Month: March 2021

USC’s Evan Mobley understands the responsibility he has entering NCAA Tournament — Content Hub

Mobley showed he was ready for the big stage with his standout performance in the Pac-12 Tournament.

USC’s Evan Mobley understands the responsibility he has entering NCAA Tournament — Content Hub

Warriors Mailbag: Do bigs win championships, and is Alen Smailagic’s career over? — Monterey Herald

Can the Warriors win a championship with a big man as their best player? Plus, should Golden State trade for Zach LaVine, and who it should target in the 2021 NBA draft.

Warriors Mailbag: Do bigs win championships, and is Alen Smailagic’s career over? — Monterey Herald

UCLA, Michigan State will be rested for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament play-in game — Pasadena Star News

Despite UCLA’s losing skid, coach Mick Cronin thinks the rest could be a benefit heading into the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA, Michigan State will be rested for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament play-in game — Pasadena Star News

LAVAL 5, MARLIES 4 (SO)

LAVAL ROCKET (7-4-1-0 – 15 Points) vs.
TORONTO MARLIES (7-6-0-1 – 15 Points)

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021

 123OTSOFINAL
TORONTO01300-34
LAVAL21101-35

GAME SUMMARY    |    GAME SHEET |    PHOTOS    |      SCRUMS

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: A. Barabanov (2) PP (A. Galchenyuk, M. Hollowell), N. Petan (2) (T. Kivihalme), M. Hollowell (1) (A. Galchenyuk, T. Gaudet), J. Anderson (5) (A. Barabanov)
Goaltender: A. D’Agostini (8/10), A. Redmond (13/15) 

Laval: Y. Veilleux (3) (L. Vejdemo, A. Belzile), R. Poehling (3) PP (C. Fleury, J. Blandisi), J. Mysak (2) (Unassisted), Y. Veilleux (4) PP (J. Weal, O. Leskinen)
Goaltender: M. McNiven (20/24) 

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Alexander Barabanov put the Marlies on the board at 7:52 of the second period on the power play. He added the lone assist on Anderson’s tying goal in the third period. Barabanov has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in two games with the Marlies.
  • Nic Petan scored at 11:13 of the third period. He has three points (2 goals, 1 assist) through two games this season.
  • Mac Hollowell scored at 17:16 of the third period. This is Hollowell’s first goal of the season. Hollowell had 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) in 34 games with the Marlies last season.
  • Joey Anderson scored with 53 seconds left in the third period. He has goals (2) in consecutive games. He has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 14 games with the Marlies.
  • Alex Galchenyuk recorded the primary assists on Barabanov’s second period goal and Hollowell’s third period goal. Galchenyuk has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in six games this season with the Marlies.
  • Teemu Kivihalme picked up the lone assist on Petan’s third period goal. Kivihalme has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 14 games this season.
  • Tyler Gaudet registered the secondary assist on Hollowell’s third period goal. Gaudet has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 14 games, leading the Marlies in all categories.
  • Andrew D’Agostini stopped 8 of 10 shots he faced in 20:00 of play. He was replaced due to injury by Angus Redmond to start the second period. Redmond stopped 13 of 15 shots he faced. He is now 0-0-0-1 with a 3.75 goals against average and a 0.813 save percentage.

IN THE SHOOTOUT

·        Alex Galchenyuk – Stopped (2020-21: 0/1)

·        Kalle Kossila – Stopped (2020-21: 0/1)

·        Nic Petan – Stopped (2020-21: 0/1)

ON THE ROAD

  • Toronto’s road record is 4-4-0-1 (9 PTS). Toronto’s longest road point streak has reached four points on two occasions this season (02/15 to 02/16, 02/21 to 02/23).
  • The Marlies have outscored their opponents 31-29.

OF NOTE…

  • Toronto went 1-for-3 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play.
  • Laval had a 26-24 edge in shots in all situations. Adam Brooks led the Marlies with four shots on goal.
  • The Marlies are 7-6-0-1 against Canadian Division opponents and 1-0-0-1 against the Laval Rocket.

RECORD WHEN…

  • The Marlies are 2-2-0-1 when trailing after the first period and 0-5-0-1 when trailing after the second period.
  • Toronto is 4-2-0-1 when outshot by their opponent.
  • The Marlies are 1-0-0-1 in Sunday games and are 3-2-0-1 in March.

MARLIES LEADERS

  • Goals: J. Anderson, T. Gaudet, T. Kivihalme (5)
  • Assists: T. Gaudet (8)
  • Points:  T. Gaudet (13)
  • PPG: J. Brazeau,A. Brooks (2)
  • Shots: J. Anderson (32)
  • +/-:  T. Gaudet (+14)
  • PIMS: R. Clune (22)

POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On the home-and-home series against Laval:
They’ve both been very high. They’ve been physical contests. More tempers were flaring tonight. It’s really turning into a bit of a rivalry which is really good for us. What is a very different season not playing a lot of different opponents, this is good for our team to have some fire under them. have an opponent to compete against. The other teams in the league are really tough to beat but just in terms of that rivalry feeling, this is starting to feel like that these last two games. It’ll be interesting moving forward when we play them next. It’ll be a really tough game and every game to be like this really.

