01/15/2022 06:30 (ET) TOR@MIL Milwaukee Bucks Dowtin, Jeff Out G League – On Assignment Galloway, Langston Out Health and Safety Protocols Holiday, Jrue Out Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Soreness Lopez, Brook Out Injury/Illness – Back; Surgery Toronto Raptors Barnes, Scottie Out Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Injury Management Birch, Khem Out Injury/Illness – Nose; Fracture Bonga, Isaac Out G League – On Assignment Dragic, Goran Out Not With Team Johnson, David Out G League – Two-Way Trent Jr., Gary Doubtful Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Swelling
• The Toronto Raptors (20-19) continue a five-game road trip (Jan. 14-21) Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks (27-17) at Fiserv Forum. The Raptors are 2-0 vs. the Bucks this season. Toronto has won five of their last six games against Milwaukee, including four straight on the road. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are averaging 26.5 and 24.0 points, respectively, against Milwaukee this season. The Raptors play eight-of-10 games on the road to end the month of January (Jan. 14-31). Toronto is 4-2 in the second game of a back-to-back set this season. • Fred VanVleet has made at least four three-pointers in a franchise record 10 consecutive games (Dec. 14 Jan 14) – the longest streak in the NBA this season. VanVleet is averaging 29.0 points and shooting .449 (57-127) from beyond the arc over his last 10 games. Only Stephen Curry and James Harden have longer streaks in NBA history. VanVleet’s 57 three-point field goals is also the franchise record for the most three-pointers made during a 10-game span. • The Raptors (13.4) are currently tied with Memphis for the NBA lead in offensive rebounds per game and rank second (16.8) in second-chance points per game – behind only the Grizzlies (17.7). Through seven games in January, the Raptors have outrebounded opponents 109-to-66 (+43) on the offensive glass. • Pascal Siakam recorded his team-leading ninth double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds Friday night at Detroit. Siakam is currently averaging 20.8 points and career highs of 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He is one of just six players in the NBA averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Nikola Jokic. • Fred VanVleet (3.9) and Gary Trent Jr. (3.5) currently rank second and fourth, respectively, in the NBA in deflections per game. VanVleet has led the NBA in deflections per game each of the past two seasons,while Trent Jr. also ranks fourth in the league in steals per game (1.91) and has recorded multiple steals in 20 games. The Raptors lead the NBA in deflections per game (18.5) and rank third in steals (9.2). • Fred VanVleet was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 3-9) for the first time in his career after leading the Raptors to a perfect 4-0 record, averaging 30.3 points (sixth in the NBA), 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 36.5 minutes. He shot .467 (42-90) from the field, .453 (24-53) from three-point range and was 13-for-13 at the free throw line. VanVleet scored 30+ points three times and recorded his first career triple-double with a season-best 37 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists Jan. 7 vs. Utah. His 37 points was the most scored in a triple-double in franchise history. SECOND GAME OF A BACK-TO-BACK SET (4-2) FG% 3PT% FT% REB AST STL BLK TO PTS RAPTORS .441 .371 .775 47.0 21.7 8.0 6.0 14.3 110.2 OPPONENT .438 .333 .732 45.7 23.8 7.8 6.8 15.3 106.2 PROBABLE STARTERS F – OG ANUNOBY #3
MIN: 36.0 REB: 5.0 AST: 2.3 STL: 1.5 TO: 1.7 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 19.2 • Tallied 16 points, three rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes Jan. 14 at Detroit. • Has scored in double figures in eight straight games (Dec. 28 – Jan. 14), averaging 18.9 points during this stretch. • Averaging 20.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in nine road games this season. F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 35.9 REB: 8.4 AST: 4.6 STL: 1.0 TO: 2.5 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 20.8 • Finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes Jan. 14 at Detroit. • Reached 1,000 career assists against the Pistons, becoming just the 10th Raptor to reach this milestone. • Has nine double-doubles in 26 games this season, something he did 13 times in 56 contests last year. C – PRECIOUS ACHIUWA #5
MIN: 24.4 REB: 7.5 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.6 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.6 PTS: 7.7 • Recorded four points and led the bench with eight rebounds in 24 minutes Jan. 14 at Detroit. • Ranks second among sophomores in rebounding (7.5) – has led the Raptors in rebounding a team-high 12 times. • Averaging 7.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 26.7 minutes in 17 starts this season. G – SCOTTIE BARNES #4
MIN: 35.5 REB: 7.9 AST: 3.5 STL: 1.0 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 14.5 • Contributed eight points, seven rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes Jan. 14 at Detroit. • Leads the Raptors with 95 offensive rebounds; also ranks first among all rookies. • Ranks second among rookies in rebounds (7.9), fourth in assists (3.5), and fifth in scoring (14.5). G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 37.8 REB: 4.9 AST: 6.7 STL: 1.7 TO: 2.6 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 22.1 • Scored a game-high 24 points in 42 minutes Jan. 14 at Detroit; added 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals. • The Raptors are 13-7, including 4-2 this season, when VanVleet records a double-double. • Leads the NBA in minutes per game (37.8), has logged 40+ minutes nine times.
