April 2021 – The view from left field

LeBron James could return against Sacramento Kings tonight — Orange County Register

Lakers say the 36-year-old, listed as questionable, will decide at game time whether to play at Staples Center after missing the past 20 games with a high ankle sprain
LeBron James could return against Sacramento Kings tonight — Orange County Register

Nuggets extend winning streak to four with fourth-quarter surge over Toronto — The Denver Post

When Michael Porter Jr. claimed earlier this week he was unbothered by any defensive challenge, the brash 6-foot-10 gunner wasn’t lying.
Nuggets extend winning streak to four with fourth-quarter surge over Toronto — The Denver Post

Warriors fall to Timberwolves despite big nights from Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins — East Bay Times

After Tuesday’s disappointing effort to the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors failed to respond in Thursday night’s 126-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stephen Curry scored 37 points and Andrew Wiggins, in his first game back to Target Center since being traded from Minnesota last year, finished with 27. 339 more words
Warriors fall to Timberwolves despite big nights from Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins — East Bay Times

MAPLE LEAFS 4, CANUCKS 1

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (19-22-3 – 41 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (32-13-5 – 69 Points)

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021

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

GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

William Nylander opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 15:29 of the first period. Nylander has goals (2) in two consecutive games and points (2-1-3) in three consecutive games. He has eight points (2-6-8) in eight games against the Canucks this season. He has scored the first goal of the game on four occasions this season, which ranks second among Toronto skaters. He has 19 points (9-10-19) in 21 games on home ice this season.
Auston Matthews scored the second Toronto goal of the night at 0:51 of the second period. Matthews has goals (2) in two consecutive games. He has eight points (7-1-8) in eight games against the Canucks in 2020-21. He has 33 points (21 goals, 12 assists) in 23 games on home ice this season. He leads the NHL in goals (36), even-strength goals (25) and game-winning goals (11).
Pierre Engvall scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game at 2:56 of the second period. Engvall has nine points (4-5-9) in 38 games this season. He has scored three of his four goals on home ice this season. He has a pair of goals in four games against Vancouver in 2020-21.
Mitch Marner registered the primary assist on Matthews’ second period goal and later scored the fourth Toronto goal of the night at 19:05 of the third period. Marner has assists (2) in two consecutive games and points (3-4-7) in five consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his 16th multi-point game of th2 season. He has registered 34 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 25 games on home ice this season. He as registered 10 points (2-8-10) in eight games against the Canucks. He sits third among NHLers in assists (44) and ranks second among NHLers in primary assists (31).
Alex Galchenyuk registered the primary assist on Nylander’s first period goal. He has seven points (1-6-7) in eight games on home ice with the Maple Leafs this season. He has eight points (2-6-8) in 20 games with the Maple Leafs since being acquired on February 15. The Maple Leafs are 4-0-0 when he records an assist.
John Tavares picked up the secondary assist on Nylander’s first period goal. Tavares has recorded five points (3-2-5) over his last five games played. He has registered eight points (4-4-8) in eight games against the Canucks in 2020-21. He is tied for first among Maple Leafs and eighth among NHLers in points during the month of April with 17 points (7-10-17) in 14 games played.
Joe Thornton had the secondary assist on Matthews’ second period goal. Thornton has assists (2) in two consecutive games and points (1-3-4) in four consecutive games. He has recorded eight points (2-6-8) in 18 games at Scotiabank Arena this season. His assist is his first point against Vancouver in five games this season.
Ramsus Sandin recorded the primary assist on Engvall’s second period goal. Sandin has a pair of assists over his last three games played. In six games with the Maple Leafs this season he has recorded three assists. He has a pair of assists in two games on home ice in 2020-21.
Jason Spezza collected the secondary assist on Engvall’s second period goal. Spezza has assists (4) in three consecutive games and points (1-4-5) in four consecutive games. He has five points (3-2-5) in eight games against the Canucks this season. Coming into tonight’s game, Spezza had the sixth highest points per 60 minutes rate at 5-on-5 (3.00) among NHLers who had appeared in at least 10 games.
Alex Kerfoot had the lone assist on Marner’s third period goal. Kerfoot has three points (1-2-3) over his last five games played. He has four points (1-3-4) in eight games against the Canucks this season. The Maple Leafs are 9-2-1 when Kerfoot records an assist in 2020-21.
David Rittich stopped 15 shots to earn his first win as a Maple Leaf.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
VANCOUVER	2 (2)	9 (6)	5 (5)	–	16 (13)
TORONTO	7 (7)	11 (11)	6 (6)	–	24 (24)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
VANCOUVER	10 (10)	18 (12)	18 (18)	–	46 (40)
TORONTO	23 (23)	19 (19)	14 (12)	–	56 (54)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home	15-7-3 (25 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Vancouver	65-65-22-4 (156 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Montreal at Home	39-25-11-1 (76 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	5 (Marner, Matthews)
Shot Attempts	12 (Matthews)
Faceoff Wins	10 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage	56% (Matthews, Spezza)
Hits	3 (Liljegren, Tavares)
Blocked Shots	3 (Holl, Hutton, Sandin)
Takeaways	3 (Brooks)
TOI	23:33 (Brodie)
Power Play TOI	N/A
Shorthanded TOI	2:22 (Brodie, Dermott)
Shifts	27 (Sandin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	90% (Spezza – 18 for, 2 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first	24-5-2
Lead after 1	17-3-3
Lead after 2	21-2-3
Do not score a power play goal	16-9-2
Allow 1 power play goal	8-8-2
Outshooting opponent	16-9-3
Thursday	7-2-0

