Month: March 2021

WINNIPEG-TORONTO PREGAME NOTES

WINNIPEG JETS (16-8-2 – 34 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-7-2 – 40 Points)

MARCH 13, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus WINNIPEG

ALL-TIME RECORD:36-20-1-9 (66 Games)
ALL-TIME on the ROAD:19-10-1-4 (34 Games)
2020-21:2-1-0
LAST FIVE:3-1-1
LAST 10:7-2-1

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus WINNIPEG

GAMES PLAYED:Jason Spezza (53), Joe Thornton (46), John Tavares (31)
GOALS:Jason Spezza (15), Joe Thornton (12), John Tavares (10)
ASSISTS:Jason Spezza (36), Joe Thornton (32), John Tavares (23)
POINTS:Jason Spezza (51), Joe Thornton (44), John Tavares (33)
PENALTY MINUTES:Joe Thornton (41), John Tavares (25), Jason Spezza (20)

MAPLE LEAFS – JETS TEAM STATS

 TORONTOWINNIPEG
GOALS FOR (Rank):97 (2nd)86 (t-7th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       70 (t-10th)75 (15th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):26/83 [31.3%] (2nd)18/76 [23.7%] (12th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):61/79 [77.2%] (19th)49/64 [76.6%] (20th)
SHOTS PER GAME (Rank):30.8 (t-9th)29.3 (21st)
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME (Rank):28.4 (7th)32.1 (28th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):1181 (8th)1082 (16th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):49.4% (t-17th)47.5% (27th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):52.2% (t-8th)48.4% (22nd)

MAPLE LEAFS – JETS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:Oct. 27, 1999 (Toronto 4, Atlanta 0)
All-Time Record:36-20-1-9 (66 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:19-10-1-4 (34 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:17-10-0-5 (32 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:March 11, 2021 (Toronto 4, Winnipeg 3 OT)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS21 (Matthews)
ASSISTS26 (Marner)
POINTS37 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS13 (Marner)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs26 (Bogosian)
SHOTS108 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%59.2% (Tavares)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %56.9% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS43 (Brodie, Holl)
TAKEAWAYS25 (Matthews)
HITS46 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME23:56 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME3:22 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME2:50 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Tied for second in the NHL in wins (13).- Tied for ninth among NHL goaltenders in saves made (507).- Has a 11-1-2 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 15 career games against Winnipeg.
Travis Boyd– Averaging 2.61 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 19:05 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Has the highest on-ice goals-for percentage (65.1%) at even strength among Maple Leafs defencemen who have appeared in multiple games.- 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 53.4% when the score is within one goal.- Ranks 37th in the NHL in shorthanded ice time per game (2:50).- Tied for fourth 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 (2:04).- Has the third-highest on-ice goals for percentage (64.7%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards.
Alex Kerfoot– Leads the Maple Leafs in on-ice goals for percentage (70.0%) at 5-on-5.- Sixth among Toronto forwards in shifts per game (19.9).- Has the sixth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.97) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.
Mitch Marner– Fourth among NHLers in assists (26).- Fourth among NHLers in points (11-26-37).- Tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (11).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (22:33).- Has played 39.5% of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time.- Has the sixth 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).- Fifth among NHLers in points (21-14-35).- Averaging 21:58 in time on ice per game, which is fourth among NHL forwards.- Third among Maple Leafs forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (52.9%).- Third in the NHL in shots on goal (108).
Ilya Mikheyev– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (1:46).- Has an average of 17.1 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which is tied for sixth among NHLers who have played at least 45 minutes of shorthanded ice time (49:14).  – Has started 35.2% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest percentage among Maple Leafs.
Jake Muzzin– Tied for eighth among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (8).- Tied for 30th among NHL defencemen and tied for eighth among Maple Leafs in points (1-12-13). – Has started 48.8 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest mark among Toronto defencemen.
William Nylander– Tied for second among Maple Leafs in goals (11).- Has the seventh highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.77) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 54.1%, which is the second-highest percentage among Maple Leafs.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 61.9% at 5-on-5.
Morgan Rielly– Leads Maple Leafs in average time on ice (23:56).- Tied for fourth among NHL defencemen in points (3-19-22).- Has a pair of goals and nine assists in 15 games at home this season.- Tied for eighth among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (8).
Jason Spezza– Has the highest points per 60 minutes rate (2.99) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs who have appeared in over five games.- Has won 56.8% of his defensive zone faceoffs, which is tied for the eighth highest percentage among NHLers who have taken at least 125 defensive zone draws (125).
John Tavares– Has the fourth highest faceoff win percentage (59.2%) among NHLers who have taken at least 400 faceoffs (419).- Has a goal and two assists in three games against the Jets this season.- Has 10 goals and 23 assists in 31 career games against Winnipeg.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 65.0% at 5-on-5 in 2020-21, which ranks third among Toronto skaters.
Joe Thornton– Has the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage among Toronto skaters at 56.9%.- Averaging 2.00 points per 60 minutes of ice time this season, which ranks fifth among Toronto skaters.
  

