Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog on Thursday was added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol absence list, joining teammate Tyson Jost. Both will presumably be unavailable to travel with the team or play in this weekend’s consecutive-game stretch at St. Louis. The Avs did not practice Thursday in place of playing the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena.…
Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog added to COVID-19 absence list — The Denver Post
Watch out, NBA. Jayson Tatum still is climbing. NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen predicted in an article Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix published Thursday the Boston Celtics forward will win the NBA scoring title one day and reckons he’ll be good enough to lead an offense to victory in the NBA Finals. Hanlen, who has worked […]
Jayson Tatum’s Trainer Makes Bullish Prediction About Celtics Star — NESN.com
When the San Francisco Giants announced they signed infielder Tommy La Stella to a three-year, $18.75 million deal Thursday, the contract represented a significant milestone for the franchise. La Stella wasn’t considered one of the premier free agents on the market this winter, but he still received the longest guaranteed contract the franchise has given…
San Francisco Giants’ contract with La Stella a sign the franchise is (almost) ready to spend big — Marin Independent Journal
VANCOUVER CANUCKS (6-7-0 – 12 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (7-2-1 – 15 Points)
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST
SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: TSN4 ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus VANCOUVER
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 61-62-22-3 (148 Games) |
| ALL-TIME AT HOME: | 35-25-11-1 (72 Games) |
| 2019-20: | 2-0-0 |
| LAST FIVE: | 4-0-1 |
| LAST 10: | 7-1-2 |
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus VANCOUVER
| GAMES PLAYED: | Joe Thornton (70), TJ Brodie (36), Jake Muzzin (32) |
| GOALS: | Joe Thornton (18), John Tavares (9), Auston Matthews (5) |
| ASSISTS: | Joe Thornton (56), TJ Brodie (12), John Tavares (11) |
| POINTS: | Joe Thornton (74), John Tavares (20), TJ Brodie (12) |
| PENALTY MINUTES: | Joe Thornton (51), Jake Muzzin (24), Wayne Simmonds (18) |
MAPLE LEAFS – CANUCKS TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | VANCOUVER | |
| GOALS FOR (Rank): | 33 (9th) | 44 (t-1st) |
| GOALS AGAINST (Rank): | 29 (t-15th) | 48 (t-30th) |
| POWER PLAY [%] (Rank): | 13/30 [43.3%] (1st) | 7/47 [14.9%] (21st) |
| PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank): | 30/39 [76.9%] (23rd) | 45/56 [80.4%] (13th) |
| SHOTS (Rank): | 299 (12th) | 406 (1st) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank): | 414 (13th) | 530 (1st) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank): | 50.8% (t-14th) | 46.9% (t-25th) |
| FACEOFF % (Rank): | 53.32% (4th) | 52.9% (6th) |
MAPLE LEAFS – CANUCKS NOTES
| First Matchup between Clubs: | Oct. 11, 1970 (Vancouver 5, Toronto 3) |
| All-Time Record: | 61-62-22-3 (148 Games) |
| All-Time Record at Home: | 35-25-11-1 (72 Games) |
| All-Time Record on the Road: | 26-37-11-2 (76 Games) |
| Last Win vs. Opponent at Home: | Feb. 29, 2020 (Toronto 4, Vancouver 2) |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| CATEGORY | LEADER |
| GOALS | 6 (Matthews) |
| ASSISTS | 9 (Marner) |
| POINTS | 14 (Marner) |
| POWER PLAY POINTS | 6 (Marner, Tavares) |
| SHORTHANDED POINTS | N/A |
| PIMs | 17 (Simmonds) |
| SHOTS | 39 (Matthews) |
| FACEOFF WIN% | 62.7% (Spezza) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % | 66.3% (Thornton) |
| BLOCKED SHOTS | 17 (Muzzin) |
| TAKEAWAYS | 9 (Muzzin) |
| HITS | 20 (Holl) |
| TOI PER GAME | 23:32 (Rielly) |
| PP TOI PER GAME | 2:56 (Matthews) |
| SH TOI PER GAME | 4:01 (Holl) |
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
| Frederik Andersen | – Tied for fourth in the NHL in wins (5).- Ninth among NHL goaltenders in saves made (199).- Has an 10-2-5 record with a 1.55 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage in 17 career games against Vancouver. |
| TJ Brodie | – Averaging 18:28 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Tied for third among Maple Leafs defencemen in points (0-4-4).- Tied for second among Maple Leafs in slap shots taken (4). |
| Justin Holl | – Tied for 20th among NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (17:07) with a shot attempt percentage of 55.5%.- Tied for seventh among NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (17:07) with a goals for percentage of 61.5%.- Leads right-handed NHL defencemen in shorthanded ice time per game (4:01). |