INJURY REPORT Khem Birch (Nose; Broken) – Out Isaac Bonga (G League – On Assignment) – Out Goran Dragic (NWT) – Out David Johnson (G League – Two-Way) – Out Gary Trent Jr. (Left Ankle; Swelling) – TBD
2021-22 Matchups vs. St. Louis: First of Two 2021-22 Record vs. St. Louis: 0-0-0 Toronto Season Record: 23-9-3 Toronto Road Record: 9-5-2 TV: Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050
RECENT TRANSACTIONS January 3, 2022 Defenceman Teemu Kivihalme has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) from the Maple Leafs taxi squad
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 1 at Arizona 2 Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022 TOR Goals: Matthews ARI Goals: Dzingel (2x) TOR Goaltender: Mrázek, 16/18, .889 SV% ARI Goaltender: Vejmelka, 45/46, .978 SV% TOR Power Play: 0-for-2 TOR Penalty Kill: 2-for-2
NEXT GAME Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Opponent: at New York Rangers Time: 7:30 pm ET Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Justin Holl Placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol Ondrej Kaše Placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol Nick Ritchie Placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol
ALL-TIME VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES: First Matchup between Clubs: December 10, 1967 (Toronto 1 at St. Louis 2) All-Time Record: 94-96-25-6 (221 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 60-33-11-5 (109 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 34-63-14-1 (112 Games) Last Road Win vs. Opponent: December 7, 2019 (Toronto 5 at St. Louis 2) Record in Last Five Games: 1-2-2
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES: Games Played: Jason Spezza (32), Wayne Simmonds (25), TJ Brodie (23) Goals: Jason Spezza (7), Wayne Simmonds (7), Jake Muzzin (6), John Tavares (6) Assists: Jason Spezza (13), Wayne Simmonds (7), Jake Muzzin (6) Points: Jason Spezza (20), Wayne Simmonds (14), Jake Muzzin (12) Penalty Minutes: Jason Spezza (16), Wayne Simmonds (16), Jake Muzzin (14)
2021-22 AVERAGES AND RANKINGS Points % GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO% Toronto .700 3.31 2.49 29.6% 82.8% 34.0 31.3 55.4% St. Louis .662 3.41 2.62 29.6% 84.2% 31.9 31.8 49.8%
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22 Power Play: 29/98 (29.6%) Power Play Goal Leader: 8 – Matthews Power Play Point Leader: 15 – Matthews (8G, 7A) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
ON THE PK IN 2021-22 Penalty Kill: 82/99 (82.8%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: 1 – Marner, Holl, Mikheyev Shorthanded Point Leader: 2 – Brodie (2A) 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%)
FAST FACTS Saturday games 11th of 21 (10 home, 12 road) Back-to-Backs played 6 of 11 Record in first game of back-to-back 3-2-1 Record in second game of back-to-back 2-4-0 January games 6th of 10 (3 home, 7 road) RECENT MILESTONES
TJ Brodie Appeared in his 700th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK TJ Brodie Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 14, 2021 at EDM Jack Campbell Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 16, 2021 vs. NSH Pierre Engvall Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK Ondrej Kaše Recorded his 100th career NHL point, Nov. 10, 2021 at PHI Ondrej Kaše Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL Alexander Kerfoot Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26, 2021 at SJS Alexander Kerfoot Recorded his 100th career NHL assist, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT Auston