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

TJ BrodieAssists (3) in three consecutive games.
Mitch MarnerAssists (2) in two consecutive games and points (1-2-3) in two consecutive games.
Auston MatthewsGoals (3) and points (3-1-4) in two consecutive games.
William NylanderPoints (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
Morgan RiellyAssists (3) in two consecutive games.
John TavaresAssists (2) in two consecutive games and points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach BogosianTwo points from 200 NHL points
William NylanderThree goals from 100 NHL goals
Joe ThorntonThree 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 11 vs. WPG.
Wayne Simmonds (Wrist)On injured reserve.
 Man Games Lost: 72
  

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

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

MARLIES 4, LAVAL 3

LAVAL ROCKET (6-4-1-0 – 13 Points) vs.
TORONTO MARLIES (7-6-0-0 – 14 Points)

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

 123OTFINAL
LAVAL111–3
TORONTO130–4

GAME SUMMARY    |    GAME SHEET |    PHOTOS    |      SCRUMS

SCORING SUMMARY

Laval: J. Blandisi (3) (J. Ylonen, J. Brook), J. Ylonen (3) (A. Belzile, C. Schueneman)
Goaltender: C. Primeau (27/31) 

Toronto: N. Petan (1) (T. Liljegren, A. Barabanov), A. Barabanov (1) (A. Galchenyuk, N. Petan), A. Galchenyuk (2) (A. Barabnov, K. Rubins), J. Anderson (4) SH (K. Kossila)
Goaltender: J. Woll (31/34) 

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Nic Petan scored at 15:11 of the first period and later added the secondary assist on Barabanov’s second period assist. This is Petan’s first AHL game this season. Petan has one assist in seven games with the Maple Leafs.
  • Alexander Barabanov scored at 3:54 of the second period. He also added the secondary assist on Petan’s first period goal and the primary assist on Galchenyuk’s second period goal. This is Barabanov’s first AHL game this season. Barabanov has played in 11 games this season.
  • Alex Galchenyuk scored at 9:47 of the second period and earlier had the primary assist on Barabanov’s second period goal. Galchenyuk has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in five games with the Marlies this season.
  • Joey Anderson scored shorthanded at 18:36 of the second period. This was Anderson’s first career shorthanded goal. He has six points (4 goals, 2 assists) in 13 games with the Marlies.
  • Timothy Liljegren recorded the primary assist on Petan’s first period goal. Liljegren has collected seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in nine games with the Marlies this season.
  • Kristians Rubins registered the secondary assist on Galchenyuk’s second period goal. Rubins has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 13 games.
  • Kalle Kossila had the lone assist on Anderson’s shorthanded goal. He has five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in seven games with the Marlies this season.
  • Joseph Woll stopped 31 of 34 shots he faced in his first start this season. He is now 1-0-0-0 on the season with a 3.01 goals against average and 0.912 save percentage.

