Day: December 11, 2021

Jace Frederick: Maybe the Timberwolves should have tanked last spring — Twin Cities

With their team in the midst of another lengthy losing streak, Timberwolves’ fans are currently clinging to hope that help is on the way. Help beyond the likes of point guard D’Angelo Russell, who has missed the last three games with ankle soreness. The Wolves are 0-5 in games he’s missed this season. But beyond…

Jace Frederick: Maybe the Timberwolves should have tanked last spring — Twin Cities

BLACKHAWKS-MAPLE LEAFS pregame notes




2021-22 Matchups vs. Chicago: Second of Two
2020-21 Record vs. Chicago: N/A
Toronto Season Record: 18-8-2
Toronto Home Record: 11-4-1
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
December 7, 2021 Forward Joey Anderson has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL)
December 7, 2021
Defencemen Alex Biega and Kristians Rubins and forward Alex
Steeves have been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL)
December 5, 2021
Goaltender Michael Hutchinson has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies
(AHL)
December 3, 2021
Goaltender Petr Mrázek has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL)
on an LTIR conditioning loan

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 3 vs. Tampa Bay 5
Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021
TOR Goals: Kaše (2), Nylander
TBL Goals: Bellemare, Stamkos, Palat (2), Raddysh
TOR Goaltender: Campbell, 22/26, .846 SV%
TBL Goaltender: Vasilevskiy, 35/38, .921 SV %
TOR Power Play: 2-for-2
TOR Penalty Kill: 2-for-3

NEXT GAME
Date: Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Opponent: at Edmonton Oilers
Broadcast Information: TSN4 (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)

INJURY REPORT
Travis Dermott (Shoulder)
Mitch Marner (Shoulder) *On Injured Reserve
Ilya Mikheyev (Thumb) *On Injured Reserve
Petr Mrazek (Groin) *On Injured Reserve
Rasmus Sandin (Knee) *On Injured Reserve
Games Lost to Injury: 56

ALL-TIME VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
First Matchup between Clubs: November 17, 1926 (Toronto 1 at Chicago 4)
All-Time Record: 289-265-96-3 (653 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 167-102-54-2 (325 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 123-163-42-1 (329 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: October 9, 2017 (Toronto 4 vs. Chicago 3)
Record in Last Five Games: 2-3-0
Record in Last 10 Games: 4-4-2

ACTIVE LEADERS VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS:
Games Played: Kyle Clifford (30), TJ Brodie (28), Wayne Simmonds (28)
Goals: John Tavares (9), William Nylander (7), Auston Matthews (5)
Assists: Jason Spezza (14), Auston Matthews (10), TJ Brodie (9)
Points: Jason Spezza (18), John Tavares (17), Auston Matthews (15)
Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (30), John Tavares (18), Nick Ritchie (16)

2021-22 AVERAGES AND RANKINGS
Points % GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .679 3.14 2.50 29.1% 81.0% 34.8 31.1 55.4%
Chicago .423 2.12 3.12 17.7% 81.7% 27.7 31.2 48.7%

THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22
Power Play: 23/79 (29.1%)
Power Play Goal Leader: 6 – Matthews
Power Play Point Leader: 12 – Matthews (6G, 6A), Nylander (5G, 7A)
2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)

ON THE PK IN 2021-22
Penalty Kill: 64/79 (81.0%)
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 1 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 1 – Marner (1G), Muzzin (1A)
2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%)

FAST FACTS
Saturday games 8th of 22 (10 home, 12 road)
Back-to-Backs played 5 of 13
Record in first game of back-to-back 2-2-1
Record in second game of back-to-back 2-3-0
December games 6th of 13 (6 home, 7 road)
RECENT MILESTONES

TJ BRODIE Appeared in his 700th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK
JACK CAMPBELL Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 16 vs. NSH
JACK CAMPBELL Recorded his 50th career NHL win, Nov. 18 vs. NYR
PIERRE ENGVALL Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 2 vs. VGK
ONDREJ KAŠE Recorded his 100th career NHL point, Nov. 10 at PHI
ONDREJ KAŠE Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 9 vs. TBL
ALEXANDER KERFOOT Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26 at SJS
AUSTON MATTHEWS
Recorded his 200th career NHL goal, Oct. 25 at CAR. Per NHL Stats,
Matthews required the second-fewest games to reach 200 goals in Maple
Leafs history among players who debuted with the team, trailing only
Charlie Conacher (317 games)
MORGAN RIELLY Recorded his 250th career NHL assist, Oct. 27 at CHI
MORGAN RIELLY Skated in his 600th career NHL game, Dec. 9 vs. TBL
WAYNE SIMMONDS Skated in his 950th career NHL game, Oct. 16 vs. OTT
JASON SPEZZA Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28 at ANA
JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs, Oct. 18 vs. NYR
JOHN TAVARES Scored his 100th goal with the Maple Leafs, Nov. 13 at BUF

