Author: mook557hotmailcom

MAVERICKS AT RAPTORS PREGAME NOTES: Dallas goes for eighth straight road win, which would equal the franchise record.

RAPTOR NOTES • The Toronto Raptors play the first of a back-to-back when they host the Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. Following the game, Toronto will head to Indiana to play the Pacers Monday night. The Raptors dropped the first meeting of the season against the Mavericks last month in Dallas 110-102. Despite the loss, Toronto has won seven of its last nine games vs. Dallas, including three of the last four. Fred VanVleet recorded 24 points and seven assists in the November loss. • Toronto won is fourth consecutive game – and third straight at home – Friday night vs. Washington. Raptors starters combined for 96 of the team’s 122 points. Over its four-game win streak, Toronto is averaging 119.3 points while shooting .469 from the field. Kyle Lowry is averaging 20.8 points, 9.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in the team’s last four victories. • The Raptors currently rank second in the NBA averaging 9.6 steals in December (10 games), behind only Chicago (10.4). Norman Powell leads the team with 17 steals this month. Toronto had more steals than its opponent in 10 straight games (Nov. 29 – Dec. 18). It was the longest streak in the NBA team this season and was the second-longest such stretch in Raptors history. Toronto had more steals than its opponent in 11 consecutive games in 2007–08. Patrick McCaw had three of the team’s six steals Friday night vs. Washington, marking a season high. • Serge Ibaka made his first start of the season Friday night, recording his third double-double in his last four games. In those four games, Ibaka is averaging 18.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. • The Raptors shot 40 per cent (12-30) from behind the arc Friday night. Toronto currently sits third in the NBA in three-point percentage (.378) behind Miami (.385) and Utah (.383). Terence Davis ranks seventh among NBA rookies with a .405 three-point percentage. • Patrick McCaw has played at least 20 minutes in four straight games for the first time since March 2018, when he had a streak of five consecutive games with 20 or more minutes with the Golden State Warriors. • Toronto forced 17 turnovers Friday night leading to 20 points. The Raptors currently rank second in the league averaging 19.9 points off of turnovers behind Chicago (22.0 points). • Delon Wright returns to Toronto for the first time since being traded to Memphis along with Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles and a second-round pick in exchange for Marc Gasol last season. Wright averaged 6.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 17.5 minutes in 172 games with the Raptors. • December is Toronto’s busiest month of the season with 16 games and includes three back-to-back sets. The Raptors’ 11 games at Scotiabank Arena tie the franchise record for most home games in a calendar month – Toronto also played 11 games at home in March 2016. For the first time the Raptors will play at home Christmas Day when they host the Boston Celtics. • Pascal Siakam is one of five players in the NBA averaging 24.0+ points, 8.0+ rebounds and 3.0+ assists this season, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic and Karl-Anthony Towns. No Raptor has ever averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists throughout an entire season.

PROBABLE STARTERS

F – PATRICK McCAW #22 • Made first start of the season Dec. 20 vs. Washington; scored a season-high 11 points in 34 minutes. • Missed 17 games (Nov. 6 – Dec. 9) earlier this year following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. • Averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 25.1 minutes in 32 career games as a starter.

MIN: 23.0 REB: 1.9 AST: 1.6 STL: 1.0 TO: 1.4 BLK: 0.0 PTS: 4.0

F – OG ANUNOBY #3 • Finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes of play Dec. 20 vs. Washington. • Toronto is 14-2 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points (Last: 18 – Dec. 20 vs. Washington). • Shooting .594 (19-for-32) from the field over the last three games (Dec. 16-20).

MIN: 30.0 REB: 5.7 AST: 1.7 STL: 1.2 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 11.6

C – SERGE IBAKA #9 • Recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes in his first start of the season Dec. 20 vs. Washington. • Has led the reserves in scoring a team-high 13 times. • Averaged 16.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 29.5 minutes in 51 starts for Toronto last season.

MIN: 23.2 REB: 7.6 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.5 TO: 2.0 BLK: 1.1 PTS: 13.6

G – KYLE LOWRY #7 • Tallied team highs of 26 points and nine assists in 41 minutes Dec. 20 vs. Washington. • Passed Antonio Davis (110) for third on the Raptors’ all-time double-doubles list Dec. 18 at Detroit. • Averaging 17.4 points and 8.1 assists in nine games (Dec. 3-20) since returning from a left thumb injury.

MIN: 37.6 REB: 5.0 AST: 7.4 STL: 1.2 TO: 3.0 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 19.5

G – FRED VANVLEET #23 • Totaled 18 points and career-high nine rebounds Dec. 20 vs. Washington in his return to the lineup. • Ranks fifth in NBA in minutes per game (36.5) and ranks 11th in assists per game (7.1). • Toronto is 8-2 this season when VanVleet scores 20 or more points (Last: 20 – Dec. 5 vs. Houston).

MIN: 36.5 REB: 4.0 AST: 7.1 STL: 2.0 TO: 2.3 BLK: 0.1 PTS: 18.0


INJURY REPORT Marc Gasol (Left hamstring; strain) – Out Stanley Johnson (Left groin; stress reaction) – Out Norman Powell (Left shoulder; subluxation ) – Out Pascal Siakam (Groin; stretch) – Out Matt Thomas (Left middle finger; distal phalanx fracture) – Out

NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Dallas Mavericks Date: Sunday, December 22 Tip-Off: 3:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN

SERIES RECAP VS. DALLAS

OVERALL HOME ROAD 2019-20 0-1 0-0 0-1 ALL-TIME 20-26 13-9 7-17 STREAKS Lost 1 Won 4 Lost 1

LAST WIN: January 27, 2019 (123-120)

LAST HOME WIN: October 26, 2018 (116-107)

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +22, 2X – last: March 13, 2017

LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -28, November 7, 2009

LAST TIME V. DALLAS GAME 12 – NOVEMBER 16, 2019 DALLAS 110, TORONTO 102

DALLAS — Luka Doncic had 26 points and 15 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 110-102 … Doncic scored nine points in the fourth quarter … He made all seven free throws in the quarter and finished with a career-best 15 free throws in 19 attempts … Delon Wright finished with 15 points, and banked in a fadeaway with 5 seconds left in the third quarter to send Dallas into the fourth with a 78-77 edge … Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and matched his career best with 15 rebounds for Dallas … Seth Curry scored 15 points, and Dorian FinneySmith and Maxi Kleber had 10 apiece … For Toronto, Norman Powell scored a season-high 26 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter … Fred VanVleet added 25 points, Pascal Siakam had 15, and Matt Thomas scored 10 … The Mavericks used a 15-0 run in the first quarter to transform a 10-3 deficit into an 18-10 lead … Dallas led 32-22 after the first quarter, with Doncic scoring 14 points … The Raptors roared back in the second quarter, shooting 61% (14 for 23) and outscoring the Mavericks 38 -21 for a 60-53 halftime lead … Powell scored eight points in a 13-4 run that took Toronto from four points down five points ahead at 49-44.