Matthews Recorded his 200th career NHL goal, Oct. 25, 2021 at CAR Morgan Rielly Recorded his 250th career NHL assist, Oct. 27, 2021 at CHI Morgan Rielly Skated in his 600th career NHL game, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL Wayne Simmonds Skated in his 950th career NHL game, Oct. 16, 2021 vs. OTT Jason Spezza Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28, 2021 at ANA John Tavares Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs, Oct. 18, 2021 vs. NYR John Tavares Scored his 100th goal with the Maple Leafs, Nov. 13, 2021 at BUF John Tavares Skated in his 900th career NHL game, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT
UPCOMING MILESTONES TJ Brodie Nine points away from 300 career NHL points David Kämpf Three assists away from 50 career NHL assists Ilya Mikheyev One game away from 100 career NHL games played Jake Muzzin 10 points away from 300 career NHL points William Nylander One point away from 300 career NHL points William Nylander Seven games away from 400 career NHL games played
2021-22 TEAM LEADERS
CATEGORY LEADER CATEGORY LEADER GOALS 24 – Matthews BLOCKED SHOTS 51 – Holl ASSISTS 25 – Rielly TAKEAWAYS 34 – Nylander POINTS 38 – Matthews (24G, 14A) HITS 79 – Ritchie POWER PLAY POINTS 15 – Matthews (8G, 7A) TOI PER GAME 24:01 – Rielly SHORTHANDED POINTS 2 – Brodie (2A) PP TOI PER GAME 3:05 – Marner PIMs 40 – Simmonds SH TOI PER GAME 2:37 – Muzzin SHOTS 143 – Matthews WINS 18 – Campbell FACEOFF% 61.3% – Tavares GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE 2.02 – Campbell SHOT ATTEMPTS% 58.42% – Matthews SAVE PERCENTAGE .935 – Campbell
BLUES NOTES
CURRENT INJURIES None 2021-22 Total Man Games Lost: 83 LAST GAME Blues, 2 vs. Kraken, 1 -The Blues collected their league-leading 13th comeback win of the season -Ville Husso made 31 saves for his 5th win of the season -Pavel Buchnevich scored his 14th goal overall and his 3rd game-winner, which shares 2nd on the team -Robert Thomas scored his 4th goal of the year (3 of the 4 have come at home) BLUES VS. MAPLE LEAFS -Tonight marks the 222nd all-time reg-season meeting between the Blues and Leafs -The Leafs are one of 6 teams the Blues (102-91-25-3) have beaten at least 100 times (VAN, LAK, DET, DAL, CHI) -The Blues dropped the most recent meeting (Dec. 7, 2019), 5-2 at Enterprise Center -Overall, the Blues have won 7 of the last 8 matchups -The Blues and Maple Leafs each share 2nd in the NHL with a 29.6% power play percentage (1. EDM, 30.2%) -Robert Thomas is set to appear in his 200th career game tonight NUMBERS GAME 25 – #25 Jordan Kyrou was recently named to the 2022 NHL All-Star game. This will mark his first NHL ASG appearance. Previously, he participated in the CHL Top Prospects Game in 2016, was an OHL First Team All-Star in 2018 and played in the AHL All-Star Game in 2019 1.12 – Kyrou is averaging 1.12 pts/game this season. The last Blue to average as much or more was Pavol Demitra (1.19) in 2002-03 (min. 30 games played in a season) 200 – Brayden Schenn collected his 200th career goal on Jan. 5, vs. PIT, becoming the 5th different current Blue to reach that plateau (Perron, Neal, O’Reilly, Tarasenko) 274 – The Blues rank 3rd overall with 274 points from forwards (1. FLA, 295) 13 – The Blues are riding a 13-game home point streak (12-0-1)…since Nov. 18, the most home points in the league in that span 13 – The Blues share 1st overall with 13 comeback wins this season, including 11 1-goal comebacks, one 2-goal comeback and one 3-goal comeback (FLA, COL) 241 – Vladimir Tarasenko posted 2 assists vs. DAL on Dec. 14, giving him 241 for