OF NOTE…

The Maple Leafs were 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and did not have a power play tonight.
Ben Hutton skated in his first game as a Maple Leaf.
Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev were the lone Toronto skaters to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
Auston Matthews was on the ice for a team-high 22 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. He finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 62.9 percent (22 for, 13 against).
Auston Matthews won 60 percent (nine won, six lost) of his faceoffs against Vancouver centre Bo Horvat.
Jason Spezza was 3-for-5 (60%) when taking offensive zone faceoffs tonight.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Saturday, May 1, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet, 680 News)
Monday, May 3, 7:00 p.m. at Montreal Canadiens (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
Thursday, May 6, 7:00 p.m. vs. Montreal Canadiens (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Saturday, May 8, 7:00 p.m. vs. Montreal Canadiens (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Wednesday, May 12, 8:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (Sportsnet, 680 News)

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.

Clippers signing Yogi Ferrell for the rest of the season — Press Telegram

Tyronn Lue encouraged Yogi Ferrell: “Just be yourself.” That proved to be good advice; in limited time, the speedy, 6-foot point guard played his game and impressed his new team. 585 more words
Clippers signing Yogi Ferrell for the rest of the season — Press Telegram

Alex Cora’s suggestion that Red Sox could be MLB’s best team is not as crazy as it sounds — Boston Herald

It’s probably a little soon to take a victory lap, but the Red Sox are clearly feeling good about themselves these days. What a turnaround this has been. 871 more words
Alex Cora’s suggestion that Red Sox could be MLB’s best team is not as crazy as it sounds — Boston Herald

Danny Ainge Didn’t Agree With Marcus Smart’s 1-Game Suspension — CBS Boston

Marcus Smart was suspended for Wednesday’s game because of a verbal altercation he had with an official — a suspension that Danny Ainge doesn’t believe was warranted.
Danny Ainge Didn’t Agree With Marcus Smart’s 1-Game Suspension — CBS Boston

CANUCKS-MAPLE LEAFS

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (19-21-3 – 41 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (31-13-5 – 67 Points)

APRIL 29, 2021 ▪ 7:30 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: TSN4 ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus VANCOUVER

ALL-TIME RECORD:	64-65-22-4 (155 Games)
ALL-TIME at HOME:	38-25-11-1 (75 Games)
2020-21:	3-3-1
LAST FIVE:	1-3-1
LAST 10:	5-3-2

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus VANCOUVER

GAMES PLAYED:	Joe Thornton (74), TJ Brodie (43), Jake Muzzin (39)
GOALS:	Joe Thornton (18), John Tavares (13), Auston Matthews (11)
ASSISTS:	Joe Thornton (56), John Tavares (14), TJ Brodie (13)
POINTS:	Joe Thornton (74), John Tavares (27), Jason Spezza (20)
PENALTY MINUTES:	Joe Thornton (51), Nick Foligno (30), Jake Muzzin (28)

