shots on goal (27). He leads Maple Leafs defencemen in takeaways (8).
– William Nylander has taken his shots from an average distance of 26.5 feet from goal, which is the second-closest distance among Toronto skaters who have taken at least 20 shots this season. He ranks fourth among Maple Leafs in faceoff win percentage (54.9% – 56 won, 46 lost).
– Morgan Rielly is tied for fourth among NHL defencemen in points (3-12-15). His 25:38 TOI per game average is the fourth-highest mark in the NHL and is tied for fourth in shifts per game (29.8). He ranks fifth among NHL defencemen in wrist shots on goal (27).
– John Tavares has won 60 percent (21 won, 14 lost) of his faceoffs when the Maple Leafs are on the power play and 52.6 percent (61 won, 55 lost) of his faceoffs at even-strength. He is averaging 15:22 per game in time on ice, which ranks second among Toronto forwards.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
None
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Michael Hutchinson
Four wins from 50 career NHL wins.
Andreas Johnsson
Two games from 100 career NHL games played.
RECENT MILESTONES
Tyson Barrie
500th career NHL game (Nov. 5 vs. LAK)
Auston Matthews
100th career NHL assist (Nov. 5 vs. LAK)
INJURY REPORT
Zach Hyman (Knee)
On injured reserve.
Man Games Lost: 36
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
November 5
Recalled forward Nic Petan from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
November 1
Loaned forward Nic Petan to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
The TORONTO BLUE JAYS announced that 2B DEVON TRAVIS has declined outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo and has elected free agency.
TRAVIS, 28, was acquired in 2014 from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for OF Anthony Gose. The second baseman made his Major League debut on April 6, 2015 and became just the fourth player in club history to hit a home run in his first career game.
He set career highs in 2016 in runs (54), hits (123), doubles (28) home runs (11), RBI (50), walks (20), strikeouts (87) and stoles bases (4). Travis played a career-low 50 games in 2017 before being placed on the disabled list on June 6 for the remainder of the season with a bone bruise on his right knee.
In his last full season in 2018, he played a career-high 103 games. The Palm Beach, FL, native holds a career batting average of .274 with 35 home runs, 153 RBI, and 14 stolen bases across four seasons with Toronto.
Travis missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing surgery on his left knee and was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 25.
(2-6) SACRAMENTO KINGS, 120 VS. (5-2) TORONTO RAPTORS, 124
SCOTIABANK ARENA WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On the 28 assists this game … Yeah, I thought the offence was great … They kept taking what was there, and you’re right (team assists were) 28. I think it was real high early, so that’s a good sign. That was one of our better offensive nights. There was no real lulls, and the ball (was) sticking very much tonight.
On tonight’s game … They were hard to get rid of. I can’t count how many times we got up eight, nine, and then they hit a three … They hit 20 threes. That’s a lot. …. Little bit imbalanced last game and not getting the gaps closed down. Tonight we got the gaps closed down a little better and didn’t spring back out to the shooters, so the defence is a work in progress. We have to combine those two things a little better in a game.
What area of OG Anunoby’s game have you seen the most growth in? I just think he’s looking like more of a complete player now. There’s some shooting there that looks not hesitant at all, and it’s almost like when he’s open, you’re expecting him to make them, like all of them now, which is great. There’s good cutting, there’s a little bit of driving, there’s usually one a game where he gets in the lane and steals it, and he’s off the other way. He’s grown and doing a lot of things. He’s blocking shots here and there, getting his hand in off the drive here and there, so he’s had some good ones this year.
How would you access Pascal Siakam on fouls? He was good. He seemed a little bit not aggressive, kind of, in general, I thought, both offensively and defensively. Maybe it was a little bit of a foul situation on his mind maybe too much, but he did a good job tonight. He committed one foul. That’s going to get his average down.
PASCAL SIAKAM (23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists)
On having only one personal foul tonight … I mean, I have to be more ready. It’s something that I have to work on and I’ll eventually get better. I’m learning every single day, so it’s a good experience for me.
How important was the bench play tonight? We need that, we need everyone and just bringing the energy up a little bit. We didn’t win like we wanted to today, but we got the win and that’s all that matters.
On team’s defensive play tonight … I don’t know how many threes they had, like twenty something, that’s too much and we are definitely not happy about that. We can definitely do a better job on defence and just run them off the three-point line, especially the guys we know are shooting. So it’s part of it, learning, and obviously it’s better learning with a win, so we’ll go back and look at that and make sure we get better next game.
On your third quarter scoring … I try to be aggressive, just seeing what the defence is giving me. I always want to be in attack mode regardless, but I think just coming out of timeouts and making sure that the first five minutes we put some pressure on the other team and play fast, transition, try to do whatever we can just to make sure we come out with some energy.