1 2 3 4 TOT

TORONTO 22 38 17 25 102

DALLAS 32 21 25 32 110
NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Indiana Pacers Date: Monday, December 23 Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (ET) Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse Television: Sportsnet Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto

DALLAS MAVERICKS

PROBABLE STARTERS PLAYER / 2019-20 REGULAR SEASON AVERAGES NOTES #10 Dorian Finney-Smith F • 6-7 • 220 • Florida/USA

PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG

8.6 5.2 1.3 0.7 0.4 28.1

Last Game: Finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 31 minutes at PHI (12/20/19). Notes: The Mavs are 10-1 this season when he scores 10+ points … played in 200th career came vs. LAC (11/26/19) … led DAL in games played in 2 of his first 3 seasons (81 in both 2016-17 and 2018-19).

#6 Kristaps Porzingis F • 7-3 • 240 • Cajasol Seville/Latvia

PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG

17.6 9.5 1.4 0.6 2.1 31.2 Last Game: Scored 22 points to go with a career-high 18 rebounds and 3 blocks at PHI (12/20/19). Notes: Has posted 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a career-best 4 straight games (12/14-12/20/19) … DNP in 2018-19 (left ACL surgery) … named NBA All-Star in 2018 (averaged a career-high 22.7 ppg).

#7 Dwight Powell C • 6-10 • 240 • Stanford/Canada

PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG

8.0 5.0 1.4 0.8 0.5 25.6

Last Game: Recorded 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes at PHI (12/20/19). Notes: Increased his scoring average in each of his first 5 seasons (3.1 ppg in 2014-15, 5.8 ppg in 2015-16, 6.7 ppg in 2016-17, 8.5 ppg in 2017-18, 10.6 ppg in 2018-19).

#11 Tim Hardaway Jr. G • 6-5 • 205 • Michigan/USA

PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG

13.5 2.5 1.7 0.6 0.1 25.8

Last Game: Finished with 27 points (7-11 3FGs), 4 rebounds and an assist in 32 minutes at PHI (12/20/19). Notes: Scored 31 points at HOU (11/24/19), his highest-scoring game with DAL … has posted 7 games with 20+ points this season (DAL is 7-2 in those games) … in 2018-19, averaged a career-high 18.1 ppg with NY and DAL.

#13 Jalen Brunson G • 6-1 • 190 • Villanova/USA

PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG

8.3 2.7 3.6 0.5 0.0 17.8

Last Game: Scored 11 pionts to go with 7 assists and 3 rebounds in 25 minutes at PHI (12/20/19). Notes: DAL is 10-3 this season when he scores in double figures … recorded his first double-double of the season at MIL (12/16/19) and his second in his next game vs. BOS (12/18/19) .

INJURY REPORT

Seth Curry (low back tightness) is probable; Luka Doncic (right ankle sprain) is out; Delon Wright (right 5th finger sprain) is probable.

STREAK BUSTERS: The Mavericks snapped the Bucks’ 18-game win streak – which was tied for the 11th-longest in NBA history – with a 120-116 victory at Fiserv Forum on 12/16/19. It was the longest win streak broken up by Dallas in franchise history. The previous longest was 12 games, which the team accomplished twice during its championship season in 2010-11 (Dallas ended San Antonio’s 12-game win streak on 11/26/10 and also snapped Miami’s 12-game run on 12/20/10). It was also the second double-digit win streak Dallas ended in 2019-20 (the Mavericks snapped the Lakers’ 10-game win streak with a 114-100 win at STAPLES Center on 12/1/19). The 2010-11 season was the only other year Dallas snapped multiple win streaks of 10-plus games. What’s more, the Mavericks broke up the Bucks’ 18-game win streak without their leading scorer, Luka Dončić, who was out with a right ankle sprain. Dallas became the first team in NBA history to end a win streak of 15-plus games without its leading scorer (in terms of total points). The Mavericks have now snapped a double-digit win streak eight times in franchise history. The first time they busted a win streak of 10-or-more consecutive games was with a 135-109 victory over Denver at home on 4/9/88. All of the other instances since have occurred on the road. The Mavericks followed up their road victory over the Bucks on 12/16/19 by handing the Sixers just their second home loss of the season with a 117-98 win at the Wells Fargo Center on 12/20/19 (Philadelphia moved to 14-2 at home in 2019-20).

LONGEST WIN STREAKS BROKEN BY THE DALLAS MAVERICKS SEASON DATE TEAM SCORE GAMES 2019-20 12/16/19 @ Milwaukee 120-116 18 2010-11 12/20/10 @ Miami 98-96 12 2010-11 11/26/10 @ San Antonio 103-94 12 2001-02 4/14/02 @ Sacramento 113-100 11 1992-93 4/24/93 @ Houston 128-123 11 2019-20 12/1/19 @ L.A. Lakers 114-100 10 2003-04 12/12/03 @ L.A. Lakers 110-93 10 1987-88 4/9/88 vs. Denver 135-109 10