On the comeback in the third period:
In the second period, we really started working more, moving our feet. There were some guys working, some guys not. We got disconnected. If we don’t have all five guys together executing what we need them to execute with the effort, we’re not as competitive as we should be. In the second period, we started working. We didn’t give up as many chances as we did in the first. As we started moving and working, we started drawing more penalties and the momentum starts to build in our favour. Really happy with the group that they found their way after what was a struggling first and then going into the third, we just continued to build on that momentum. There were for sure some things we could have done better. We could have had a better start but a heck of a job for our group to find a way back into this game, to keep chipping away, to make a big push towards the end and find a way to get a point.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Mar. 14             Scott Sabourin (RW) – Returned on loan from Toronto (NHL Taxi)
Mar. 13             Joseph Woll (G) – Recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Scott Sabourin (RW) – Recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)
Mar. 12             Joseph Woll (G) – Returned on loan from Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Veini Vehvilainen (G) – Loaned from Toronto (NHL)
                        Mikko Lehtonen (D) – Recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL)

UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

March 19 at Belleville – 7:00 p.m.
March 20 at Belleville – 3:00 p.m.
March 24 vs. Belleville – 7:00 p.m.
March 29 vs. Stockton – 2:00 p.m.
March 31 vs. Stockton – 7:00 p.m.

SENATORS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3 QUOTES

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: What’s your assessment of the game tonight and having to battle from an early hole like you did and not come all the way back? What did you see overall from the group tonight?

Sheldon Keefe: Like you said, we get ourselves in a hole early. It’s a tough game to be playing from behind. We’ve been doing that too much lately. I thought we had parts of our game where we played well and had lots of pressure, did a lot of good things, but obviously our start and the hole we dug ourselves there, how we responded after getting down 1-0 off that faceoff, those are the kind of things that end up being the difference. Overall, Ottawa was better tonight. They were better at 5-on-5, they were better on special teams, they were better in goal. They deserved the result.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: I know a concern level can vary after losses depending on how the games are lost, but where is it for you right now considering you’ve had a couple efforts that weren’t great in back-to-back nights and now that it’s five of six? Is it a high concern level, is it low, is it medium? What is it for you?

Sheldon Keefe: I don’t know. I don’t concern myself with those types of thoughts. We’ve got an opportunity here now to get some rest and some practice time. Obviously, it falls at the appropriate time in the schedule for us with what we’re going through here. It gives us a chance to get back to work.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: I remember you guys using the same sort of tactic in pulling the goalie in the bubble against Columbus and loading up with your big guys despite there being five, six minutes left. That whole idea of doing that, can you talk about the genesis of that idea and, obviously you don’t want to be in that position to use it, but how much confidence do you have in your guys to give them the man advantage like that?

Sheldon Keefe: I have great confidence in our guys. We’ve had a lot of success with it even this season. It’s just really kind of reacting to what’s happening in the game. I felt like it’s a three-goal deficit, lots of time left in the sense there’s six minutes, six-plus minutes I think it was. If we didn’t get one soon it would be probably insurmountable to come back. I felt we needed one. All of our top guys were fresh at that point in time coming out of a TV timeout. It was an offensive zone faceoff so it just made a lot of sense for us to go with that and try to see if we could get one and, if we could, then it would change the remaining time significantly. If we let time continue to wind down without getting anything to fall for us, just the energy and emotion of our bench alone would have been too much to overcome. We had to get something going at that point in time. It just fell into place in terms of the guys being rested and timeout and we still had another TV timeout to come on top of that. I felt pretty good about being able to ride those guys.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Were you surprised the Mikheyev goal came off the board or going into that challenge were you thinking it might be going that way?

Sheldon Keefe: Yeah, I found it just to be one of those ones that’s kind of grey and you don’t know which way it’s going to go. I had a pretty good sense that it was going to be challenged. I think we would have done the same thing if we were in that situation and then it’s just up to the people upstairs or wherever they’re making the call. Like I said, we’ve seen enough of those and studied enough of those situations that we had a pretty good sense that it could go either way, but I wasn’t surprised they challenged it, especially with the three goal lead.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: The rest, obviously, will be really valuable. Is there areas of emphasis that you’ve already identified that you’re going to want to focus on when you back on the ice with the guys though?

Sheldon Keefe: Yes, there is for sure, yeah. 

TJ BRODIE

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Do you feel the defence hasn’t been as sharp as a whole lately in terms of some mental errors and not breaking out as crisply and helping out the offence as you were earlier this season?

TJ Brodie: Yeah, definitely. The last couple games you noticed it. It’s definitely something that we want to clean up going forward. I think that’s what we’ll do the next couple days is try to work on that.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: How valuable will this rest be? Guys who have played a lot, maybe it’s showing the last couple games.

TJ Brodie: It’s been a busy season so far. Any time you can get a chance to recoup and recover is big. 

ZACH HYMAN

Q. Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star: Obviously, again not the result you wanted and maybe not the start you wanted either. Defensively, do you think the team has slipped a little bit there or is it just a momentary thing?

Zach Hyman: Obviously, we haven’t been able to put some wins together. We’ve lost more than we’ve won the past week. We’ve had defensive breakdowns. I think against Winnipeg a lot of it was just one mistake and they come down and they’re such a good offensive team they’re able to score quickly. Then here tonight we gave them a couple of odd man rushes and they got a PK one. Our PK needs to be better. I think that anytime you’re losing you want to shore up your defensive game because they’re scoring more than you are.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: At the end of the practice week hopefully you get some people back from injury. How big is that going to be to get a couple of familiar names back on the roster?

Zach Hyman: Simmer’s been itching to get back. He is a huge part of our team and brings so much energy and grit and can score and play in the dirty areas. We’re excited to get him hopefully soon. And then obviously with Soup. I think we have tremendous depth and Soupy’s been playing extremely well. He had that injury so hopefully he’s back at it. We have an extremely deep team and I think that we’ll have guys coming back who are going to help our team and only make our team better. We’re excited. I don’t know the timeline on when they’ll be back, but I know we have two games here in a longer period than usual so we have a lot of rest and it’ll be good to regroup as a group and take a couple of days here and reassess. It’s right around the halfway mark, I think we’re just over the halfway mark, which is a great time to evaluate things and grow and get better.  