MAPLE LEAFS – CANUCKS TEAM STATS

	TORONTO	VANCOUVER
GOALS FOR (Rank):	162 (8th)	114 (t-29th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	131 (11th)	137 (t-13th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	30/138 [21.7%] (11th)	23/120 [19.2%] (t-19th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	97/126 [77.0%] (26th)	115/146 [78.8%] (t-19th)
SHOTS PER GAME (Rank):	31.4 (7th)	29.8 (14th)
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME (Rank):	28.5 (7th)	33.5 (31st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	2135 (11th)	1810 (31st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	50.5% (13th)	46.8% (28th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	51.0% (12th)	53.1 (5th)

MAPLE LEAFS – CANUCKS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:	Oct. 11, 1970 (Vancouver 5, Toronto 3)
All-Time Record:	64-65-22-4 (155 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:	38-25-11-1 (75 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:	26-40-11-3 (80 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:	Feb. 8, 2021 (Toronto 3, Vancouver 1)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	35 (Matthews)
ASSISTS	43 (Marner)
POINTS	60 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS	14 (Marner)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	2 (Marner)
PIMs	49 (Bogosian)
SHOTS	192 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	56.5% (Tavares)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	55.3% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS	85 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS	43 (Marner)
HITS	92 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME	23:43 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	3:17 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	2:33 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

TJ Brodie	– Averaging 18:58 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Has the highest on-ice goals-for percentage (64.8%) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs defencemen.- Tied for second among Maple Leafs in shifts per game (25.8).- Tied for 17th among NHL defencemen in takeaways (21).
Adam Brooks	– Has three goals and an assist in six games with the Maple Leafs this season.- Averaging 2.35 points per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks fifth among Toronto skaters.- Became the first player in franchise history to score his first career goal on the power play and second career goal while shorthanded on April 20 at Vancouver.
Jack Campbell	– Is 14-2-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage this season.- Has the fifth-highest even-strength save percentage (.931) among goaltenders who have appeared in at least 10 games this season..- Established a Maple Leafs franchise record for consecutive wins by a goaltender (10) on April 7 vs. Montreal.- Established an NHL record for consecutive wins to start a season (11) on April 10 vs. Ottawa.
Nick Foligno	– Has registered three assists in three games with the Maple Leafs.- Averaging 2:19 per game in shorthanded ice time with Toronto since joining the club.- Averaging 9.46 hits per 60 minutes as a Maple Leaf, which is the highest rate among Toronto skaters who have appeared in multiple games.- Had 16 points (7-9-16) in 42 games with Columbus before being acquired by Toronto on April 11.
Alex Galchenyuk	– Averaging 1.73 points per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks ninth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Averaging 11.61 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time as a Maple Leaf, which ranks 11th among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.
Justin Holl	– Ranks 15th among right handed defencemen in the NHL in time on ice at 5-on-5 (17:53).- Ranks 16th among NHL right handed defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (17:53) with a shot attempt percentage of 52.1% when the score is within one goal.
Michael Hutchinson	– Has a .919 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average with a 4-2-1 record through eight starts this season.
Alex Kerfoot	– Seventh among Toronto forwards in shifts per game (19.6).- Has the ninth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.64) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Averaging 1:24 per game in shorthanded ice time, the highest mark of his career.
Mitch Marner	– Tied for third among NHLers in assists (43).- Second in the NHL in assists at 5-on-5 (24).- Tied for fourth among NHLers in points (17-43-60).- Tied for seventh in the NHL in even-strength goals (17).- Second in the NHL in primary assists (30).- Second among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (22:32).- Has the seventh highest on-ice goals for percentage (61.0%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto skaters.- Became the first Maple Leaf in franchise history to record 60 points in fewer than 50 games three times on April 28 at Montreal.
Auston Matthews	– Leads the NHL in goals (35).- Leads the NHL in even-strength goals (25).- Has scored the first goal of the game on nine occasions, which leads the NHL.- Tied for first in the NHL in game-winning goals (10).- Sixth among NHLers in points (35-24-59).- Ranks second in the NHL in shots on goal (192).- Second among Maple Leafs forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (53.3%).- Became the first American born player to score 30 or more goals in each of his first five seasons on April 10 vs. Ottawa.
Ilya Mikheyev	– Has started 36.0% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest percentage among Maple Leafs skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Averages 7.95 shots per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks seventh among Maple Leafs who have appeared in at least five games.
Jake Muzzin	– Ranks 12th among NHL defencemen in takeaways (24).- Tied for 22nd among NHL defencemen and is tied for eighth among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (2-16-18). – One of nine NHL defencemen to have recorded at least 85 hits (92) and 85 blocked shots (85).
Morgan Rielly	– Leads the Maple Leafs and is tied for 21st among NHLers in average time on ice (23:43).- Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen in points (4-28-32).- Ranks 10th among NHL defencemen in assists (28).- Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (13).- Became the sixth defenceman in franchise history to record 300 points with the club on April 13 vs. Calgary.
David Rittich	– Is 0-1-1 with a 3.36 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage in three appearances with Toronto.- Has a 3-2-2 record with a .899 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average in eight career games against the Canucks.- Had a 4-7-1 record with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 15 games with Calgary prior to being acquired by Toronto on April 11.
Jason Spezza	– Has the highest points per 60 minutes rate (3.00) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs skaters.- Has won 54.7% of his defensive zone faceoffs, which is the 15th highest percentage among NHLers who have taken at least 200 defensive zone draws (214).
John Tavares	– Tied for 29th in the NHL in points (17-27-44).- Tied for 22nd in the NHL in even-strength points (11-21-32).- Has the eighth highest faceoff win percentage (56.17%) among NHLers who have taken at least 725 faceoffs (745).- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 56.8% at 5-on-5 in 2020-21, which is 10th among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least five games.- Averages 13.78 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is fifth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least five games.- Has recorded seven points (4-3-7) in seven games against the Canucks this season.
Joe Thornton	– Has the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least five games at 55.3%.- Averaging 1.40 points per 60 minutes of ice time this season, which is 11th among Toronto skaters.- Became the seventh player in NHL history to record 1,100 career assists on April 28 at Montreal.- Became the oldest player (41 years, 296 days) in franchise history to score a goal for the club on April 24 at Winnipeg, surpassing Allan Stanley (41 years, 252 days) who had held the mark since November 8, 1967 at Oakland.