DALLAS’ IMPRESSIVE ROAD START IN 2019-20: The Mavericks have gone 11-2 (.846) on the road to start the season. The only other year Dallas won 11 of its first 13 road games was in its championship season in 2010-11 (the Mavericks also started 11-2 on the road that year). The Mavericks won their first four road contests in 2019-20 (at New Orleans 10/25/19, at Denver 10/29/19, at Cleveland 11/3/19, at Memphis 11/9/19), marking just the second time in franchise history they started a season 4-0 on the road. The only other year they won four-or-more consecutive road games to begin a season was in 2002-03 (Dallas started 7-0 on the road that year). Dallas also became the only NBA team to win its first four road games in 2019-20. After dropping two in a row on the road (at on Boston 11/11/19 and at on New York 11/14/19), the Mavericks have rattled off another seven consecutive road wins from 11/24-12/20/19 (with victories over Houston on 11/24/19, Phoenix on 11/29/19, the L.A. Lakers on 12/1/19, New Orleans on 12/3/19, Detroit in Mexico City on 12/12/19, Milwaukee on 12/16/19 and Philadelphia on 12/20/19). The seven-game road win streak is tied for the third-longest road win streak in franchise history. The team-record is eight consecutive road wins (twice). Below is a list of the longest road win streaks in Mavericks history, as well as a list of some of the more notable wins by Dallas in 2019-20.

NOTABLE ROAD WINS BY DALLAS IN 2019-20 LONGEST ROAD WIN STREAKS BY DALLAS DATE/OPP. SCENARIO RESULT SEASON DATES STREAK 10/29 @ DEN Nuggets entered undefeated (3-0) on the season W, 109-106 2010-11 11/20/10 to 12/27/10 8 11/24 @ HOU Rockets went in riding a 6-game home win streak W, 137-123 2001-02 1/15/02 to 2/12/02 8 12/1 @ LAL Lakers entered riding a 10-game win streak and a 9-1 record at home W, 114-100 2019-20 11/24/19 to 12/20/19 7* 12/16 @ MIL Bucks went in riding an 18-game win streak, including a 13-game home win streak W, 120-116 2002-03 10/30/02 to 11/27/02 7 12/20 @ PHI 76ers entered with a 14-1 record at home W, 117-98 2000-01 12/15/00 to 1/10/01 7 *Active streak PORZINGIS RECORDS 4TH STRAIGHT 20-POINT, 10-REBOUND GAME: Mavericks forward/center Kristaps Porzingis has recorded a career-best four consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound efforts from 12/14-12/20/19. Prior to his current four-game run, Porzingis had gone for 20/10 in back-to-back games twice in his career (once as a rookie with the Knicks from 11/21-11/23/15 and once earlier this season from 11/14-11/16/19). The 7-3 Latvian has also posted at least 20 points and eight boards in each of his last five contests (12/12-12/20/19). His career-long 20-point streak is six games, which he accomplished with the Knicks in 2017-18 (11/3-11/15/17). Porzingis is averaging 22.6 points, 13.0 boards and 2.6 blocks per game over his last five games (12/12-12/20/19).

BRUNSON NAMED SPORTING NEWS COLLEGE BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE DECADE: Mavericks second-year guard Jalen Brunson was recently named the Sporting News college basketball Athlete of the Decade. The former Villanova guard started 115 of 116 games in his three-year college career, winning two national championships with the Wildcats in 2016 and 2018. As a junior in 2017-18, Brunson was named the Consensus National College Player of the Year. He also took home the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. The Wildcats posted a 103-13 (.888) overall record with Brunson in the lineup, including a 13-1 (.929) mark in NCAA Tournament games.
LUKA’S 20-5-5 STREAK: Mavericks second-year guard Luka Dončić recorded a streak of 20 consecutive games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists from 11/1-12/12/19, before seeing that run come to an end after suffering a right ankle sprain less than 2 minutes into the game vs. Miami on 12/14/19. The 20-game run by the 20-year-old is the longest such streak since the ABA/NBA merger (1976-77). In fact, the five next longest streaks since the merger were all achieved by players 26-or-older – by Michael Jordan at age 26, Russell Westbrook at ages 26, 28 and 29, and LeBron James at age 33. What’s more, Oscar Robertson (twice) is the only other player in NBA history to produce a 20-5-5 streak of 20-or-more consecutive games. Robertson had a 25-game run from ages 24 to 25 in 1963-64. “The Big O” also had a 29-game run from ages 25 to 26 in 1964-65, which stands as the longest 20-5-5 streak in NBA history.

MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH 20 PTS, 5 REB & 5 AST SINCE ABA-NBA MERGER (1976-77)
MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH 20 PTS, 5 REB & 5 AST IN NBA HISTORY RANK PLAYER SEASON DATES STREAK RANK PLAYER SEASON DATES STREAK 1 Luka Donić 2019-20 11/1/19 to 12/12/19 20 1 Oscar

MARLIES 7, BELLEVILLE 3: “First period was tough, we got into some penalty trouble. I thought the second period, we responded really well. We kind of got through it, Woll did a good job and our penalty kill did a great job getting us through those tough 20 minutes and then we had a couple of tough shifts in the d-zone. Gaudet’s line did a really good job of giving us some hard minutes and getting the game kind of going in the right direction. Then we come up with a goal in the shift after that. I thought we got better throughout the second, throughout the third, guys really kind of buckled down.” –GREG MOORE.

TORONTO MARLIES (18-7-2-1 – 39 Points) vs. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (17-11-1-0 – 35 Points)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019

 123OTFINAL
TORONTO133–7
BELLEVILLE210–3

GAME SUMMARY    |    GAME SHEET |    PHOTOS    |      SCRUMS

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: P. Aberg (11) (N. Petan, T. Liljegren), D. Archibald (7) (G. Wilson), T. Liljegren (3) PP (A. Brooks, N. Petan), N. Petan (3) PP (J. Bracco, T. Liljegren), K. Agostino (15) (K. Kossila), H. Elynuik (2) (N. Petan, P. Aberg), M. Marchment (2) PS
Goaltender: J. Woll (28/31)

Belleville: J. Norris (13) (D. Batherson), D. Batherson (12) (V. Abramov, T. Bourque), F. Chlapik (3) (R. Balcers, M. Veronneau)
Goaltender: F. Gustavsson (11/15), J. Daccord (3/5)