UPCOMING MILESTONES
TJ BRODIE One goal away from 50 career NHL goals
TRAVIS DERMOTT One point away from 50 career NHL points
JUSTIN HOLL Eight points away from 50 career NHL points
DAVID KÄMPF Five assists away from 50 career NHL assists
ILYA MIKHEYEV Seven games away from 100 career NHL games played
JOHN TAVARES Three games away from 900 career NHL games played
2021-22 TEAM LEADERS
CATEGORY LEADER CATEGORY LEADER
GOALS 17 – Matthews BLOCKED SHOTS 41 – Holl
ASSISTS 20 – Rielly TAKEAWAYS 28 – Nylander
POINTS
29 – Matthews (17G, 12A), Tavares
(12G, 17A)
HITS 63 – Ritchie
POWER PLAY POINTS
12 – Matthews (6G, 6A), Nylander
(5G, 7A)
TOI PER GAME 24:06 – Rielly
SHORTHANDED POINTS 1 – Marner (1G), Muzzin (1A) PP TOI PER GAME 3:03 – Matthews
PIMs 40 – Simmonds SH TOI PER GAME 2:35 – Muzzin
SHOTS 112 – Matthews WINS 14 – Campbell
FACEOFF% 60.0% – Marner, Tavares GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE 1.99 – Campbell
SHOT ATTEMPTS% 59.09% – Clifford SAVE PERCENTAGE .935 – Campbell
OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY
HOME 3-1-1 6-2-0 2-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
AWAY 1-3-0 6-0-0 0-1-1 0-0-0 0-0-0
TOTAL 4-4-1 12-2-0 2-2-1 0-0-0 0-0-0
MARCH APRIL
HOME 0-0-0 0-0-0
AWAY 0-0-0 0-0-0
TOTAL 0-0-0 0-0-0
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
2-1-0 0-2-1 3-0-0 5-0-0 2-2-0 2-1-0 4-2-1
SEASON SERIES RECORDS

Anaheim Ducks 1-0-0 Nashville Predators 1-0-0
Arizona Coyotes 0-0-0 New Jersey Devils 0-0-0
Boston Bruins 1-0-0 New York Islanders 1-0-0
Buffalo Sabres 1-0-0 New York Rangers 1-0-1
Calgary Flames 1-0-0 Ottawa Senators 1-1-0
Carolina Hurricanes 0-1-0 Philadelphia Flyers 1-0-0
Chicago Blackhawks 1-0-0 Pittsburgh Penguins 0-2-0
Colorado Avalanche 1-0-0 San Jose Sharks 1-1-0
Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0-0 Seattle Kraken 0-0-0
Dallas Stars 0-0-0 St. Louis Blues 0-0-0
Detroit Red Wings 1-0-0 Tampa Bay Lightning 1-1-0
Edmonton Oilers 0-0-0 Vancouver Canucks 0-0-0
Florida Panthers 0-0-0 Vegas Golden Knights 1-0-0
Los Angeles Kings 1-1-0 Washington Capitals 0-0-0
Minnesota Wild 0-0-1 Winnipeg Jets 0-1-0
Montréal Canadiens 1-0-0