OF NOTE…

  • Toronto went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play. Joey Anderson scored Toronto’s second shorthanded goal this season in the second period.
  • Laval had a 34-31 edge in shots in all situations. Alexander Barabanov, Rourke Chartier and Timothy Liljegren led the Marlies with four shots on goal.
  • The Marlies are 7-6-0-0 against Canadian Division opponents and 1-0-0-0 against the Laval Rocket.

RECORD WHEN…

  • The Marlies are 1-4-0-0 when tied after the first period and 6-0-0-0 when leading after the second period.
  • Toronto is 4-2-0 when outshot by their opponent.
  • The Marlies are 1-3-0-0 in Friday games and are 3-2-0-0 in March.

MARLIES LEADERS

  • Goals: T. Gaudet, T. Kivihalme (5)
  • Assists: A. Brooks, T. Gaudet,N. Robertson (7)
  • Points:  T. Gaudet (12)
  • PPG: J. Brazeau,A. Brooks (2)
  • Shots: J. Anderson (31)
  • +/-:  T. Gaudet (+13)
  • PIMS: R. Clune (22)

POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On why the team went 11-7 tonight:
We had a couple of young defencemen playing tonight in McCourt and Hoefenmayer. We wanted to give them some reps, they’ve been working really hard during their time here and give them some reps in what was a very important game and test them. They showed really well. We also had a lot of players up front that could log a lot of minutes and really the versatility of players that could play centre and wing, there was a lot of things creatively that I could do with the lines with that lineup.

On what makes it difficult to play against Laval:
Their forecheck really hard. There’s always pressure, there’s always some on top of you. You really got to get comfortable playing inside of contact offensively and defensively. They don’t turn pucks over. They make you earn every inch of ice, they make you go 200-feet every time. All the game management things in terms of  length of shift, knowing where you are in the period, what period it is, there’s a lot of items that you have to be really disciplined about against a team like this and our guys were willing to do that today.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Feb. 11             Alexander Barabanov (LW) – loaned from Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Timothy Liljegren (D) – returned on loan from Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Martin Marincin (D) – recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Nic Petan (LW) – loaned from Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Nick Robertson (LW) – recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Calle Rosen (D) – recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)
                        Joseph Woll (G) – recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL Taxi)

UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

March 14 at Laval – 7:00 p.m.
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 – 7:00 p.m.

Dodgers renew Andrew Toles’ contract as he deals with mental health issues — Orange County Register

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Almost two years since he last wore a uniform at extended spring training and 2-1/2 since he last played in a game, Andrew Toles remains a member of the Dodgers organization. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers renewed Toles’ contract at close to the major-league minimum this week (approximately $583,000).…

Dodgers renew Andrew Toles’ contract as he deals with mental health issues — Orange County Register

LEAFS ACQUIRE VEHVILÄINEN FROM COLUMBUS FOR LEHTONEN

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has acquired goaltender Veini Vehviläinen from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenceman Mikko Lehtonen.

Vehviläinen, 24, made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets on March 6. He has also appeared in one game with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) and 13 games with JYP (Liiga) in 2020-21. He appeared in 33 games with Cleveland in 2019-20, posting a 10-18-5 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage as a rookie in the AHL. Prior to coming to North America, Vehviläinen earned the Urpo Ylönen Award as the Liiga’s best goaltender and was named to the Liiga All-Star Team in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons as a member of Kärpät.

The Jyväskylä, Finland native has represented his country on multiple occasions in international play. He captured a gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Championships and previously won gold at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships. He was also named a Top Three Player for Finland at the 2017 World Juniors after recording a 3-2-0 record with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage at the tournament. 

Vehviläinen was originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round (173rd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Three things to know: Kyrie Irving takes star turn, Nets knock off Celtics — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

Kyrie Irving saves some big nights for his former team.