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Pontus Aberg scored 26 seconds into the first period. He later added the secondary assist on Elynuik’s third period goal. Aberg leads the Marlies in points (26) in 23 games.
  • Darren Archibald scored at 7:28 of the second period. Archibald has nine points (7 goals, 2 assists) in 20 games this season.
  • Timothy Liljegren scored on the power play at 13:14 of the second period. He registered the secondary assists on Aberg’s first period goal and Petan’s second period. This is Liljegren’s first career AHL three-point game. Liljegren has 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 25 games this season.
  • Nic Petan scored the game-winning goal on the power play at 13:39 of the second period. He also recorded the primary assists on Aberg’s first period goal and Elynuik’s third period goal and the secondary assist on Liljegren’s second period goal. This is his second four-point game in six games this season. He’s registered eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in two games against Belleville.
  • Kenny Agostino scored at 1:52 of third period. Agostino is tied for third overall in the AHL in goals (15).
  • Hudson Elynuik scored at 6:25 of the third period. Elynuik has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 25 games this season.
  • Mason Marchment scored on a penalty shot at 16:19 of the third period. Marchment has three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in seven games this season.
  • Garrett Wilson picked up lone assist on Archibald’s second period goal. Wilson has 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) in 25 games.
  • Adam Brooks recorded the primary assist on Liljegren’s second period goal. Brooks has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.
  • Jeremy Bracco registered the primary assist on Petan’s second period goal. Bracco has 22 points (3 goals, 19 assists) in 28 games this season.
  • Kalle Kossila had the lone assist on Agostino’s third period goal. This was his first game of the season.
  • Joseph Woll stopped 28 of 31 shots he faced. Woll is now 6-4-1-1 on the season with a 0.899 Save Percentage and a 3.07 Goals Against Average. This was Woll’s second straight start against Belleville.

OF NOTE…

  • This was Greg Moore’s first game behind the bench for the Toronto Marlies. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on December 1 that Greg Moore was named head coach of the Marlies.
  • Pontus Aberg’s opening goal was the fastest (26 seconds) scored to open a game by Toronto this season.
  • Timothy Liljegren and Nic Petan’s second period power play goals are the two fastest consecutive goals (25 second) scored this season.
  • Toronto last scored on a penalty shot (R. Hamilton) on February 27, 2013 in a 2-1 win against Rochester.
  • Toronto was 7-for-7 on the penalty kill and was 2-for-5 on the power play. This is the most penalties by Toronto in a game. This is Toronto’s seventh multi-power play goal game.
  • Belleville had a 31-23 edge in shots in all situations. Adam Brooks led the Marlies with four shots on goal.
  • The Marlies are 8-3-2-1 against North Division opponents and are 3-1-0-0 against the Belleville Senators. Toronto has outscored Belleville 19-12.

REGULAR SEASON LEADERS

  • Goals: K. Agostino (15)
  • Assists: J. Bracco (19)
  • Points: P. Aberg (26)
  • PPG: K. Agostino,E. Korshkov (4)
  • Shots: P. Aberg (71)
  • +/-:  B. Harpur (+13)
  • PIMS: G. Wilson (58)

RECORD WHEN…

  • Toronto is 13-3-1-1 when scoring first.
  • The Marlies are 7-3-1-0 when trailing after the first period and 11-0-0-0 when leading after the second period.
  • Toronto is 12-3-1-1 when outshot by their opponent.
  • The Marlies are 8-2-1-1 in Saturday games and are 4-4-0-0 in December.

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

  • Kenny Agostino has points (2-1-3) in three consecutive games.
  • Adam Brooks has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.

MARLIES UPDATES.

  • Kevin Gravel (illness) did not dress for today’s game against Rockford.
  • Egor Korshkov (lower leg laceration) did not dress for today’s game against Rockford. Heleft Toronto’s game against San Antonio on December 8 in the first period and did not return.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

  • December 20: Returned forward Adam Brooks on loan from Toronto (NHL).
  • December 20: Returned defenceman Martin Marincin on loan from Toronto (NHL).
  • December 19: Recalled forward Adam Brooks on loan from Toronto (NHL).
  • December 19: Reassigned defenceman Joseph Duszak by Toronto (NHL) from Newfoundland (ECHL).
  • December 19: Signed forward Giovanni Fiore to PTO.

   POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On Toronto’s comeback after being down after the first period:
First period was tough, we got into some penalty trouble. I thought the second period, we responded really well. We kind of got through it, Woll did a good job and our penalty kill did a great job getting us through those tough 20 minutes and then we had a couple of tough shifts in the d-zone. Gaudet’s line did a really good job of giving us some hard minutes and getting the game kind of going in the right direction. Then we come up with a goal in the shift after that. I thought we got better throughout the second, throughout the third, guys really kind of buckled down. I know it’s the one game on the weekend before the break but I thought their execution and their ability to find their game after the first was really good.

On establishing flow with the number of special team opportunities: 
It’s for sure tough and the players depending on where they are in special teams, they’re having a difficult go getting into a flow of the game. The third period was a little better in terms of that but it was tough. I’m really proud of how the players kind of managed that and got through it.

On Timothy Liljegren’s play (1 goal, 2 assists):
Really good. He distributes the puck well, he exits the puck well. He gets our game transitioning in a real positive sense. He makes plays to the middle of the rink, he gets pucks to the right guys and collects some points.

On Kossila’s return to play following injury:
Thought he was really impressive for his first game back for not having played so long. Some of the real simple little plays out of our d-zone through the middle of the rink, real subtle but he makes them look real easy which is what’s special about his talent.