2021-22 GAME HIGHS
CATEGORY HOME ROAD
Most Goals, Game 3 – Matthews, Dec. 1 vs. COL
2 – Nylander, Nov. 10 at PHI – Marner, Nov. 21
at NYI – Spezza, Dec. 4 at MIN
Most Assists, Game 4 – Rielly, Dec. 7 vs. CBJ
3 – Sandin, Nov. 24 at LAK – Rielly, Dec. 4 at
MIN
Most Points, Game
4 – Marner, Nov. 6 vs. BOS, (1G, 3A) – Rielly,
Dec. 7 vs. CBJ
3 – Sandin, Nov. 24 at LAK (3A) – Rielly, Dec. 4
at MIN (3A)
Most Shots, Game
8 – Matthews, Oct. 18 vs. NYR, Nov. 12 vs.
CGY, Dec. 1 vs. COL
8 – Nylander, Nov. 26 at SJS – Matthews, Dec.
4 at MIN
Time On Ice, Game 26:23 – Rielly, Nov. 20 vs. PIT 26:55 – Rielly, Dec. 4 at MIN
Most Saves, Game 42 – Campbell, Nov. 6 vs. BOS 39 – Campbell, Nov. 28 at ANA
CATEGORY GAME PERIOD
Most Goals, For 8 – Dec. 1 vs. COL 4 – 2nd, Nov. 24 at LAK
Most Goals, Against 7 – Oct. 23 at PIT 4 – 2nd, Oct. 23 at PIT, 2nd, Dec. 5 at WPG
Most Shots, For 48 – Oct. 14 at OTT 25 – 3rd, Oct. 14 at OTT
Most Shots, Against 44 – Nov. 6 vs. BOS 23 – 3rd, Nov. 6 vs. BOS
Fewest Shots, For 25 – Oct. 25 at CAR 3 – 3rd, Oct. 23 at PIT
Fewest Shots, Against 20 – Nov. 21 at NYI 2 – 2nd, Oct. 18 vs. NYR

BLACKHAWKS


TELEVISION: NBCSCH – Pat Foley (PxP) and Eddie Olczyk (analyst)
RADIO: WGN-AM 720 – John Wiedeman (PxP), Nick Olczyk (analyst) and Joe Brand (studio host)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 13 vs. CGY, 6:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, TUDN Radio Chicago Univision)
Wednesday, Dec. 15 vs. WSH, 7:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, TUDN Radio Chicago Univision)
Friday, Dec. 17 vs. NSH, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, TUDN Radio Chicago Univision)
Saturday, Dec. 18 at DAL, 7:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Tuesday, Dec. 21 vs. FLA, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, TUDN Radio Chicago Univision)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 9 – Acquired forward Kurtis Gabriel from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Chad Krys … Dec. 8 – Recalled forwards Philipp
Kurashev and Mike Hardman from Rockford … Re-assigned defensemen Wyatt Kalynuk and Ian Mitchell to Rockford … Activated forward
MacKenzie Entwistle from LTIR (left ankle) and assigned him to Rockford … Placed forward Jujhar Khaira on IR (concussion protocol).
LAST TIME OUT
Score: Chicago (2) at Montreal (0) – Thurs., Dec. 9, Centre Bell
CHI Goals: Toews (1), Borgstrom (2)
MTL Goals:
Goalies: CHI – Fleury (30/30, 59:37) MTL – Allen (23/25, 57:14)
CHI PP:0/2; PK: 4/4 NYR PP:2/2; PK: 4/4
Recap: Chicago won their seventh straight game in Montreal and stretched their point streak to nine games on the road against the Canadiens … In
those nine skates, the Blackhawks have allowed just one goal per game … Overall, Chicago is 13-2-2 in their last 17 games vs. Montreal … Marc-Andre
Fleury recorded his 500th career win, becoming the third goaltender in National Hockey League history to accomplish the feat … Jonathan Toews
opened the scoring with his first goal of the 2021-22 campaign … He also won 13 of 16 (81 percent) faceoffs against the Canadiens.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Chicago has recorded points (8-0-4) in 12 straight games against Toronto and since the beginning of the 2003-04 campaign, the Blackhawks are 16-2-0-
4) against the Maple Leafs for a .818 points percentage … In those 22 skates since 2003-04, Chicago averages over four goals per game … The clubs
met on Oct. 27 at the United Center with the Leafs winning 3-2 in overtime … Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat registered markers in the game … Seth
Jones notched one of his three multi-assist games in the loss to Toronto … Derek King played for the Maple Leafs from 1997-1999, tallying back-to-back 20-goal seasons during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns.
2021-22 Schedule/Results: HOME: Oct. 27 (L-OT, 3-2) AWAY: Dec. 11
2020-21 Schedule/Results: Did not play.