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Adam Brooks	Points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
Nick Foligno	Assists (3) in three consecutive games.
Justin Holl	Assists (4) in four consecutive games.
Mitch Marner	Points (3-3-6) in four consecutive games.
Jake Muzzin	Points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.
Jason Spezza	Points (1-3-4) in three consecutive games.
Joe Thornton	Points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Hyman	One assist from 100 NHL assists

RECENT MILESTONES

Travis Dermott	200th NHL game (April 24 at Winnipeg)
Mitch Marner	100th NHL goal (April 24 at Winnipeg)
Joe Thornton	1,100th NHL assist (April 28 at Montreal)

INJURY REPORT

Frederik Andersen (Lower Body)	On Injured Reserve.
Zach Bogosian (Shoulder)	Expected to miss four weeks.
Zach Hyman (Knee)	Expected to miss two weeks.
Riley Nash (Knee)	On Injured Reserve.
	Man Games Lost: 118

Clippers lose to Chris Paul, Suns in Phoenix — Press Enterprise

The Clippers get within one point midway through the fourth quarter, but Paul (28 points, 10 assists) scores three consecutive tough baskets to retake control and the Suns hold on for a 109-101 win.
Clippers lose to Chris Paul, Suns in Phoenix — Press Enterprise

Jazz score most points in franchise history in 154-105 blowout win over Sacramento — ABC4 Utah

SACRAMENTO (ABC4 Sports) – Without Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, you wouldn’t think the Utah Jazz would have the greatest offensive night in franchise history. But that’s exactly what happened Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, as the Jazz set a franchise record for most points in a game and the largest margin of victory […]
Jazz score most points in franchise history in 154-105 blowout win over Sacramento — ABC4 Utah

MAPLE LEAFS 4, CANADIENS 1

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (31-13-5 – 67 Points) vs.

MONTREAL CANADIENS (21-18-9 – 51 Points)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021

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