NEXT GAME:

December 26 vs Belleville – 3:00 p.m. ET (Scotiabank Arena)
December 27 at Laval – 7:00 p.m. ET
December 28 at Laval – 3:00 p.m. ET
December 31 vs Charlotte – 3:00 p.m. ET
January 3 at Syracuse – 7:00 p.m. ET

MAPLE LEAFS 4, RED WINGS 1 QUOTES: “There are always important saves in a game and that ended up being one very early on. I’ve sat on the bench watching Freddy make some big saves early on. This game I tried not to overthink things and just relax and let the game come to me.” –MICHAEL HUTCHINSON

HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE

On what went into tonight’s win:

There’s a lot, obviously. We got the saves early, we clearly needed that. And then we just needed some time to find our game. This is a tough game today. There’s a lot of mental challenges and hurdles for our team coming into the game. You look at the fact that we’ve been rolling pretty well as a group and how the game went against Detroit last time we played them. We’re playing back-to-back, they’re here fresh and haven’t played since Tuesday. A lot of different things there. Then you’ve got the [Hutchinson] and the back-to-back factor, all that stuff. There’s a lot of things there for us. Obviously, we didn’t like how we dealt with it early, but once we found our game – in particular in the third period – I thought we were looking good.

On getting Hutchinson his first win:

It’s huge. It’s huge, of course, and all the attention will be on Hutch and I recognize, of course, why that has been a story. But, it’s also for our group. It’s not just Hutch that hasn’t done well in these games. Our team hasn’t done well in these games. It’s important for us to get a good result. In particular, with how it went in the third period especially, a lot of good things for us there that hopefully we can move past this whole thing for us now and it becomes any other game the way that it should be.

On what led to shuffling lines in the second period:

I just felt we kind of needed to mix it up a little bit and try to just change the chemistry and try to spark something and try to accept the rhythm of the game.

On if there were things missing from Kapanen and Nylander’s performances when they got less ice time in the second period:

Yes, there was. That line I just thought they didn’t get much going offensively. They were getting stalled in the neutral zone a lot. Also, I just didn’t really like the other lines and how things were moving so I just wanted to mix things up. I thought we got some really good shifts in that second period from the Gauthier line. I just kind of shortened things up and some guys didn’t play as much as others.

On if moving Marner and Hyman to Matthews’ wing was in the back of his mind or a spur of the moment idea:

I’ve got a number of things that are in the back of my mind all the time. It just kind of felt, like I said, like the Matthews line was getting stalled. I thought the Tavares line was doing fine. The Matthews line didn’t have much going on and I wanted to give Matthews a chance to get going and try to change that chemistry a little bit. I thought that with Mikheyev and Engvall with Tavares — I thought I could still trust that group playing against the Larkin line just fine. It worked out for today.

MICHAEL HUTCHINSON (29 SAVES)

On a making a couple big saves early to set the tempo:

It was big. There are always important saves in a game and that ended up being one very early on. I’ve sat on the bench watching Freddy make some big saves early on. This game I tried not to overthink things and just relax and let the game come to me. Like I said before the game, I feel like I’m in a good headspace right now, so I came in relaxed, waiting for the game to come to me. Once you do that the team that we have, once we have a little momentum going, we’re a tough team to stop. I was fortunate enough that I thought the guys played great, big blocked shots, we were back-checking and making them earn their chances and I was able to make some stops and in the third period we were able to open it up a bit.

On some of the challenges he faced earlier in the year:

It’s a challenge. I think I was doing a good job about it. Getting sent down is always difficult so then regaining and getting back into that good headspace is a process and you can’t do it on your own. It takes conversations with a lot of people. Steve [Briere] and I have a good relationship so it’s good to talk to him about things. There are other people in the Leafs and Marlies organization that you’re able to talk to openly and honestly and get yourself back into that good headspace where you’re able to feel good about yourself and feel positive and ready to play at your best when you get that opportunity.

ZACH HYMAN (2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST)

On if he thought his first goal was a goal prior to the review:

I thought it was going to be a penalty shot when they called the trip, so I didn’t see it go in or anything like that. Then I heard the buzzer and I’ve got a chance and then they called it a goal. I was happy, obviously.

On his backhand goal in the third period:

Yeah, it was a great way by Auston, kind of delaying and buying time. Then I was able to get some speed on it. I thought I was by myself there, so I just wanted to throw the back hand on net, and it went in.

MITCH MARNER (2 ASSISTS)

On the decision to switch up line combinations during the game tonight:

I think just the first period we were controlling the puck but making some careless plays and making some bad changes. We weren’t really playing too smart with the puck, but I think in the second and third we got control of it. In the second I still think we were a little reckless with it but it’s a big win for us. [Hutchinson] played great behind us there tonight so big credit to him.

On what playing with Matthews can do to opposing defences:

Hopefully scare them, I guess. We want to be a line that’s out there and that holds the puck and creates a lot of offence but, at the same time, we want to be responsible with that puck and make sure we’re responsible in our D-zone, covering our guys, getting back, helping out and not taking too long of shifts. Thought in the second and third we had good puck movement together, I thought we created a lot of offensive chances. It was a good game for us.

AUSTON MATTHEWS (2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST)

On Hyman scoring his backhand goal after being switched onto his wing:

I thought I was playing with Patrick Kane out there down the left wing. I don’t know, I think so far in the month that Sheldon [Keefe] has been here, he’s got a pretty good feel for the game and doesn’t mind switching things up. I think as players you don’t mind to see that if maybe something’s not working on a particular night to switch it up and see if you can kind of get something going. Tonight it worked.

On how it feels to get a win for Hutchinson:

It felt great. I mean, he made some unbelievable saves, especially early on in the game, they got behind us there — a couple breakaways — and then the second period, we were just not taking care of the puck in the neutral zone. He stayed with it. He made some big saves for us and I think everybody here is extremely happy for him. Obviously, you could hear the crowd chanting his name. It was just an awesome moment for him and an awesome moment for everybody.

MAPLE LEAFS 4, RED WINGS 1 POSTGAME NOTES: Hutchinson stops 29 shots to earn the win. Hyman and Matthews each has two goals and an assist.