BLACKHAWKS VS. TOR ALL-TIME
All-Time Record: 268-286-96-4 Home: 164-120-42-3 Road: 104-166-54-1
Last Home Win: Nov. 10, 2019 (5-4) Last Road Win: Jan. 18, 2020 (6-2) Last Home Loss: Oct. 27, 2021 (3-2 OT) Last Road Loss: Oct. 9, 2017 (4-3
OT)


TEAM NOTES
IN FULL BLOOM: Marc-Andre Fleury became the third goaltender in National Hockey League history to reach the 500-win plateau after he shutout the
Canadiens on Thursday evening … He required the fewest games (901) to reach the milestone … Fleury joined Martin Brodeur (908 GP to reach 500)
and Patrick Roy (933 GP to reach 500) in this exclusive club … The Sorel, Quebec native played in his 900th career NHL game on Tuesday against the
Rangers, becoming just the eighth goaltender in NHL history to reach the milestone and the only active goaltender with 900 games played … Dating
back to November 9 (10 appearances), Fleury is 7-3-0 and is sixth in the National Hockey League with a .939 save percentage, fifth with a 1.87 goals-against average and shares second with two shutouts (min. 5 appearances) … He now has 69 career shutouts, good for 14th in league history and two
away from matching Lorne Chabot and Harry Lumley for 12th … Of the goaltenders in the top 14 for most shutouts in league history, seven played at
least part of their career in Chicago … In addition, Fleury is the fourth netminder in team history to post a shutout at the age of 36 or older, joining: Tony Esposito (9), Hugh Lehman (6) and Nikolai Khabibulin (2).
MR. JONES: Seth Jones recorded his 20th assist of the 2021-22 campaign against the Canadiens … Only four different blueliners have required fewer
games in a season than Jones to reach the mark with Chicago: Doug Wilson (17 GP in 1982-83 &19 GP in 1989-90), Pat Stapleton (21 GP in 1968-69
&25 GP in 1969-70), Chris Chelios (25 GP in 1990-91) and Pierre Pilote (25 GP in 1965-66 &1964-65) … Jones logged a three-game point streak (1G,
4A) from Dec. 2-5 and skated in a game-high 28:45 of ice time on Sunday evening … He has skated in 28 or more minutes in five of his last seven
games, appearing in over 29 minutes in three of those contests … The Arlington, Texas native shares third among league blueliners in assists, shares
seventh in points and is fifth among all skaters averaging a career-high 26:00 of ice time per game this season … The last time a Blackhawks
defenseman averaged 26:00 of TOI or more came during the 2011-12 campaign when Duncan Keith averaged 26:54 per game … Jones recorded a
career-long eight-game point streak (2G, 6A) from Nov. 1-20 … The eight-game run is the longest by a defenseman in the National Hockey League this
season.

Ravens promote practice squad offensive tackle, cornerback for game vs. Cleveland Browns — Boston Herald

The Ravens on Saturday activated offensive tackle David Sharpe and cornerback Robert Jackson from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Sharpe, 26, who played nine snaps in a Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, was called up to provide depth along the offensive line. Starting right tackle Patrick Mekari…

Ravens promote practice squad offensive tackle, cornerback for game vs. Cleveland Browns — Boston Herald

Just 10 more, when will Stephen Curry pass Ray Allen for 3-point crown? — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

The question is not if Stephen Curry will pass Ray Allen, but when?

Just 10 more, when will Stephen Curry pass Ray Allen for 3-point crown? — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

MARLIES 4, THUNDERBIRDS 2: Joey Anderson scores 3

TORONTO MARLIES (10-6-1-1 – 22 Points) vs.
SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS (14-4-2-0 – 30 Points)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021

 123OTFINAL
TORONTO031–4
SPRINGFIELD101–2

GAME SUMMARY    |    GAME SHEET |    SCRUMS

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: J. Anderson (6) SH (B. Seney, N. Hoefenmayer), B. McMann (3) PP (J. Ho-Sang, J. Duszak), J. Anderson (7) PP (J. Duszak, J. Ho-Sang), J. Anderson (8) (A. Suomela, J. Kopacka)
Goaltender: E. Källgren (37/39)

Springfield: H. McGing (5) (T. Tucker, S. Santini), D. Callin (1) (G. Luce, N. Albano)
Goaltender: J. Hofer (28/32)

