If nothing else, the Celtics and Knicks have desperation in common, though from entirely different views. The Knicks have outperformed their expectations, and are playing for something better than the NBA’s play-in tournament. The Celtics have seriously under-performed. They expect something better than a play-in chance, and may not get it. And on Wednesday, tied…
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MONTREAL CANADIENS (17-9-9 – 43 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (26-10-3 – 55 Points)
APRIL 7, 2021 ▪ 7:30 PM EST
SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus MONTREAL
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 303-343-88-17 (751 Games) |
| ALL-TIME at HOME: | 191-129-45-10 (375 Games) |
| 2020-21: | 3-1-0 |
| LAST FIVE: | 3-1-1 |
| LAST 10: | 5-2-3 |
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus MONTREAL
| GAMES PLAYED: | Jason Spezza (70), Joe Thornton (56), John Tavares (39) |
| GOALS: | Jason Spezza (32), John Tavares (15), Joe Thornton (15) |
| ASSISTS: | Jason Spezza (39), Joe Thornton (29), John Tavares (21) |
| POINTS: | Jason Spezza (71), Joe Thornton (44), John Tavares (36) |
| PENALTY MINUTES: | Zach Bogosian (57), Wayne Simmonds (54), Joe Thornton (39) |
MAPLE LEAFS – CANADIENS TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | MONTREAL | |
| GOALS FOR (Rank): | 129 (5th) | 113 (t-13th) |
| GOALS AGAINST (Rank): | 98 (10th) | 93 (t-6th) |
| POWER PLAY [%] (Rank): | 27/113 [23.9%] (9th) | 21/98 [21.4%] (14th) |
| PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank): | 82/105 [78.1%] (t-19th) | 89/117 [76.1%] (25th) |
| SHOTS PER GAME (Rank): | 30.9 (8th) | 33.4 (3rd) |
| SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME (Rank): | 28.3 (t-7th) | 28.3 (t-7th) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank): | 1686 (9th) | 1754 (4th) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank): | 50.4% (t-13th) | 56.1% (2nd) |
| FACEOFF % (Rank): | 51.6% (7th) | 48.8 (23rd) |
MAPLE LEAFS – CANADIENS NOTES
| First Matchup between Clubs: | Dec. 26, 1917 (Toronto Arenas 7, Montreal 5) |
| All-Time Record: | 303-343-88-17 (751 Games) |
| All-Time Record at Home: | 191-129-45-10 (375 Games) |
| All-Time Record on the Road: | 112-214-43-7 (376 Games) |
| Last Win vs. Opponent at Home: | Jan. 13, 2021 (Toronto 5, Montreal 4 OT) |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| CATEGORY | LEADER |
| GOALS | 27 (Matthews) |
| ASSISTS | 34 (Marner) |
| POINTS | 47 (Marner) |
| POWER PLAY POINTS | 13 (Marner) |
| SHORTHANDED POINTS | 1 (Five players tied) |
| PIMs | 45 (Bogosian) |
| SHOTS | 148 (Matthews) |
| FACEOFF WIN% | 57.3% (Tavares) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % | 55.2% (Thornton) |
| BLOCKED SHOTS | 63 (Muzzin) |
| TAKEAWAYS | 33 (Matthews) |
| HITS | 65 (Muzzin) |
| TOI PER GAME | 23:52 (Rielly) |
| PP TOI PER GAME | 3:20 (Matthews) |
| SH TOI PER GAME | 2:43 (Holl) |
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
| TJ Brodie | – Averaging 19:06 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Has the highest on-ice goals-for percentage (63.7%) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs defencemen.- Tied for 12th among NHL defencemen in takeaways (18). |
| Jack Campbell | – Is 9-0-0 with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage this season.- Has appeared in two career games against Montreal and is 1-0-1 with a 0.99 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. |
| Alex Galchenyuk | – Averaging 2.26 points per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks fourth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 50.5% through nine games with the Maple Leafs. |
| Justin Holl | – Tied for 14th among NHL right handed defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (17:42) with a shot attempt percentage of 53.1% when the score is within one goal.- Tied for 41st in the NHL in shorthanded ice time per game (2:43).- Has recorded nine of his 12 assists on home ice. |
| 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. |
| Zach Hyman | – Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:03).- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage (68.0%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto skaters.- Tied for fourth among Maple Leafs in goals (12). |
| Alex Kerfoot | – Sixth among Toronto forwards in shifts per game (19.5).- Tied for the sixth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.81) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Averaging 1:26 per game in shorthanded ice time, the highest mark of his career. |
| Mitch Marner | – Fourth among NHLers in assists (34).- Fourth among NHLers in points (13-34-47).- Tied for eighth in the NHL in even-strength goals (13).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (22:41).- Tied for fourth in the NHL in primary assists (22).- Has the third highest on-ice goals for percentage (64.2%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto skaters. |