MITCH MARNER

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Obviously, it’s a been busy schedule for you guys the last little bit. Did you sense the fatigue catch up to you or what was your sense of tonight’s game?

Mitch Marner: I thought we were doing things we wanted to. I thought we were doing a good job of staying above them. When we were getting our shifts down low we were really moving the puck well, spacing them out, getting guys to the net, getting second opportunities. It was just a couple didn’t fall. That’s what happens. We’ve got a couple days now to rest, get ourselves ready and be ready to finish out the season.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Were you surprised Ilya’s goal ended up being disallowed?

Mitch Marner: A little bit, but at the same time that’s up to the refs to decide that. From our angle it looked like there was a battle between Gudbranson and Pierre and then Pierre got whoever that was in front. I thought we did a good job of sticking with it, not letting that get us down. Obviously, we just came short there at the end. 

AUSTON MATTHEWS

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Obviously, not easy when you fall behind on back-to-backs. What did you see as the difference tonight?

Auston Matthews: I think we just had a really poor start. They were able to score a couple early and we were chasing the game the rest of the time. I just think we didn’t really come out very well to start the game and they were obviously ready to go. They scored two quick and we had to dig ourselves out of that hole.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You guys have a bit of a break now. What are going to be the points of emphasis so you guys get back on track when you come out of it? 

Auston Matthews: I don’t know. I think we’ve been playing a lot of hockey lately. I think it will just be nice to reset and regroup as a team and have a couple days to just regroup. We’ve been playing a lot of games. I think it’s important for us to have a short memory, but obviously with this four or five day break now we’ve got to sit with this one. I think there’s plenty that we can take from here and move forward and use this week to rest and recover and get ready for the following.  

Report: Spurs expected to trade, rather than buy out, LaMarcus Aldridge — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

The Heat, Celtics and Trail Blazers are reportedly interested if he gets bought out.

Report: Spurs expected to trade, rather than buy out, LaMarcus Aldridge — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

SENATORS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3 NOTES

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-9-2 – 40 Points) vs.

OTTAWA SENATORS (10-20-1 – 21 Points)

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021

 123OTFINAL
TORONTO102–3
OTTAWA220–4

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Zach Hyman put the Maple Leafs on the board at 11:38 of the first period and later had the second Toronto goal of the game at 14:40 of the third period. Tonight’s game is his first multi-goal and fourth multi-point game of the season. Hyman has a pair of goals over his last four games played. He has scored seven of his nine goals on the road this season. He has four goals in eight games during the month of March.
  • William Nylander recorded the primary assist on Hyman’s third period goal and later scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night at 17:48 of the third period. Nylander has goals (3) in three consecutive games and points (3-2-5) in four consecutive games. He has recorded eight points (5-3-8) in eight games during the month of March. He has five points (2-3-5) in six games against Ottawa this season.
  • Auston Matthews registered the primary assist on Hyman’s first period goal. Matthews has five points (3-2-5) over his last four games. He has 11 points (6-5-11) in six games against the Senators this season. In 12 games on the road this season, Matthews has recorded 13 points (7-6-13).
  • Morgan Rielly had the secondary assist on Hyman’s first period goal and later recorded the secondary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Tonight’s game is his seventh multi-assist and eighth multi-point game of the season. Rielly has five assists over his last four games. He has five assists in six games against the Senators. In 14 games on the road this season, he has recorded 13 points (1-12-13). 
  • John Tavares had the secondary assist on Hyman’s third period goal. Tavares has four points (1-3-4) over his last five games played. He has 14 points (3-11-14) in 14 games on the road this season. In six games against the Senators in 2020-21, he has recorded five points (2-3-5).
  • Mitch Marner registered the primary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Marner has assists (4) and points (1-4-5) in four consecutive games. He has registered 17 points (4-13-17) in 14 games on the road this season. In six games against Ottawa in 2020-21, he has recorded nine points (2-7-9).
  • Michael Hutchinson stopped one of the three shots he faced.
  • Frederik Andersen stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced in relief of Hutchinson.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO9 (9)12 (10)15 (6)–36 (25)
OTTAWA14 (10)13 (9)4 (4)–31 (23)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO14 (14)29 (26)28 (12)–71 (52)
OTTAWA26 (21)21 (15)11 (8)–58 (44)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road9-4-1 (14 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Ottawa  59-55-3-12 (129 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Ottawa on the Road 26-33-1-4 (64 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots6 (Marner)
Shot Attempts11 (Marner)
Faceoff Wins10 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Kerfoot – 1 won, 0 lost)
Hits3 (Mikheyev)
Blocked Shots4 (Rielly)
Takeaways1 (Kerfoot, Matthews, Nylander)
TOI27:56 (Rielly)
Power Play TOI2:00 (Five players tied)
Shorthanded TOI3:14 (Muzzin)
Shifts28 (Muzzin, Rielly)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage70.7% (Muzzin – 29 for, 12 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first6-6-1
Trail after 13-3-1
Trail after 21-6-0
Do not score a power play goal5-7-0
Allow 1 power play goal5-5-1
Outshooting opponent8-6-1
Sunday1-1-0

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs were 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-1 on the power play tonight.
  • TJ Brodie and Jake Muzzin were on the ice for a team-high 29 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Brodie finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 53.7% (29 for, 25 against) while Muzzin finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 70.7% (29 for, 12 against).
  • Auston Matthews won 71% (5 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
  • Jason Spezza was 4-for-4 (100%) when taking defensive zone faceoffs.
  • Jimmy Vesey was the lone Toronto skater to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Friday, March 19, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
  • Saturday, March 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Flames (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
  • Thursday, March 25, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (TSN4, FAN 590)
  • Saturday, March 27, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
  • Monday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (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.