Three things to know: Kyrie Irving takes star turn, Nets knock off Celtics — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

Los Angeles, Orange counties to ease attendance restrictions on Dodgers, Angels games — Pasadena Star News

Los Angeles and Orange counties announced Friday that each will soon move into the less-restrictive Red Tier under the State of California’s guidelines for COVID-19 re-openings. If they remain in the Red Tier by April 1, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium will be allowed to admit fans at up to 20 percent of each venue’s…

Los Angeles, Orange counties to ease attendance restrictions on Dodgers, Angels games — Pasadena Star News

‘You Can’t Replicate The Philly Fan’: Sixers To Play In Front Of Fans At Wells Fargo Center For First Time In 368 Days — CBS Philly

Three thousand fans will be allowed inside Wells Fargo Center Sunday separated by at least six feet in the stands.

‘You Can’t Replicate The Philly Fan’: Sixers To Play In Front Of Fans At Wells Fargo Center For First Time In 368 Days — CBS Philly

Angels manager Joe Maddon wants more emotion, less instant replay — Daily Breeze

TEMPE, Ariz. — As Major League Baseball continues to experiment with different rules to move the game forward, Joe Maddon wants to move the game back. 850 more words

Angels manager Joe Maddon wants more emotion, less instant replay — Daily Breeze

MAPLE LEAFS 4, JETS 3 (OT)

WINNIPEG JETS (16-8-2 – 34 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-7-2 – 40 Points)

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021

 123OTFINAL
WINNIPEG11103
TORONTO01214

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Mitch Marner put the Maple Leafs on the board at 3:14 of the second period and later had the secondary assist on Auston Matthews’ overtime goal. Tonight’s game is his 11th multi-point game of the season. Marner has assists (2) and points (1-2-3) in two consecutive games. He has 21 points (7-14-21) in 15 home games this season. He has five points (3-2-5) in three games against the Jets in 2020-21.
  • William Nylander scored the second Toronto goal of the game at 6:31 of the third period. Nylander has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. He has 15 points (6-9-15) in 15 games on home ice this season. He has a goal and two assists in three games against Winnipeg.
  • Ilya Mikheyev scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night at 12:39 of the third period. Mikheyev has two goals and an assist over his last five games. He has two goals and two assists through six games during the month of March.
  • Auston Matthews registered the primary assist on Marner’s second period goal and later scored the overtime winning goal at 0:59 of the extra frame. Tonight’s game is his 10th multi-point performance of the season. Matthews has goals (3) and points (3-1-4) in two consecutive games. He has 23 points (14-9-23) in 14 games on home ice. In 11 career games against the Jets, he has recorded 16 points (7-9-16). He leads the NHL in goals (20) and game-winning goals (7).
  • TJ Brodie picked up the secondary assist on Marner’s second period goal. Brodie has assists (3) in three consecutive games. He has a pair of assists in three games against Winnipeg this season.
  • John Tavares registered the primary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Tavares has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games. He has five points (2-3-5) over his last five games played. He has a goal and two assists in three games against the Jets this season.
  • Morgan Rielly had the secondary assist on Nylander’s third period goal and later recorded the primary assist on Matthews’ overtime winner. Tonight’s game is Rielly’s sixth multi-assist and seventh multi-point game of the season. He has three assists in three games against Winnipeg this season.
  • Alex Kerfoot registered the primary assist on Mikheyev’s third period goal. He has a pair of assists over his last three games. He has recorded six of his nine assists on home ice this season. In three games against Winnipeg this season, he has recorded two assists.
  • Pierre Engvall picked up the secondary assist on Mikheyev’s third period goal. Engvall has a goal and two assists over his last five games played. He has recorded two goals and four assists in 19 games played this season.
  • Frederik Andersen stopped 23 shots to earn his 13th win of the season.