DETROIT RED WINGS (9-25-3 – 21 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19-14-4 – 42 Points)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019

 123OTFINAL
DETROIT001–1
TORONTO013–4

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY


ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Zach Hyman opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 17:10 of the second period and later scored the Maple Leafs’ third goal of the night at 8:51 of the third period before adding a secondary assist on Auston Matthews’ second third period goal. Tonight’s game is his second multi-goal and second multi-point performance of the season. Hyman has four points (2-2-4) over his last four games. He has three goals and an assist in five games on home ice this season. Hyman has scored six goals in nine games during the month of December. Tonight’s game ties Hyman’s single-game career-high for points with three (Previous: March 25, 2019 vs. FLA).
  • Auston Matthews scored Toronto’s second goal of the game on the power play at 2:18 of the third period and later had the lone assist on Hyman’s third period goal before adding Toronto’s fourth goal of the game at 13:39 of the third period. Matthews has points (4-3-7) in three consecutive games. Tonight’s game is Matthews’ sixth multi-goal and 13th multi-point game of the season. His six mutli-goal performances are tied for the most in the NHL this season. He has 19 points (12 goals, 7 assists) in 14 career games against Detroit, which is his highest point total against a single opponent. 
  • Morgan Rielly had the lone assist on Hyman’s second period goal. Rielly has three assists over his last four games. He has three assists in three games against Detroit this season. In 13 games against Atlantic Division opponents, Rielly has recorded 10 points (2-8-10). With his assist in the second period, Rielly tied Phil Kessel for 23rd on the Maple Leafs’ all-time assist register with 213.
  • John Tavares registered the primary assist on Matthews’ first third period goal. Tavares has four points (1-3-4) in three games against the Red Wings this season. He has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 10 games against Atlantic Division opposition.
  • Mitch Marner collected the secondary assist on Matthews’ first third period goal and later had the primary assist on Matthews’ second third period goal. Marner has points (4-8-12) in seven consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his sixth multi-assist and ninth multi-point game of 2019-20.
  • Michael Hutchinson stopped 29 shots to earn the victory.

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

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
DETROIT10 (10)13 (11)7 (4)–30 (25)
TORONTO10 (8)6 (4)7 (5)–23 (17)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
DETROIT15 (15)24 (20)13 (9)–52 (44)
TORONTO25 (23)15 (13)11 (9)–51 (45)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home9-4-4 (17 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Detroit293-281-93-5 (672 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Detroit at Home:175-108-47-3 (333 Games)
Record vs. Eastern Conference10-9-4 (23 Games)
Record vs. Metropolitan Division7-5-1 (13 Games)
Attendance19,080

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots4 (Matthews)
Shot Attempts7 (Mikheyev)
Faceoff Wins9 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Engvall – 1 won, 0 lost)
Hits4 (Muzzin)
Blocked Shots2 (Barrie)
Takeaways3 (Dermott)
TOI22:49 (Rielly)
Power Play TOI2:29 (Barrie)
Shorthanded TOI2:09 (Marner)
Shifts26 (Rielly)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage69.2% (Hyman – 18 for, 8 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first12-3-1
Tied after 18-5-2
Lead after 214-1-2
Score one power play goal8-3-2
Allow one power play goal7-6-3
Outshooting opponent10-4-1
Saturday8-2-2

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and went 1-for-2 on the power play tonight.
  • At 17:10 of the second period, a video review was initiated to determine whether or not a Zach Hyman shot crossed Detroit’s goal line before the net came off its moorings. Video review determined that the puck completely crossed the Detroit goal line before the net came off its moorings. Result: Goal Toronto
  • Frederik Gauthier and Trevor Moore were the lone Maple Leafs to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
  • Morgan Rielly was on the ice for a team-high 23 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Rielly finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 47.9 percent (23 for, 25 against).
  • John Tavares won 71 percent (5 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Monday, December 23, 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
  • Friday, December 27, 7:00 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
  • Saturday, December 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. New York Rangers (Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590 The FAN)
  • Tuesday, December 31, 6:00 p.m. at Minnesota Wild (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
  • Thursday, January 2, 8:00 p.m. at Winnipeg Jets (TSN4, FAN 590)

Maple Leafs: Hutchinson Gets Saturday Start in Must-Win Scenario — The HockeyDraft.ca Blog

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson is still looking for his first win of the season and he’ll have a chance Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year-old has six starts this season and will head for his seventh on this, the first day of winter. That’s also 346 days away from his most […]

Maple Leafs: Hutchinson Gets Saturday Start in Must-Win Scenario — The HockeyDraft.ca Blog

Woz Blog: How Raptors roster shakes out post-injuries — Toronto Sun

So, now we have the first idea of how Nick Nurse is going to try to get by without key starters Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol and minus top reserve guard Norman Powell, who had been playing the best basketball of his career starting in place of Fred VanVleet. Nurse favourite Patrick McCaw drew into…

Woz Blog: How Raptors roster shakes out post-injuries — Toronto Sun

RED WINGS AT MAPLE LEAFS PREGAME NOTES: Mitch Marner is averaging 0.52 primary assists per game, which ranks eighth among NHLers who have appeared in at least 20 games. He leads NHLers who have appeared in 25 or fewer games in primary assists (13). Tied for second in the NHL in takeaways (38). Averages 4.48 takeaways per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks second among NHLers who have skated in at least 20 games.

DETROIT RED WINGS (9-24-3 – 21 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (18-14-4 – 40 Points)

DECEMBER 21, 2019 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET/HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA

▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus DETROIT

ALL-TIME RECORD:292-281-93-5 (671 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:174-108-47-3 (332 Games)
2018-19:2-0-0
LAST FIVE:3-0-2
LAST 10:7-1-2

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus DETROIT

GAMES PLAYED:Morgan Rielly (26), John Tavares (24), Jason Spezza (23)
GOALS:Auston Matthews (10), John Tavares (10), Jason Spezza (8)
ASSISTS:John Tavares (24), Morgan Rielly (12), Jason Spezza (9)
POINTS:John Tavares (34), Jason Spezza (17), Auston Matthews (16)
PENALTY MINUTES:Mitch Marner (10), Jason Spezza (10), Jake Muzzin (9)

MAPLE LEAFS – RED WINGS TEAM STATS

 TORONTODETROIT
GOALS FOR (Rank):120 (t-3rd)79 (31st)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       113 (t-23rd)140 (31st)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):20/96 [20.8%] (12th)19/115 [16.5%] (25th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):83/108 [76.8%] (t-25th)80/109 [73.4%] (30th)
SHOTS (Rank):1209 (4th)1019 (29th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):1836 (1st)1403 (28th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):52.7% (5th)46.7% (29th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):52.3% (4th)48.8% (t-24th)