JETS 5, LEAFS 2 QUOTES

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What made it harder to generate offence tonight versus the first couple of games in this series?

Sheldon Keefe: I thought we had a real time stringing together two passes tonight.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What’s your sense of where Freddie Andersen’s game is at right now?

Sheldon Keefe: I didn’t think anybody had a good game for us tonight.

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: Considering that Sheldon, are you going to look at lineup changes for tomorrow?

Sheldon Keefe:  We don’t have much flexibility at all to be able to make lineup changes within our roster with how it is. Not expecting many, no.

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: Any chance Jack Campbell will be ready tomorrow?

Sheldon Keefe: I’m unsure, we’ll have to see. He wasn’t available today, that was the word I got. He remains day-to-day for us. 

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Can you talk about the three game series as a whole? They’re the first team to beat you in one of those sets. What challenges does Winnipeg present? Certainly, you’ve got them a few more times down the stretch.

Sheldon Keefe: Within the three games I think you saw different storylines and different parts of what was going on. They present unique challenges. I think, certainly, it’s as deep or the deepest forward group that we’ve seen in the division and they’ve got game breakers. You make mistakes, they make you pay for them. I don’t think in the first two games we made many mistakes, but when we did they capitalized. Obviously, goaltending was a strength of their games in the first two. Today we just didn’t have a good game. We weren’t sharp mentally, weren’t sharp physically, couldn’t get our game going. Credit to them and how they play. They forecheck hard, they had good sticks on puck and made it difficult on us, for sure, and again, they made good on their chances. We just weren’t even close tonight with how we played.  

FREDERIK ANDERSEN

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: The Jets controlled the play more tonight than in the previous two games. What did you see them do differently tonight?

Frederik Andersen: That’s a good question. I didn’t really focus on what they were doing. I was trying to be in the moment and trying to play my game and obviously try to stop the puck. That’s not really something I focus on during the game. I just try to see whatever comes at me I’ll try to focus on that.

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: How do you feel you played tonight?

Frederik Andersen: Not good enough to win. I think there were some good parts. The third goal I’d like back. I thought he was going to go upstairs with it and obviously he snuck it under me. That one hurt us but besides that, I think there were some good things but, like I said, not good enough to win.

JAKE MUZZIN 

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: This series obviously was a good showdown against two very good teams. They’re the first team to beat you in a three game set. How do you feel about the entire series, how it went? Obviously, you’ve got these guys five or six more times this year.

Jake Muzzin: It obviously didn’t go the way we wanted. There are some areas in our game that we have to improve on and I think that would help in a segment like this with a hard checking team like that. We’ve got to be cleaner in our zone in breakouts. We spent too time in our zone and you’re fatigued and not able to get through the neutral zone as easily or as efficient as usual and we’re tired. Then our offensive game, it’s not as crisp or sharp. There’s areas to improve on.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: You’re not known for shorthanded goals, obviously. How did that one feel?

Jake Muzzin: It was nice to get one. Just saw an opportunity to get in the play and Mitch made a nice pass and found a way in the net. Nice to get one. 

MORGAN RIELLY

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: They’re the first team to beat you in a three-game set. What challenge did they present to you as far as chasing you down in the second half and you play them four or five more times?

Morgan Rielly: I think it’s more than that. I think we have them a bunch more times. I think it was bound to happen. We’ve been happy with how we’ve handled these extra game sets and we’ve managed to do all right. This one didn’t go our way and we’re obviously very aware of the standings. Where we are, where they are, we were aware of that going in. It’ll be interesting down the stretch. Like you said, we play them a bunch more times so it’s important that we enter those games prepared. We draw from these games, learn from them. Move forward and just get better.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What made it harder to generate offensive chances tonight?

Morgan Rielly: I think they did a good job. I don’t think they changed a lot. It was on us. I think the way that we managed the puck has to be better. I think as a D-corp, I don’t think it was our best game in terms of breaking out and creating flow that way. I think as a group we have to take responsibility a little bit for that. We just weren’t able to find our game and it was too little, too late. There was a stretch halfway through the game obviously where we got two goals, that’s important but it’s not enough.

JOHN TAVARES

Q. Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star: Not the result you wanted. 21 shots on the board which is a little lower than you might expect from this team. Was it just tougher to get offence going tonight?

John Tavares: We just didn’t really seem to find our game consistently and generate momentum line after line or shift after shift. It wasn’t our best execution I don’t think. I don’t think we made it hard enough on their goalie and, saying that, we had a great opportunity going into the third. We’ve got to find a way to come on the right side of it and make the plays needed and obviously defend better than we did.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: A key three-game series, a lot of hockey left to play but how do you feel about matching up against Winnipeg over the course of this three-game series?

John Tavares: Well, results-wise obviously we came on the wrong end of it. First two games we generated a lot more than we did tonight. They’re a dangerous team, they’ve got a lot of depth. One of the best forward groups in the NHL. We played against some good goaltending. I don’t think today we tested their goalie enough and just didn’t end up on the right side of it. Not much time to really think about it. We’ve got to move forward and bounce back tomorrow.

MAPLE LEAFS-SENATORS PREGAME NOTES

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-8-2 – 40 Points) vs.