| Auston Matthews | – Leads the NHL in goals (27).- Leads the NHL in game-winning goals (9).- Leads the NHL in even-strength goals (18)- Tied for fifth among NHLers in points (27-19-46).- Averaging 22:02 in time on ice per game, which is fifth among NHL forwards.- Second among Maple Leafs forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (53.9%).- Second in the NHL in shots on goal (148). |
| Ilya Mikheyev | – Has an average of 16.0 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which is the sixth highest among NHLers who have played at least 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time (63:35). – Has started 34.6% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest percentage among Maple Leafs skaters.- Averages 8.00 shots per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks fifth among Maple Leafs who have appeared in multiple games. |
| Jake Muzzin | – Tied for 11th among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (11).- Tied for 18th among NHL defencemen and seventh among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (1-14-15). – One of 25 NHL defencemen to have recorded at least 50 hits (65) and 50 blocked shots (63). |
| William Nylander | – Tied for second among Maple Leafs in goals (13).- Has had four multi-assist games this season, which is tied for third among Maple Leafs.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 52.5%, which is the third highest percentage among Maple Leafs.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 62.5% at 5-on-5, which is the fifth highest mark among Toronto skaters. |
| Morgan Rielly | – Leads the Maple Leafs and is 20th among NHLers in average time on ice (23:52).- Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen in points (4-23-27).- Has a goal and two assists in four games against the Canadiens this season.- Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen in assists at 5-on-5 (10). |
| 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 55.8% of his defensive zone faceoffs, which is the ninth highest percentage among NHLers who have taken at least 175 defensive zone draws (181). |
| John Tavares | – Has the fifth highest faceoff win percentage (57.3%) among NHLers who have taken at least 575 faceoffs (592).- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 64.5% at 5-on-5 in 2020-21, which is second among Toronto skaters.- Averages 13.86 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is second among Toronto skaters who have appeared in multiple games.- Has recorded a goal and five assists in four games against Montreal 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 55.2%.- Averaging 1.48 points per 60 minutes of ice time this season, which is ninth among Toronto skaters. |
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
| Zach Hyman | Assists (2) in two consecutive games. |
| Auston Matthews | Goals (3) and points (3-1-4) in two consecutive games. |
| Jake Muzzin | Assists (2) in two consecutive games. |
| William Nylander | Assists (4) in two consecutive games. |
| John Tavares | Goals (2), assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games. |
| Zach Hyman | Five assists from 100 NHL assists |
| Mitch Marner | Four goals from 100 NHL goals |
| William Nylander | One goal from 100 NHL goals |
| Morgan Rielly | Three points from 300 NHL points |
| Jason Spezza | Four games from 100 games as a Maple Leaf |
| Joe Thornton | Two assists from 1,100 career NHL assists |
RECENT MILESTONES
| Zach Bogosian | 200th NHL point (April 2 at WPG) |
| Alex Galchenyuk | First goal as a Maple Leaf (April 4 at CGY) |
| John Tavares | 800th NHL point (April 5 at CGY) |
INJURY REPORT
NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS
| None | |
BLUE JAYS SIGN ROSS ATKINS TO CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Toronto Blue Jays today announce that Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager, Ross Atkins has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the organization.
“Simply put, Ross makes the Blue Jays better. I am extremely pleased that he will continue leading our Baseball Operations group during this exciting era for our players, staff, and most importantly, our fans, as we move closer to building a sustainable championship contender for years to come,” said Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays.
“Coming to Toronto with my family has enriched our lives in countless ways and having the opportunity to remain a Blue Jay is something I do not take for granted,” said Ross Atkins, Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Edward Rogers and the Rogers executive team, Mark Shapiro, and the talented individuals that I am fortunate enough to work with every day. I cannot wait to continue our pursuit to bring World Series Championships back to Canada and celebrate with our fans when that day comes.”
Atkins was hired by the Blue Jays in December 2015 after spending 15 seasons in Cleveland’s front office. With Toronto, Atkins has led the club to two postseason appearances in five years (2016, 2020) and played an integral role in shaping the team’s player development philosophy and capabilities. He is the seventh General Manager in franchise history.
– BLUE JAYS –
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