FRED VANVLEET (12 points, five assists, two rebounds)
On tonight’s game … It’s good for us, it’s good practice. It’s a tough team and they are playing well and they gave us their all. We knew that we were going to have our hands full. Obviously we probably could have given ourselves more space and comfort in terms of scoring, but they made plays and we had to keep fighting and close them out.
On the amount of threes made by Sacramento tonight … I don’t know how many of those were contested, but not enough for us, so a lot of breakdowns, falling asleep and they did a good job of finding guys. They’ve got explosive guys, so you can’t give them too many looks, but we weathered it and we were able to come out with a win. We will take it.
KYLE LOWRY (24 points, six assists, two rebounds)
When a team hits that many threes, how much is it them getting hot or defensive miscues? Miscues, a lot of miscues, but they made shots. You give them credit – they made the shots when they had the opportunity. A lot of misreads and a lot of miscommunication, but we have to continue to get better and grow as a team. We take the win, and figure it out and get better.
On the play of OG Anunoby … I think he’s just getting repetitions. I think just getting repetitions again on the floor and I think he’s just going to continue to grow. I think right now he’s playing his role and doing what we are asking him to do, and he’s doing it at a high level right now.
FINAL SCORE:TORONTO RAPTORS 124, SACRAMENTO KINGS 120
DATE: November 6, 2019 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
Tonight marked Toronto’s 241st consecutive sellout (including playoffs) dating back to Nov. 11, 2014 – the longest streak in franchise history.
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS Sacramento 120 2-6 Barnes – 26 Holmes/Hield – 8 Fox – 9; Toronto 124 5-2 Lowry – 24 Siakam – 13 Lowry – 6
KEY RUN Trailing 17-16 midway through the first first quarter, Toronto outscored Sacramento 20-6 over the final six minutes to lead 36-23 after one … The Raptors extended the lead to 15 points multiple times early in the second quarter – their largest lead of the night.
KEY STAT After missing their first four shots of the game, the Raptors made their next 14 attempts from the field … Toronto finished the first quarter shooting .778 (14-18) from the floor.
RAPTORS NOTES:
• With the victory, Toronto improves to 5-2 this season and a perfect 4-0 at home.
• The Raptors have won five in a row vs. Sacramento, including the last three meetings at home.
• All five Toronto starters scored in double figures, combining for 89 points.
• The Raptors outscored Sacramento 52-32 in the paint and 18-10 on the fast-break.
• Kyle Lowry led the team in scoring for the third time with 24 points … He added six assists in 40 minutes … Lowry has scored 20 or more in six of the first seven games; averaging 24.0 points.
• Pascal Siakam posted his second double-double of the season with 23 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes … Siakam scored 11 points in the third quarter.
• Serge Ibaka scored a season-best 21 points in 24 minutes as a reserve … Ibaka has now led (or tied) the bench in scoring in each of the first seven games; averaging 14.9 points.
• OG Anunoby recorded a season-high 18 points and a career-best five assists in 37 minutes of action. • The Raptors had six players score double figures – Lowry (24), Siakam (23), Ibaka (21), Anunoby (18), Marc Gasol (12) and Fred VanVleet (12) … Gasol’s 12 points was a season high … VanVleet shot 4-4 at the free throw line and has now made his last 26 attempts at the foul line.
KINGS NOTES: • With the loss, Sacramento falls to 2-6 on the season and 1-3 on the road … The Kings finish a threegame road trip (Nov. 3-8) Friday night at Atlanta.
• The Kings tied a franchise record with 20 three-point field goals … Sacramento shot .455 (20-44) form beyond the arc … The Kings also made 20 threes Jan. 5, 2019 vs. Golden State … Bogdan Bogdanovic matched a career high with six made three-pointers.
• Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 26 points in 39 minutes – his second 20-point. • The Kings had five players score in double digits – Barnes (26), Bogdanovic (22), Buddy Hield (21), De’Aaron Fox (17) and Cory Joseph (10) … Hield scored 20+ points for the fifth time this season … Joseph reached 1,500 career assists early in the fourth quarter.
Toronto: M. Read (1) (K. Rubins, T. Gaudet) Goaltender: K. Kaskisuo (28/30)
Rockford: R. Johnson (3) (N. Moutry, M. Entwistle), P. Kurashev (1) PP (P. Holm, N. Beaudin), B. Hagel (2) EN (I. McCoshen) Goaltender: K. Lankinen (19/20)
ON THE SCORESHEET
Matt Readopened the scoring eight seconds into the second period. This is Read’s first goal for the Marlies. He has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) through nine games.
Kristians Rubins recorded the primary assist on Read’s second period goal. Rubins has three assists through eight games.
Tyler Gaudet registered the secondary assist on Read’s second period goal. Gaudet has picked up five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 10 games this season.
Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 28 of 30 shots he faced. Kaskisuo is now 5-1-1-0 on the season with a .925 Save Percentage and a 2.15 Goals Against Average.
OF NOTE…
The Marlies have played two games at 10:30 a.m. (1-1-0-0) since 2005-06, both against Oklahoma City in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Toronto has not given up an empty-net goal since March 23, 2019 in a 5-2 loss against the Rochester Americans.
This is Toronto’s first regulation loss this season, capturing 17 of 22 points through their first 11 games.
Toronto was 5-for-6 on the penalty kill and was 0-for-5 on the power play.
Rockford had a 31-20 edge in shots in all situations. Multiple playersled the Marlies with two shots on goal.
The Marlies are 2-1-0-0 against Central Division opponents and are 0-1-0-0 against the IceHogs. This is the first of two games this season against Rockford. Toronto last played Rockford on April 18, 2015, winning 3-1 on the road.
The Toronto Marlies are on their annual Royal Road Trip where they will play seven away games from October 26 to November 9 as Coca-Cola Coliseum hosts the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
Goals: P. Aberg (7)
Assists: J. Bracco (8)
Points: P. Aberg (12)
PPG: E. Korshkov (4)
Shots: P. Aberg (37)
+/-: B. Harpur (+11)
PIMS: E. Korshkov,J. Schmaltz (12)
RECORD WHEN…
Toronto is 6-1-1-1 when scoring first.
The Marlies are 2-1-0-0 when tied after the first period and 1-1-2-0 when trailing after the second period.
Toronto is 2-1-1-1 when outshot by their opponent.
The Marlies are 1-1-0-0 in Wednesday games and are 1-1-0-1 in November.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
No current point streaks
MARLIES UPDATES.
Darren Archibald (forearm strain) did not play in today’s game against Rockford.
Adam Brooks (concussion) did not play in today’s game against Rockford.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
November 5: Recalled forward Aaron Luchuk from to Newfoundland (ECHL).
November 5: Recalled forward Giorgio Estephan from loan to Newfoundland (ECHL).
November 5: Recalled forward Nic Petan from loan to Toronto (NHL).
November 3: Returned forward Zach O’Brien on loan to Newfoundland (ECHL).
November 1: Loaned forward Nic Petan from Toronto (NHL) to Toronto (AHL).
October 31: Traded defenceman Ryan Johnston to San Diego (AHL).
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE
On today’s game: We just really struggled to generate any sort of offence today. That was our biggest issue. Penalties of course would be the only thing that would be bigger than that. At five-on-five today, I mean we didn’t give up very much. It was the least amount of scoring chances that we’ve given up all season but we just didn’t get any offence today ourselves and you need to score more than one goal to win and our power play couldn’t make it up for us. They scored a power play goal and we didn’t. We took too many penalties. Special teams, really for me, is what lost the game but we couldn’t get any rhythm, we couldn’t get on the inside and overall, I just thought we were the slower team on the ice today, thought that they outskated us and out-skilled us in a lot of areas of the game and it makes it pretty tough on you that way.
NEXT GAME:
November 8 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m. ET November 9 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m. ET November 16 vs Texas – 4:00 p.m. ET November 17 vs Texas – 4:00 p.m. ET November 20 vs Laval – 7:00 p.m. ET
After a short period of experiencing discomfort in his left knee, Patrick McCaw underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to determine and correct the issue. A benign mass on the back of the knee was removed. The procedure was performed by Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
A timetable for McCaw’s return has not been established. He will be reevaluated in four weeks and his condition will be updated as appropriate. He will not travel with the Raptors as they begin a five-game west coast road swing on Friday.
McCaw has totaled eight points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and 40 minutes in two games this season.
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCKOn tonight’s game: We knew as a coaching staff – obviously, we did the pre-scout – we knew what we were in for. We knew it was going to be a grind. After the first period, the teams were on pace for 21-21 in shots. They did a real good job in the neutral zone; they did a real good job in their own zone blocking shots and staying on the inside. They just stayed with it. That’s what they’ve been doing. They’ve got good leadership there. If you look at it, they’ve got stars in three positions in Kopitar, Doughty and then in net [Quick]. So, they’ve got some leadership for the group as they try to build it. Obviously, their coach and their staff did a real good job. They made it hard, there was no free space. It was hard, but I thought it was a really good game for our team to just stay the course, this is where we are, do things right, don’t cheat and you’ll be rewarded in the end.
On Tavares’ return to the lineup: We were just talking about it. It doesn’t matter what you do, how hard you train, what work. He was fine but you’re not playing NHL games. I imagine Hyman is going to go through a stretch too. It’s hard when you’re sitting out and everyone else is practicing no matter who you work with and how good the development team is and all that stuff, it’s still not NHL hockey.