OTTAWA SENATORS (9-20-1 – 19 Points)

MARCH 14, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE (OTTAWA, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus OTTAWA

ALL-TIME RECORD:59-54-3-12 (128 Games)
ALL-TIME on the ROAD:26-32-1-4 (63 Games)
2020-21:3-1-1
LAST FIVE:3-1-1
LAST 10:6-3-1

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus OTTAWA

GAMES PLAYED:Joe Thornton (60), John Tavares (39), Zach Bogosian (30), Wayne Simmonds (30)
GOALS:Auston Matthews (19), Joe Thornton (19), Wayne Simmonds (10)
ASSISTS:Joe Thornton (34), Mitch Marner (16), John Tavares (15)
POINTS:Joe Thornton (53), Auston Matthews (32), Mitch Marner (24), John Tavares (24)
PENALTY MINUTES:Joe Thornton (57), Wayne Simmonds (36), Zach Bogosian (25)

MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS TEAM STATS

 TORONTOOTTAWA
GOALS FOR (Rank):99 (2nd)77 (t-18th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       75 (12th)121 (31st)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):26/86 [30.2%] (2nd)15/100 [15.0%] (26th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):63/83 [75.9%] (21st)73/99 [73.7%] (26th)
SHOTS PER GAME (Rank):30.4 (12th)31.4 (t-5th)
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME (Rank):28.6 (7th)32.0 (t-28th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):1213 (8th)1360 (1st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):49.2% (t-16th)49.6% (t-14th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):52.2% (t-7th)48.0% (24th)

MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:Oct. 20, 1992 (Toronto 5, Ottawa 3)
All-Time Record:59-54-3-12 (128 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:33-22-2-8 (65 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:26-32-1-4 (63 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:Jan. 16, 2021 (Toronto 3, Ottawa 2)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS21 (Matthews)
ASSISTS27 (Marner)
POINTS38 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS13 (Marner)
SHORTHANDED POINTS1 (Marner, Muzzin)
PIMs28 (Bogosian)
SHOTS110 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%59.3% (Tavares)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %56.5% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS44 (Holl, Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS26 (Marner, Matthews)
HITS46 (Bogosian, Holl, Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME23:52 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME3:20 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME2:50 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Tied for fourth in the NHL in wins (13).- Seventh among NHL goaltenders in saves made (534).- Tied for 12th among goaltenders who have appeared in at least 15 games (21) in even-strength save percentage (.917).
Travis Boyd– Averaging 2.51 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks fourth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in multiple games.
TJ Brodie– Averaging 19:06 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Has the highest on-ice goals-for percentage (65.9%) at even strength among Maple Leafs defencemen who have appeared in multiple games.- Tied for third among Maple Leafs defencemen in points (0-10-10).
Jack Campbell– Is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage this season.
Justin Holl– Tied for 15th among NHL right handed defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (17:32) with a shot attempt percentage of 53.1% when the score is within one goal.- Ranks 39th in the NHL in shorthanded ice time per game (2:50).- Tied for sixth among NHL defencemen in primary assists at 5-on-5 (5).
Michael Hutchinson– Has a .934 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average through five starts this season. 
Zach Hyman–  Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:02).- Has the second-highest on-ice goals for percentage (64.7%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards.
Alex Kerfoot– Tied for third among Maple Leafs forwards in on-ice goals for percentage (63.6%) at 5-on-5.- Sixth among Toronto forwards in shifts per game (20.0).- Has the sixth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.90) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.
Mitch Marner– Fourth among NHLers in assists (27).- Fourth among NHLers in points (11-27-38).- Tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (11).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (22:32).- Has played 39.6% of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time.- Has the fifth highest on-ice goals for percentage (60.8%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards..
Auston Matthews– Leads the NHL in goals (21).- Leads the NHL in game-winning goals (7).- Sixth among NHLers in points (21-14-35).- Averaging 21:58 in time on ice per game, which is fifth among NHL forwards.- Third among Maple Leafs forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (52.0%).- Tied for third in the NHL in shots on goal (110).
Ilya Mikheyev– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (1:48).- Has an average of 16.1 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which is sixth among NHLers who have played at least 50 minutes of shorthanded ice time (52:01).  – Has started 36.1% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest percentage among Maple Leafs.
Jake Muzzin– Tied for 10th among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (8).- Tied for 11th among NHL defencemen and tied for fifth among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (1-11-12). – Has started 48.6 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest mark among Toronto defencemen.- Scored his first career shorthanded goal on March 13 vs. Winnipeg.
William Nylander– Second among Maple Leafs in goals (12).- Tied for 15th among NHLers in even-strength goals (9).- Has the seventh highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.87) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 53.9%, which is the second-highest percentage among Maple Leafs.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 63.6% at 5-on-5, which is tied for the fourth highest mark among Toronto skaters.
Morgan Rielly– Leads Maple Leafs in average time on ice (23:52).- Tied for seventh among NHL defencemen in points (3-19-22).- Has a goal and 10 assists in 13 games on the road this season.- Tied for 10th among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (8).
Jason Spezza– Has the highest points per 60 minutes rate (2.90) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs who have appeared in over five games.- Has won 56.5% of his defensive zone faceoffs, which is the ninth highest percentage among NHLers who have taken at least 125 defensive zone draws (131).
John Tavares– Tied for 27th among NHLers in assists (16).- Has the third highest faceoff win percentage (59.3%) among NHLers who have taken at least 425 faceoffs (435).- Has three goals and 10 assists in 13 games on the road this season.- Has two goals and two assists in five games against Ottawa in 2020-21.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 66.6% at 5-on-5 in 2020-21, which is tied for first among Toronto skaters.
Joe Thornton– Has the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage among Toronto skaters who have appeared in multiple games at 56.5%.- Averaging 2.16 points per 60 minutes of ice time this season, which ranks fifth among Toronto skaters.
  