his career and passing Red Berenson for 12th on the all-time franchise list 2 – In Tyler Bozak (#2) and Torey Krug (#5), the Blues feature two of the top 5 players in terms of career points among active players that were undrafted (#1 Mark Giordano) 12 – The Blues lead the league with 12 wins (12-5-1) when conceding the first goal 25 – The Blues have scored on the PP in 25 of their 37 games this season and share 2nd overall (29.6%) for conversion rate for the season (1. EDM, 30.2%). The team’s all-time single-season record is 24.6% in 1986-87 1 – The Blues have lost 1 game in regulation this season when keeping the opponents power play scoreless (18-1-5) 6 – Logan Brown’s debut with the Blues marked the sixth different father/son duo to play for the franchise (Logan/Jeff Brown, Mike/BJ Crombeen, Basil/Philip McRae, Peter/Yan Stastny, Peter/Paul Stastny, Bob/Brent Johnson) 4,500 – With their win in the Winter Classic, the Blues reached 4,500 all-time points to become the second non-original 6 franchise to reach that milestone (Philadelphia) St. Louis Blues: Media Notes 428 – David Perron recorded the 428th point of his Blues career at the Winter Classic, moving ahead of Keith Tkachuk for 11th on the all-time franchise list 5 – Perron posted his 5th hat trick as a Blue, on Oct. 23 vs. LA. Perron joined Brett Hull (27), Bernie Federko (11), Brian Sutter (7), Garry Unger (7) Jorgen Pettersson (5) and Brendan Shanahan (5) as the only players in team history with at least 5 hat tricks ARMY CHASING 500 -Blues GM Doug Armstrong is currently in his 12th season as GM -Sitting with 494, he is just 6 wins shy of reaching 500 wins as GM of the Blues -He passed Larry Pleau (486) as the winningest GM in team history back on Dec. 11 -His teams have posted eight 90+-point seasons (2 more shortened season were on pace for 90-plus) -Overall, in 17 seasons as an NHL GM, his teams have missed the playoffs just 3 times -Upon reaching 500, he will become the 25th GM in NHL history to posted as many wins with one franchise -He (704) is one of 20 GMs in NHL history to accrue at least 700 wins overall (1. David Poile, 1,469) SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYING BIG ROLE FOR BLUES -The Blues’ power play shares 2nd in the NHL this season at 29.6% (1. EDM, 30.2%) -The Blues’ home PP (28.6%) ranks 3rd, while their road mark (31.1%) ranks 2nd -The Blues are 16-6-3 this season when scoring at least 1 power play goal -The Blues’ penalty kill shares 5th in the NHL at 84.2% (1. CAR, 90.1%) -Pavel Buchnevich leads the Blues with 13 PP points overall -The Blues feature 7 different players with at least 3 PPG (Saad, Buchnevich, Barbashev, Perron, O’Reilly, Schenn, Kyrou) HOME SWEET HOME -The Blues are 12-0-1 in their last 13 home games (since Nov. 18), outscoring their opponents 51-24 over that span -Their 13-game home point streak is the 3rd longest home point streak in franchise history -The Blues have posted a 15-3-2 record at Enterprise Center this season for 32 points, giving them the 4th-best home pts% (.800) (1. FLA, .870) -The Blues rank 4th overall in home g/g (3.70) and 1st in ga/g (2.15) -Vladimir Tarasenko shares 12th in the NHL this season with 23 points at home (9g, 14a) (1. Huberdeau, 37 points) Longest Home Point Streaks in Franchise History
18-0-3 (21 GP) from Dec. 6, 2011 – Feb. 18, 2012
11-0-3 (14 GP) from Oct. 27 – Dec. 15, 2016