MAPLE LEAFS – RED WINGS NOTES

FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS:January 4, 1927 at Detroit (Toronto 2, Detroit Cougars 1)
ALL-TIME RECORD:292-281-93-5 (671 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME:174-108-47-3 (332 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD:118-173-46-2 (339 Games)
LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT ON THE ROAD:December 23, 2018 (Toronto 5, Detroit 4 OT)

MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. RED WINGS

Trevor MooreFirst NHL game (Dec. 23, 2018 vs. DET)
First NHL point (Assist) (Dec. 23, 2018 vs. DET)
Jake Muzzin100th NHL game (Jan. 18, 2014 (LAK) at DET)
First game as a Maple Leaf (Feb. 1, 2019 at DET)
Morgan Rielly100th NHL game (Dec. 10, 2013 at DET)
100th NHL assist (Oct. 18, 2017 vs. DET)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS21 (Matthews)
ASSISTS20 (Marner, Rielly)
POINTS38 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS11 (Matthews)
SHORTHANDED POINTS2 (Engvall, Kapanen)
PIMs24 (Muzzin)
SHOTS131 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%58.9% (Gauthier)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %55.7% (Matthews, Nylander)
BLOCKED SHOTS62 (Ceci)
TAKEAWAYS38 (Marner)
HITS80 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME24:26 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME2:55 (Marner)
SH TOI PER GAME3:08 (Ceci)


MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Is 8-4-3 at home this season with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
– Has made 10 career appearances against the Red Wings and is 9-0-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.- Leads the NHL in wins (18).- First in the NHL in saves (823) and second in even-strength saves (694).- Tied for third in the NHL in shootout saves (11).
Tyson Barrie– Averaging 14.2 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time, which is the seventh-highest average among NHL defencemen who have appeared in 30 games.
– Has been on the ice for the sixth-most shot attempts for (696) among NHL skaters.
– Has an on-ice shot attempt differential of plus-130, which is tied for eighth among NHL defencemen.
Cody Ceci– Has an on-ice goal differential of plus-seven at even-strength, which is tied for the third highest even-strength goal differential among Toronto skaters.- Ninth among NHL skaters in shorthanded time on ice (112:38).- Has played 61.3 percent of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time, which is tied for the 11th-highest shorthanded time on ice percentage among NHLers who have appeared in at least 30 games.
Justin Holl– Has started his 44.1 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest mark among Toronto defencemen who have appeared in at least 10 games.- Has an unblocked shot attempt percentage of 52.8 percent at 5-on-5, which is tied for the second-highest percentage among Toronto defencemen who have appeared in at least 10 games.
Michael Hutchinson– Sixth among NHL goaltenders who have appeared in fewer than 10 games in saves (197).
Zach Hyman– Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 52.9 percent, which ranks 10th among Toronto skaters who have played 10 games.
– Averaging 15:36 per game in even-strength ice time, which ranks seventh among Maple Leafs.  
Kasperi Kapanen– Has a pair of assists in two games against Detroit in 2019-20.- Seventh among Toronto skaters in even-strength points (6-8-14).- Has played 36.3 percent of the Maple Leafs’ shorthanded ice time, which ranks fourth among Toronto forwards.
Alex Kerfoot– Sixth among Toronto skaters in even-strength goals (5).- Lone Toronto forward to have recorded at least 20 hits (27) and 20 blocked shots (23) this season.
Mitch Marner– Averaging 0.52 primary assists per game, which ranks eighth among NHLers who have appeared in at least 20 games.- First among NHLers who have appeared in 25 or fewer games in primary assists (13).- Tied for second in the NHL in takeaways (38). Averages 4.48 takeaways per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks second among NHLers who have skated in at least 20 games.- Ninth among NHL forwards in shifts per game (25.5).
Auston Matthews– Tied for fourth among NHL skaters in goals (21).- Second among NHL skaters in even-strength goals (16).- 12th among NHL skaters in even-strength points (16-11-27).-  Ninth in the NHL with 131 shots on goal.- Has an on-ice goals-for percentage of 59.2 percent at 5-on-5, which is third among Toronto skaters.
Ilya Mikheyev– Averaging 9.1 shots on goal per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which is tied for the second-highest average among NHLers who have played at least 60 shorthanded minutes.- Leads all NHL rookies in shorthanded ice time (72:20).- Leads NHL rookies and is third among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (6-14-20).
Jake Muzzin– Has drawn nine penalties this season, which leads Toronto defencemen and is tied for ninth among NHL defencemen.- Averages 0:47 in ice time per shift, which is tied for the fourth-lowest average shift length among defencemen who average at least 21:00 per game in ice time.
William Nylander– Has recorded nine primary assists, which is tied for third among Toronto skaters.  – Averages 2.29 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks fifth among Maple Leafs skaters.- Has recorded 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 15 career games against Detroit, which is tied for his second highest point total against a single opponent.
Morgan Rielly– Tied for 16th among NHL defencemen in points (3-20-23).- Tied for 11th among NHL defencemen in even-strength points
(3-14-17).- Tied for fourth among NHL defencemen in assists recorded at 5-on-5 (13).- Ranks 12th among NHL skaters in TOI per game (24:26).- Tied for eighth among NHL skaters in shifts per game (28.5).
Jason Spezza– Averaging 2.37 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which is tied for third Toronto skaters.- Averaging 1.31 primary assists per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time in 2019-20, which leads the Maple Leafs and is the seventh-highest average among NHLers who have appeared in at least 20 games.
John Tavares– Has three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in two games against Detroit this season and has 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 24 career games against the Red Wings. – Averaging 17.01 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is the fourth-highest average among NHL centres who have appeared in 20 games.- Averaging 9.04 shots on goal at 5-on-5 per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks 14th among NHL centres who have appeared in 20 games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 54.9 percent, which ranks fourth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least 20 games. 