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Mitch MarnerPoints (1-3-4) in three consecutive games.
William NylanderGoals (2) in two consecutive games and points (2-1-3) in three consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach BogosianTwo points from 200 NHL points
William NylanderTwo goals from 100 NHL goals
Joe ThorntonTwo assists from 1,100 career NHL assists
  

RECENT MILESTONES

Kenny AgostinoFirst game as a Maple Leaf (March 11 vs. WPG)
  

INJURY REPORT

Jack Campbell (Lower Body)Did not play on March 13 vs. WPG.
Wayne Simmonds (Wrist)On injured reserve.
 Man Games Lost: 74
  

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

March 12Acquired goaltender Veini Vehviläinen from Columbus in exchange for defenceman Mikko Lehtonen.
  

JETS 5, LEAFS 2 NOTES

WINNIPEG JETS (17-8-2 – 36 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-8-2 – 40 Points)

SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021

 123OTFINAL
WINNIPEG023–5
TORONTO020–2

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Jake Muzzin put the Maple Leafs on the board with a shorthanded goal at 5:03 of the second period. Muzzin’s goal is the Maple Leafs’ first shorthanded goal of the season and the first shorthanded goal of his career. He has two goals and 12 assists in 27 games played this season.
  • William Nylander scored the second Toronto goal of the game at 7:12 of the second period. Nylander has goals (2) in two consecutive games and points (2-1-3) in three consecutive games. He has 16 points (7-9-16) in 16 games on home ice this season. He has registered four points (2-2-4) in four games against the Jets in 2020-21.
  • Mitch Marner recorded the lone assist on Muzzin’s shorthanded goal. Marner has assists (3) and points (1-3-4) in three consecutive games. He has registered 22 points (7-15-22) in 16 games on home ice this season. He has five career shorthanded points (1-4-5). 
  • Joe Thornton registered the primary assist on Nylander’s second period goal. Thornton has recorded seven points (2-5-7) in nine games on home ice this season. He has 12 points (3-9-12) in 17 games played in 2020-21. Thornton is playing in his 1,653rd career NHL game, which moves him past Mark Recchi for sole possession of sixth on the NHL’s all-time games played register.
  • Justin Holl picked up the secondary assist on Nylander’s second period goal. Holl has two assists over his last four games played. He has registered six of his nine assists on home ice this season. In four games against the Jets in 2020-21, he has recorded three assists.
  • Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots in the loss.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG7 (7)13 (9)12 (8)–32 (24)
TORONTO7 (4)9 (6)5 (5)–21 (15)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG18 (18)18 (13)19 (13)–55 (44)
TORONTO15 (9)17 (12)12 (11)–44 (32)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home10-5-1 (16 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg  36-21-1-9 (67 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg 19-11-1-4 (35 Games) 

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots5 (Muzzin)
Shot Attempts8 (Nylander)
Faceoff Wins11 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Marner, Nylander, Thornton)
Hits4 (Bogosian)
Blocked Shots4 (Rielly)
Takeaways2 (Marner, Rielly)
TOI23:26 (Brodie)
Power Play TOI3:18 (Tavares)
Shorthanded TOI2:57 (Muzzin)
Shifts28 (Brodie)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage62.5% (Kerfoot – 10 for, 6 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first6-5-1
Tied after 16-4-0
Tied after 25-1-1
Do not score a power play goal5-6-0
Allow multiple power play goals2-2-0
Outshot by opponent10-3-1
Saturday4-3-1

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs were 2-for-4 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play tonight.
  • Toronto’s line of Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews started 30% of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
  • TJ Brodie was on the ice for a team-high 16 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Brodie finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 48.5% (16 for, 17 against).
  • John Tavares won 78% (7 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Sunday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
  • Friday, March 19, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
  • Saturday, March 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Flames (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
  • Thursday, March 25, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (TSN4, FAN 590)
  • Saturday, March 27, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)

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.

RAPTORS-HORNETS PREGAME NOTES

INJURY REPORT
OG Anunoby (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
Malachi Flynn (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
Patrick McCaw (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
Pascal Siakam (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
Fred VanVleet (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out

RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors begin a three-game road trip (Mar. 13-17) Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. It will mark the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Raptors won consecutive home games vs. Charlotte in January. Chris Boucher scored 20+ points in the
pair of victories, averaging a team-high 22.5 points. With a win Saturday, Toronto would sweep the season series with the Hornets for the second time in the last four seasons.
• Chris Boucher scored 29 points, one shy of his career high, Thursday vs. Atlanta. Boucher had a career-high 30 points (11-15 FG, 5-9 3PT, 3-4 FT) in in the final game before the All-Star break Mar. 4 at Boston. He is averaging 29.5 points and shooting 70 percent (21-30) from the field, including .538 (7-13) from beyond the arc, over the last two games. Boucher (63 3PT, 71 BLK) is the only player in the NBA with 60+three-point field goals and 60+ blocks this season.
• Norman Powell has scored 30+ points four times in the last eight games (Feb. 19 – Mar. 11); something he did four times in his first 334 NBA games. Powell has started his last 21 games played (Jan. 22 – Mar. 11), averaging a team-high 23.6 points and shooting .465 (67-144) from beyond the arc during this stretch.
• Toronto has dropped a season high-tying three straight games (Mar. 3-11). The Raptors have allowed 121+ points in all three losses, with opponents averaging 127.3 points and shooting .518 from the floor.
• Stanley Johnson has scored in double figures in consecutive games (Mar. 4-11), including a season-high 14 points Mar. 4 at Boston. Johnson has scored 10+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since Mar. 20-24, 2019 when he was with New Orleans.
• The Raptors will be without Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, three of their top six scorers, and reserves Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw for the fourth straight game Saturday at Charlotte because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Siakam also missed Toronto’s game Feb. 26 against
Houston. Siakam (20.1), VanVleet (20.1) and Anunoby (13.8) have combined to average 54.0 points this season. Head Coach Nick Nurse returned to the bench Thursday against the Hawks after also missing the previous three games because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
• Kyle Lowry passed Chris Bosh (10,275) for second on the Raptors’ all-time scoring list Thursday vs. Atlanta. DeMar DeRozan is the franchise leader with 13,296 career points. Lowry is Toronto’s all-time leader in assists (4,155), steals (862), three-point field goals (1,473) and wins (361), ranks second in games played (585) and third in rebounds (2,873).
• Vinik Sports Group and the Raptors have announced they will welcome a limited number of fans, with a capacity of 3,800, back to Amalie Arena for games starting on March 19 when Toronto hosts Utah.