| Zach Hyman | – Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:57).- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage (63.6%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards.- One of 12 forwards in the NHL to start average over 12:00 minutes per game (14:34) of 5-on-5 ice time and start fewer than 40% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone (37.0%), while having a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage above 50% (51.8%). |
| Alex Kerfoot | – Averaging 1.68 penalties drawn per 60 minutes of ice time, which leads the Maple Leafs.- Has won 55.6% (10 won, 8 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs. |
| Mitch Marner | – Tied for third among NHLers in points (5-9-14).- Tied for third in the NHL in even-strength goals (5).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (23:28).- Has played 44.2% of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time. |
| Auston Matthews | – Tied for seventh in the NHL in goals (6).- Averaging 22:15 in time on ice per game, which is tied for fourth among NHL forwards.- Ranks fifth among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (54.6%).- Tied for seventh in the NHL in shots on goal (39). |
| Ilya Mikheyev | – Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:16).- Has an average of 18.6 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks sixth among NHLers who have played at least 20 minutes of shorthanded ice time. |
| Jake Muzzin | – Ranks 11th among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (3:53).- Ranks 20th among NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes per game in 5-on-5 ice time in shot attempts per 60 minutes (12.55).- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage among Maple Leafs defencemen who have appeared in every game this season (64.3%). |
| William Nylander | – Has the second highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.28) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 56.4%, which is the second-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards.- Has recorded six points (2-4-6) in four games on home ice this season. |
| Morgan Rielly | – Leads Maple Leafs in average time on ice (23:32).- Tied for 10th among NHL defencemen in assists (6).- Has six points (1-5-6) in 13 career games against Vancouver. |
| Jason Spezza | – Has the highest points per 60 minutes rate (2.95) among Maple Leafs who have appeared in at least five games. |
| John Tavares | – One of 27 NHLers to have appeared in at least 10 games while averaging at least a point per game (4-6-10).- Tied for second in the NHL in power play goals (4).- Has been on the ice for a team-high eight power play goals, which leads the Maple Leafs and is tied for the 15th most in the NHL.- Has the third-highest faceoff win percentage (60.3%) among NHLers who have taken at least 150 faceoffs (151). |
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
| Mitch Marner | Assists (6) and Points (2-6-8) in five consecutive games. |
| Auston Matthews | Goals (4) and points (4-1-5) in four consecutive games. |
| William Nylander | Goals (2) in two consecutive games. |
| John Tavares | Assists (3) in two consecutive games. |
UPCOMING MILESTONES
| Zach Bogosian | Four points from 200 NHL points |
| Auston Matthews | Five points from 300 NHL points |
RECENT MILESTONES
| Mikko Lehtonen | First NHL point (Jan. 30 at EDM) |
INJURY REPORT
| Jack Campbell (Leg) | Week-to-week. |
| Nick Robertson (Knee) | On long term injured reserve. |
| Joe Thornton (Rib) | On long term injured reserve. |
| Man Games Lost: 16 | |
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
| Feb. 2 | Added forward Nic Petan to roster. |
BLUE JAYS ANNOUNCE 2021 MAJOR LEAGUE COACHING STAFF
The Toronto Blue Jays today announce the club’s 2021 Major League Coaching staff that will be working with third-year manager, Charlie Montoyo.
Dante Bichette will remain with the club as a Special Assistant and continue to have an impact on players throughout multiple levels of the organization.
– BLUE JAYS –
In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, Mike Singer and Matt Schubert check in as the surging Denver Nuggets get ready to take on the Lakers. Among the topics discussed: The Jerami Grant/Mason Plumlee revenge game that wasn’t: What was the scene like inside Ball Arena? How much is Michael Malone to blame…
Nuggets podcast: Nikola Jokic’s MVP chances, Bradley Beal trade rumors, MPJ’s return and the Jerami Grant homecoming that wasn’t — The Denver Post
The view from left field 