12-0-1 (13 GP) from Nov. 18 – Present KYROU -Kyrou has a 6-game point streak (5g, 7a) -Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues with 37 points (14g, 23a) -His 4 pts (2g, 2a) vs. MIN at Target Field were a league record for a Winter Classic -The Winter Classic marked the second time he has logged 4 pts in under 14 mins of ice time this season Blues with 4 points in under 14 mins of ice time (since 1997-98) Jordan Kyou – 1/1 at MIN (13:38) Jordan Kyrou – 10/18 at ARZ (13:06) Zach Sanford – 11/21 vs. CGY (13:19) Chris Stewart – 12/21 at EDM (13:42) KRUG -Torey Krug completed a full season with the Blues after reaching game 82 last Sunday vs. DAL -Krug posted 52 points and a +25 rating in his first “full season” -Since the beginning of 2020-21, he is one of 11 d-men with atleast 50 pts and a +25 rating -Only two d-men in Blues history have posted 50 pts and a +25 rating in a single season (98-99 Al MacInnis, 62 pts, +33 / 99-00 Chris Pronger, 62 pts, +52) BARBASHEV -Ivan Barbashev has 10 pts (3g, 7a) over his last 8 games -With 29 points (13g, 16a) through 36 games, he has set a new single-season career high -His 13 goals are 4th on the team and are just 1 shy of his career high (14 – 2018-19) -The Blues are 41-5-4 when he scores across his career -Scored his 50th career goal on Nov. 30 vs. TBL TARASENKO -Vladimir Tarasenko ranks 3rd on the Blues with 34 points (14g, 20a) this season -Tarasenko has a 6-game point streak (6g, 5a), scoring at least 1 goal in 5 of those games -He’s posted 5 multi-point efforts over his last 10 games, posting 15 points over that span (7g, 8a) -The Blues are 13-5-2 when has at least a point in a game this season BUCHNEVICH -Pavel Buchnevich has 12 points (3g, 9a) in his last 8 games) -Since Nov. 9, he ranks 5th overall with 32 points (1. Huberdeau, 39) -Since entering the NHL in 2016-17, he is one of 12 former 3rd-round draft picks that has accrued at least 200 points -Buchnevich has posted 20 or more goals in 2 of his last 3 seasons PERRON -David Perron has posted 8 points (2g, 6a) in his last 10 games -Last season, David Perron (58 pts, 56 gms) became the first Blue to post a point-per-game average for a season since Pavol Demitra (1.19 pts/gm in 2002-03) -Perron recorded his 28th career multi-goal game Oct. 16 in Denver and his 29th (hat trick) on Oct. 23 vs. LA (His teams are 25-3-1 when he scores at least twice) -Perron is getting better with age as he has eclipsed 55 points in 3 of his last 4 seasons after doing it once in his first 10 CAPTAIN O’REILLY -O’Reilly has a goal and 3 assists in his last 5 games -O’Reilly ranks 5th in the NHL this season with 406 FO wins (56.3%) (1. Bergeron, 493) -Over the last four seasons, he is one of 9 players with at least 200 points and a +55 rating (Marchand, MacKinnon, Panarin, Stone, Bergeron, Point, Aho, Rantanen) -Since 2018-19, only O’Reilly, Mika Zibanejad and Elias Lindholm have accrued 200 points while averaging over 2 mins of shorthanded ice time per game BERUBE REACHES RARE MILESTONE -On Dec. 29. vs. EDM, Berube recorded his 200th win as a head coach in the NHL, becoming the 7th different coach to win 200 games after playing in at least 1000 games Wins as Coach / Games Played Craig Berube – 204 / 1,054 Randy Carlyle – 475 / 1,055 Bob Pulford – 360 / 1,079 Craig MacTavish – 301 / 1,093 Red Kelly – 278 / 1,316 Brent Sutter – 215 / 1,111 Larry Robinson – 209 / 1,384 MILESTONE WATCH (reg. season) -James Neal is 4 shy of 300 career goals -Brayden Schenn is 9 shy of 100 goals as a Blue -Brandon Saad is 4 shy of 200 career goals…8 shy of 200 career assists -Tyler Bozak is 6 shy of 800 career games -Robert Thomas is 1 shy of 200 career games -Marco Scandella is 3 shy of 100 games as a Blue -Ryan O’Reilly is 7 shy of 900 career games
The view from left field 