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

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG8 (8)8 (8)10 (8)0 (0)26 (24)
TORONTO10 (10)14 (10)12 (11)1 (0)37 (31)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG11 (11)13 (13)16 (12)0 (0)41 (37)
TORONTO20 (20)27 (21)23 (22)1 (0)72 (64)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home10-4-1 (15 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg  36-20-1-9 (66 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg 19-10-1-4 (34 Games) 

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots5 (Four players tied)
Shot Attempts10 (Marner)
Faceoff Wins13 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Kerfoot, Nylander)
Hits3 (Matthews, Muzzin)
Blocked Shots1 (Six players tied)
Takeaways2 (Brodie)
TOI25:00 (Brodie)
Power Play TOI1:13 (Matthews, Rielly)
Shorthanded TOI2:18 (Muzzin)
Shifts28 (Holl, Marner, Muzzin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage75.0% (Agostino – 3 for, 1 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first6-4-1
Trail after 13-2-1
Trail after 21-5-0
Do not score a power play goal5-5-0
Do not allow a power play goal12-1-1
Outshooting opponent8-5-1
Overtime3-2
Thursday4-1-0

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play tonight.
  • Toronto’s line of Kenny Agostino, Jason Spezza and Jimmy Vesey were the lone Maple Leafs to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
  • Kenny Agostino played in his first game as a Maple Leaf.
  • Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly were on the ice for a team-high 31 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 60.9% (31 for, 20 against), while Rielly finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 66% (31 for, 16 against).
  • John Tavares won 78% (7 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs and was 4-for-5 (80%) on defensive zone faceoffs.

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Saturday, March 13, 7:00 p.m. vs. Winnipeg Jets (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
  • 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)

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-HAWKS PREGAME NOTES

INJURY REPORT
OG Anunoby (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
Terence Davis ll (Left Ankle; Sprain) – Questionable
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 their second half schedule Thursday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks at Amalie Arena. The Raptors have won four in a row against the Hawks at home. Thursday will mark the second of three meetings with Atlanta this season. Trae Young had 28 points and 13 assists as the Hawks held off Toronto 132-121 in Atlanta on Feb. 6. The Hawks will also visit Tampa on Apr. 13.
• Kyle Lowry needs just five points to pass Chris Bosh (10,275) for second on the Raptors’ all-time scoring list. DeMar DeRozan is the franchise leader with 13,296 career points. Lowry is Toronto’s all-time leader in assists (4,143), steals (862), three-point field goals (1,470) and wins (361), ranks second in games played (584) and third in rebounds (2,867).
• Kyle Lowry tied the franchise record with a career-high 19 assists March 4 at Boston. Lowry is the third Raptor to record 19 assists in a single game, joining Damon Stoudamire and Jose Calderon (twice).
• Chris Boucher scored a career-high 30 points (11-15 FG, 5-9 3PT, 3-4 FT) in 35 minutes off the bench March 4 at Boston. Boucher is the first Raptors reserve since Terence Davis on Feb. 2, 2020 vs. Chicago
to score 30+ points. Boucher (61 3PT, 69 BLK) is the only player in the NBA with 50+ three-point field goals and 50+ blocks this season. He is currently averaging career highs of 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9
blocks and 23.6 minutes and was the only Raptor to appear in all 36 games in the first half.
• The Raptors will be without Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, three of their top five scorers, and reserves Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw for the third straight game Thursday vs. Atlanta because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Siakam also missed Toronto’s game Feb. 26 against
Houston due to health and safety protocols. Terence Davis is questionable after sustaining a left ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter Mar. 4 at Boston.
• Head Coach Nick Nurse is expected to return to the bench against the Hawks after missing the previous three games because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo had been serving as the acting head coach. Scariolo rejoined the team Feb. 26 vs. Houston after coaching Spain in
FIBA’s EuroBasket 2022 qualifiers in Poland.
• The Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed forward-centre Henry Ellenson to a 10-day contract. Ellenson averaged a team-high 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 30.6 minutes in 15 games with Raptors 905 in the G League bubble. He scored 20+ points seven times and recorded five double-doubles.
• 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 faces Utah.