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Joey Anderson put the Marlies on the board with a shorthanded goal at 2:15 and a power play goal at 19:39, both in the second period. He added his third goal of the game at 2:37 of the third period at even strength. This was his first career AHL hat trick. Anderson has points (4-1-5) in his three consecutive games.
  • Bobby McMann scored on the power play at 11:53 of the second period. He has six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 11 games with the Marlies this season.
  • Brett Seney had the primary assist on Anderson’s second period goal. He has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games. Seney has 15 points (9 goals, 6 assists) in 18 games this season.
  • Noel Hoefenmeyer recorded the secondary assist on Anderson’s second period goal.
  • Josh Ho-Sang registered the primary assists on McMann’s second period goal and Anderson’s power play goal in the second period.
  • Joseph Duszak picked up the secondary assist on McMann’s second period goal and the primary assist on Anderson’s power play goal in the second period. He leads all defencemen in assists (16) and has set a career high in assists through 15 games.
  • Antti Suomela had the primary assist on Anderson’s third period goal. This was his first point in his first game of the season.
  • Jack Kopacka recorded the secondary assist on Anderson’s third period goal.
  • Erik Källgren stopped 37 of 39 shots he faced. He is 4-1-0 when facing 30 or more shots in a game. This was his first start since leaving a game on Nov. 17 due to injury.

ON THE ROAD

  • Toronto’s away record is 5-3-0-0 (10 points) this season.
  • The Marlies have outscored their opponents 23-22. Joey Anderson leads the Marlies in goals (5) and Joseph Duszak leads in assists (7) on the road.
  • Toronto’s last hat trick was recorded on the road by Mason Marchment on Feb. 7, 2020 against Belleville.

OF NOTE

  • Toronto went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 2-for-4 on the power play. Toronto has recorded four shorthanded goals this season. This is the second time Toronto has recorded two power play goals in one game this season.
  • Springfield had a 39-32 edge in shots in all situations. Bobby McMann led the Marlies with five shots on goal.
  • The Marlies are 2-0-0-0 against Atlantic Division opponents and 1-0-0-0 against the Springfield Thunderbirds.
RECORD WHEN

Trailing after 1                                     4-5-0-0
Leading after 2                                    7-0-1-1
Scoring on the power play                  6-4-1-0
Not allowing a goal on the power play 6-4-0-0
Outshot by opponent                          7-3-1-1
Friday                                                  3-1-0-0		MARLIES LEADERS

Goals               9 (J. Ho-Sang, B. Seney)
Assists            16 (J. Duszak)
Points              16 (J. Duszak)
PPG                 3 (J. Ho-Sang)
Shots               45 (B. Seney,)
+/-                    +3 (J. Ho-Sang)
PIMS                43 (R. Clune)

POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On Toronto’s power play (2 goals):

It’s been an accumulation of things over some time. They did a really good job of going out and working as a group of five, executing our game plan. They’re starting to get more comfortable inside of the stuff we’ve given them. We had to change a few things but it paid off today. They did a really good job at having an impact and helping us win a hockey game today.

On Joey Anderson’s three-goal performance:
He’s really impressed the staff and the organization with how he conducts himself. Whether he goes up and he comes down, there is no lull in how he approaches what he does day to day. He’s one of our best leaders in the locker room and for him to come back and be as focused and dialled in with how he approaches his own individual game but also how much he cares about the team and leading and saying the right things at the right times, he was phenomenal today. Not just with the points but his attention to details defensively, finishing his hits, just a really tough person to play against, not even just with the points that he had.

On Erik Källgren’s performance:

He makes it look easy. He’s so technically sound. His balance and ability to recover and get to secondary shots and rebounds around the net is really impressive. He made some really big, key saves for us when the game was more within one goal there early and in the middle of the game. He’s found a lot of consistency and that’s because of his habits and his details.

JOEY ANDERSON (3 GOALS)

On his connection with Brett Seney:

It’s awesome. Brett’s one of my best friends off the ice too. The chemistry that we have there just builds on the ice and we both play the game the same way which makes it easy for us and we add different components that complement each other well. We both want each other to succeed which is the best part. I’m excited for him and he’s excited for me when things go our way. We do anything we can for each other.

TRANSACTIONS

December 9: Forward Kurtis Gabriel recalled from loan by Toronto (NHL).
December 9: Defenceman Chad Krys loaned from Toronto (NHL).
December 8: Recalled defenceman Brennan Kapcheck from loan to Newfoundland (ECHL).
December 8: Recalled defenceman Matteo Pietroniro from loan to Newfoundland (ECHL).

UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

December 11 at Bridgeport – 7:00 p.m.
December 12 at Providence – 3:05 p.m.
December 15 vs. Syracuse – 7:00 p.m.
December 18 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.
December 19 at Grand Rapids – 4:00 p.m.