On if Dermott is rounding into his usual form: Yeah, the offensive side. You’ve still got to – you can’t have chances, that’s the key. Chances – you’ve got to be safe. Do all the other stuff and be safe and then you’re like the old guy.
On Petan’s performance tonight: I thought it was good for Petey. He went to work. He went down, went to work, came back and, obviously, there’s a guy for that spot so there’s not going to be a lot of opportunity. [Moore] is a real good hockey player too. It was an opportunity and we wanted to see Pete. Good for him.
On the Matthews line scoring a pair of goals despite few chances: I thought it was a tough night for every line. I thought Kerfoot’s line was real good, but there wasn’t a whole lot. From their end, they didn’t generate anything either. They had to throw it in, couldn’t get it through from the point, the blocked shots. Some people would think it was ugly, I thought it was beautiful.
On what Kerfoot brings to the team: I think Kerf is a good hockey player. A real smart, smart person, a good person, he works hard. He’s greasy, he’s competitive, he knows how to play, he’s just going to get better and better. I think we can have an unbelievable line there with [Mikheyev] and [Kapanen] once we get it organized and they get to know each other and feel good.
On Marner taking shorthanded faceoffs: I forget what happened, it’s just the way it was. Hyman will take those right-handed faceoffs when he’s back. Hyms is good at it, he’ll work at it. [Shore] has done a heck of a job for us there, really good job.
On why he thinks tonight was a beautiful game: We need to go through that. We need to figure out who we are and the harder the game is the better it is for the team. Now, would you like to win by a touchdown and everyone relax and all that? Yeah, but we’re not getting anywhere like that. This is important to do. You give up one goal, you play well without the puck, the goalie makes some saves, we didn’t win it on special teams, we had to grind. It’s good for us.
On the Kings being a different style of team than McLellan’s previous teams: That’s what I said this morning — every team you coach is different. The reason it’s different is you have a different group of guys. That’s how he has to coach to have success with this team. I talked to him for a long time this morning, did the pre-scout, have a pretty good handle on what the program is there. He’s going to do a real nice job
. On if Hyman will be available next game: I don’t know.
ALEX KERFOOT (1 GOAL)
On the hit he received by Jeff Carter in the first period: It was a pretty big hit. He made a good play; I had my head down a little bit and saw him at the last second but couldn’t get out of the way.
On his second period goal: It was good. It was kind of a broken play. There was a good line change by [Moore] and they turned the puck over right at the blue line and I was fortunate enough to be in a good spot and tried to put it on net and it went in.
On what the Kings did well tonight: They play well defensively. They lock it down pretty good, they don’t give up a lot off the rush, they kind of stay back and they’re tough to play against. We played them pretty good, stuck with our game plan and were able to get a couple there at the end.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On the team’s performance tonight: I think we just stayed patient throughout the whole game. Not really much going on, I guess, in the first two periods, but we tried to stay patient and tried to play as little in our zone as we could, just tried to break out fast. Obviously, a tight game there and couple of big goals in the third.
On the challenge of staying patient when the opponent tries to slow the team down: It’s tough, but, I mean, that’s what a lot of teams tend to do, especially against us. We can do a better job of getting through the neutral zone and keeping it a bit more simple so we can get in the offensive zone and play in there. At times, games are going to be like that. Just try to stay patient, work with one another and continue to push through.
JAKE MUZZIN (22:19 TOI)
On playing his former team: It was weird. It was weird. A couple of chirps, a couple of laughs, but, at the end, of the day, you’re still trying to do your job and play hard. I don’t know, some funny moments and some serious ones. It was fun.
On if Kopitar told him to go to the penalty box in the second period: Yeah, I was complaining. It was a penalty, though.
On if he had any fun moments during the game with Doughty: He tripped me one time. I tripped him. A couple of subtle jokes back and forth, nothing crazy. I didn’t get him too fired up
. WILLIAM NYLANDER (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On what he liked about the team’s effort: I thought we were patient. We didn’t try to force much. We grinded through the game.
On if it’s good to be able to win a tight game like this: Yeah, of course. When it’s 1-1 going into the third, we’ve got to be able to win those games. We’ve been tied going into a lot of third periods and this was a good start in the right direction
JOHN TAVARES (18:00 TOI)
On how it felt to get back into game action: Not bad. Obviously, probably a little bit of rust and just getting back into the rhythm of things. Overall, I think physically I felt pretty good. Certainly, I can play a lot better, but good to get back in it. It was a tight hockey game and just great we came through at the end. Big couple of goals by [Matthews’] line. On missing an open net in the first period: Obviously, I’d love to have it back. I think I had way more time than I thought and knowing the type of goalie Quick is I got underneath it. It is what it is. You just move on and get ready for the next opportunity. Just glad that at the end of the day the result was still two points.
The view from left field 