HORNETS NOTES

FEARLESS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier has been stellar in the fourth quarter and in clutch moments for the Hornets as he had 12 points in the fourth quarter,
which were 12 of the Hornets last 15 points with just over three and a half minutes left in regulation vs. Detroit on Mar. 11. Rozier is averaging 3.4 points per game in 14 games played in clutch
situations and averaging 0.6 3s per game in those instances, which is tied for fourth among all player’s who have played in approximately 70% of their team’s qualified clutch games. Rozier’s
offensive rating in crunch time situations is 156.0 points per 100 possessions, which is second in the NBA among qualified players.
He had his second 20-point fourth quarter with 20 points vs. Golden State on Feb. 20, including seven in the final minute of the fourth. Rozier also had 21 points in the fourth quarter in the season
opener at Cleveland on Dec. 23, which is tied for the fifth most in the fourth quarter in the NBA this season as he is the only player in the NBA this season with multiple 20-point fourth quarters.
Rozier is one of seven players this season with 15+ points in three games or more in the fourth quarter this season as he is eighth in the NBA this season in total fourth quarter points with 209
and is second in the League in made 3s in the final quarter of regulation with 36.
Rozier is just the second player in franchise history with multiple 20-point fourth quarters in a season along with Kemba Walker (4, 2018-19) as he’s one of three players this season with four
or more made 3-point field goals in the fourth quarter in two games along with Damian Lillard and Jamal Murray. Last season, only three players (Trae Young: 4, Bradley Beal: 2, Zach Lavine:
2) had multiple games with a 20-point fourth quarter.
A FIRST HALF TO REMEMBER: Hornets guard LaMelo Ball got off to a strong start in the first half of his rookie season, including some honors and historically great accomplishments,
especially in the month of February. Below are some notes related to Ball’s first half performance.
• For his play during the first half of the season, Ball was named to the 2021 U.S. Team Rising Stars Roster, selected by the other assistant coaches in the NBA. Accoding to Elias
Sports Bureau, he is the only player over the last 60 seasons to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists and steals at the All-Star break. • Also according to ESB, Ball is just the sixth player in NBA history to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds and assists along with Alvan Adams (1975-76), Oscar Robertson
(1960-61), Wil Chamberlain (1959-60), Elgin Baylor (1958-59) and Bob Pettit (1954-55). Each of those five players went on to when Rookie of the Year in their respective rookie
season and four of the five went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. • Ball made 13 appearances in February, all starts, and averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting .452% from the field, .407% from
3-point range and .864% from the free throw line. For his performance, Ball earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for a second consecutive month to become the
second Hornets rookie in franchise history to win back-to-back Rookie of the Month awards in the first two months it was awarded. • Ball was one of five players in February to appear in at least five games and average 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals or more per game along with Nikola
Jokic, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler and Pascal Siakam; only him and Jokic shot .400% or better from beyond the arc. Over the last 20 seasons, Ball becomes just the fifth rookie
to average 20-5-5 in February: Stephen Curry (’09-10), Luka Doncic (’18-19), Tyreke Evans (’09-10) and Russell Westbrook (’08-09) as him and Curry are the only ones to also
average 1.5 steals per game. • According to ESPN Stats & Info, per Elias Sports Bureau, Ball became the third teenager to average 20-6-6 in a calendar month (min. 10 games), joining Doncic and James who
each did it multiple times. • Ball scored 20 points in eight games during February, which most by a Hornets rookie, surpassing Alonzo Mourning’s seven 20-point games in February during the 1992-93
season. Ball had the most 20-point games in the second month of the year by a first-year player since Zion Williamson (9) during the 2019-20 season.
LaMELO DOES IT AGAIN: Hornets first-year guard LaMelo Ball continues to impress as he recorded 30 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a career-high tying four steals at Portland
on Mar. 1 for his first game with 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Ball is the third youngest player in NBA history with 30-5-5 at 19 years and 191 days old, only behind LeBron
James (Six times, youngest: 18 years, 334 days) and Kevin Durant (19 years, 190 days). Ball is the youngest player with 30-5-5 along with four steals and just the sixth rookie over the
last 20 seasons with that stat line as well as just the third rookie since the 2009-10 season along with Luka Doncic (3/6/19) and Stephen Curry (3/13, 3/24/10).
In franchise history, Ball is just the third rookie with 30 points, five rebounds and five assists along with Raymond Felton (3/22/06 at CLE) and Larry Johnson (1/22/92 vs. CHI, 3/19/92
@ PHI) as only Ball and Felton also tallied four-plus steals. The last Hornets player to total 30-5-5 was Malik Monk on Jan. 24, 2020 with 31 points, five rebounds and five dimes as
Kemba Walker is the last player with such a performance along with four or more steals on Nov. 15, 2016; Walker had 30 points, five rebounds six assists and five steals at Minnesota.
Ball is one of nine players this season with 30-5-5-4 and just one of two rookies along with Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey with 30-5-5 in a game. Ball has posted 20-5-5 in six games this
season, tied with Felton for the second most games by a Hornets rookie only behind Johnson (16) as he is just one of four rookies in franchise history with multiple 30-point games
(Alonzo Mourning, 8; Johnson, 3; Felton, 2). Ball is tied for the fourth most games with 20-5-5 by a rookie in their teens along with Kevin Durant.
LaMELO’S GONE STREAKING: Hornets guard LaMelo Ball had 30 points and eight assists as he has now had four straight games with 20 points and five assists (24p/12a at SAC, 2/28; 20p/6a at GSW, 2/26; 20p/8a at PHX, 2/24). Ball’s four-game streak is the longest by a rookie in the NBA since Ja Morant had four straight games with at least 20 points and
five assists from Mar. 7 to August 2, 2020. He the only Hornets rookie in franchise history with four straight 20-5 games as Larry Johnson had two three-game streaks with Ball also
holding the franchise record for most 20-point, 10 assist games by a Hornets rookie with three, which is also tied for the second most by a Hornets player over the last three seasons
and the most since Devonte’ Graham (6) during the 2019-20 season.
Ball now has 12 games this season with 20+ points, tied for the fifth most by a Hornets rookie with Adam Morrison (2006-07). Ball has had 20+ points five straight games, just the third
rookie in franchise history with such a streak along with Johnson and Alonzo Mourning as it is the longest since by a Hornets rookie since Mourning scored 20+ in 13 straight games
from Mar. 24 to Apr. 17, 1993. Ball’s streak is the longest by a rookie in the NBA since Zion Williamson who had 13 straight 20-point outings from Jan. 31 to Mar. 4, 2020.
Washington is the first Hornets player with two 20-point halves in the same game since Kemba Walker on Apr. 10, 2019 when Walker had a 22-point first half and 21-point second half.
40-POINT SCORERS: Hornets forward PJ Washington scored a career-high 42 points as he is the third Hornets player this season with 40+ points along with guard Terry Rozier (42, 12/23 at CLE; 41, 2/12 vs. MIN) and forward Gordon Hayward (44, 1/6 at ATL). Charlotte is one of two teams along with the Nets (Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving) to have
three players with a 40-point game this season as the Hornets are tied for the fifth most 40-point games with Brooklyn and Golden State with four as Philadelphia leads the NBA with
six games where a player has had 40+ points. This marks the first time in franchise history where the Hornets have had three players with at least one 40-point game in a season.
ROZIER’S EXCELLENCE: Hornets guard Terry Rozier has been tremendous all season long, including a strong performance in February. Here are a few notes on Rozier’s performance
this season and how it stacks up in franchise history as well as against other players in the NBA this season.
• In his second season with Charlotte, Rozier is averaging 20.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting .488% from the field and .435% from 3-point range. Rozier is one
of four qualified players this season (appeared in 70% of team’s games) along with Clippers forward Paul George, Bulls guard Zach Lavine and Bucks forward Khris Middleton,
averaging at least 20.0 points and making .475% of their field goal attempts and .425% of their 3-point tries. • Rozier ranks tied for 10th in the NBA this season in total 3-point field goals made with 114 and is averaging 3.4 3-point field goals made per game, which ranks tied for ninth
among league leaders. Rozier’s also tied for 17th in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage. • Rozier totaled 31 points at Minnesota on Mar. 3, including 18 points in the third quarter alone along with five made 3s, tying the franchise record for made 3-pointers in a quarter.
Rozier has had three 40-point games and 12 30-point games in one and a half seasons with the Hornets compared to just two 30-point games in his first four NBA seasons. • Rozier has scored 15+ points in six quarters this season as he is one of 13 players in the NBA with six or more quarters with 15+ points. He is also just one of nine players with
nine or more games with five-plus makes from beyond the arc. • He recorded 36 points vs. Golden State on Feb. 20, as he had four straight 30-point games from Feb. 10 to 20, after 33 points vs. SA on Feb. 14, 41 points vs. MIN on Feb. 12 and
34 points at MEM on Feb. 10. This was the first time Rozier’s had 30+ points in four consecutive games as he is one of eight players this season with 30 points or more in four
consecutive games. • He is the first Hornets player with four straight 30-point performances since Kemba Walker (5, 2/2-2/11/19) and just the third player in franchise history with a 30-point streak
of four games or longer along with Walker and Glen Rice who both completed the feat two times. • Rozier is one of 13 players this season with multiple 40-point performances as well as one of 13 players with 35+ points in four or more outings this season. • Over the four-game stretch, Rozier averaged 36.0 points (.600 FG%, .590 3pt%, 1.000 FT%), 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as he is one of nine players this season to
average 36.0 points or more over a four-game span, according to Basketball Reference. He is just the third player in franchise history to average at least 36.0 points over a
four-game period along with Rice (36.8 from 1/28-2/2/97; 36.3, 4/2-4/7/97) and Walker (36.0, 11/17-11/23/18). • Rozier totaled 20 points in the fourth quarter alone vs. Golden State and 28 in the second half has scored 25+ points in three halves this season, all in the second half, as he’s one
of 10 players with three 25-point halves and one of six with three 25-point second halves. Rozier is one of five players this season with multiple 20-point quarters overall as he
scored 10+ points in a quarter 10 times during the month of February, including seven 10-point quarters over the four-game stretch where he had at least 30 points each game. • He had 30+ points in four of the 10 games he appeared in February and 20+ points in six of his 10 games; he is just the sixth player in franchise history with four or more 30-point
games in February. • In 11 games in February, Rozier averaged 23.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting .517% from the field, .447% from beyond the arc and .944% from the free
throw line in February. Rozier was one of 10 players along to average at least 20.0 points and shoot .500% or better from the floor and .400% from 3-point distance (1 3PA/
Game) in five or more games in February. Among that group, he was just one of three players with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Raptors guard Normal Powell to also shoot
.900% or better from the line.