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Mitch MarnerHas points (4-6-10) in six consecutive games.
Auston MatthewsHas points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games.
Ilya MikheyevHas goals (3) and points (3-1-4) in three consecutive games.
William NylanderHas assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Alex KerfootThree points from 100 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES

Frederik Andersen200th NHL win (December 14 at Edmonton)
  

INJURY REPORT

Andreas Johnsson (Leg)On injured reserve.
Trevor Moore (Shoulder)On injured reserve.
 Man Games Lost: 74

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

December 19Recalled forward Adam Brooks and defenceman Martin Marincin from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
December 18Loaned forward Adam Brooks and defencemen Timothy Liljegren and Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
December 17Recalled forward Adam Brooks from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
December 16Recalled defencemen Timothy Liljegren and Martin Marincin from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.

RED WINGS NOTES

LAST GAME DET 3 vs. CBJ 5 (12/17/19) 1ST PERIOD: DET Erne (Nielsen, Perlini) 5:11-EV; CBJ Atkinson (Dubois, Jones) 11:02-EV; CBJ Bjorkstrand (Nyquist, Jenner) 12:06- EV; DET Erne (Glendening, Bowey) 17:17-EV 2ND PERIOD: DET Bertuzzi (Larkin, Hronek) 1:58-PP; CBJ Stenlund (Atkinson, Jones) 6:54-PP 3RD PERIOD: CBJ Dubois (Texier) 1:19-EV; CBJ Nyquist (Bjorkstrand) 19:53-EN SHOTS: DET 21 (4-6-11) / CBJ 39 (13-14-12)

GOALIES: DET Bernier (L, 34-38) / CBJ Korpisalo (W, 18-21) PP: DET 1-3 / CBJ 1-2

MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since) Danny DeKeyser – Back (28 / Oct. 23) Jonathan Ericsson – Upper Body (10 / Dec. 17) Jimmy Howard – Mid-Body (8 / Nov. 29) Total Man Games Lost: 137 Individual Man Games Lost: Trevor Daley (20), Justin Abdelkader (15), Luke Glendening (11), Mike Green (8), Adam Erne (8), Anthony Mantha (8), Patrik Nemeth (6), Andreas Athanasiou (4), Frans Nielsen (4), Givani Smith (3), Filip Hronek (2), Dennis Cholowski (1), Darren Helm (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS 12/14 – Assigned D Dylan McIlrath to Grand Rapids…Removed RW Antony Mantha from IR 12/16 – Placed G Jimmy Howard on LTIR retroactive to 11/27…Placed D Jonathan Ericsson on IR 12/17 – Recalled D Brian Lashoff from Grand Rapids…Assigned G Jimmy Howard to Grand Rapids for conditioning 12/19 – Lost G Eric Comrie on waivers to WPG…Recalled G Calvin Pickard from Grand Rapids

RED WINGS at MAPLE LEAFS TONIGHT: 672nd all-time game, 333rd in TOR…3rd of 4 games this season, 1st of 2 in TOR

ALL-TIME vs. TOR: 286-285-93-7 / ROAD: 111-171-47-3 / LAST 10: 3-6-1 / IN 2018-19: 2-1-1 / THIS SEASON: 0-2 DET top scorers vs. TOR: Mike Green (5-20-25 in 42 GP), Frans Nielsen (10-8-18 in 41 GP), Dylan Larkin (6-7-13 in 17 GP), Justin Abdelkader (5-4-9 in 23 GP), Valtteri Filppula (4-5-9 in 27 GP)

TOR top scorers vs. DET: John Tavares (10-24-33 in 24 GP), Auston Matthews (10-6-16 in 13 GP), Jason Spezza (8-9-17 in 23 GP), Morgan Reilly (4-12-16 in 26 GP), Tyson Barrie (4-7-11 in 14 GP)

MILESTONES: Mike Green scored his 1st NHL goal on 2/3/06 vs. TOR (with WSH)…Darren Helm recorded his 1st career hat trick on 3/29/14 at TOR…Dylan Larkin scored in his NHL debut on 10/9/15 vs. TOR…Filip Hronek had his 1st NHL assist/point on 10/11/18 vs. TOR…Christoffer Ehn had his 1st NHL assist/point (10/11/18 vs. TOR) and goal (12/23/18 at TOR) against TOR.

NOTES: DET G Jonathan Bernier spent 3 seasons in TOR, compiling a 59-68-17 record, 2.81 GAA, 0.915 save percentage and six shutouts in 151 games from 2013-16…DET D Trevor Daley grew up in Toronto, where he played in his 1,000th NHL game on 12/23/18…DET G Calvin Pickard spent the 2017-18 season in TOR’s organization, playing 1 NHL game for TOR and winning a Calder Cup with the AHL Marlies, posting a 21-9-1 record in 33 regular-season games…TOR F Auston Matthews (2013-15) is a graduate of the U.S. NTDP in Ann Arbor/Plymouth, MI…TOR F Zach Hyman was Dylan Larkin’s linemate at the University of Michigan in 2014-15 and totaled 89 points (35-54-89) in 151 games at the school from 2011-15…TOR F Jason Spezza started his pro career with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins by skating in 3 playoff games in 2001-02…TOR president Brendan Shanahan won three Stanley Cups with DET and amassed 633 points (309-324-633) in 716 games from 1996-06. RECENT RECAPS Dec. 17 vs. CBJ – 5-3 L DET fell to 0-2 against CBJ this season and has lost 6-straight home games to CBJ…Adam Erne scored twice, marking his 1st points with DET and 1st goals since 3/5/19 vs. WPG (with TB)…Erne’s 2-goal game marks his 6th career multi-point game and 3rd multi-goal game…Madison Bowey picked up an assist to give him 3 points (1-2-3) in 2 games…Tyler Bertuzzi stretched his point streak to 3 games (2-1-3), his 4th such streak this season…Since 1999-00, only 6 Red Wings have reached 40 career goals quicker than Bertuzzi (164 games): Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin and Athanasiou…Filip Hronek logged an assist to become the 4th DET D since 1979-80 to record 30-or-more assists in his first 80 career games, joining Nicklas Lidstrom (49), Yves Racine (43) and Jeff Sharples (32).

HEATING UP DET’s Filip Zadina has found the back of the net in 2 of his last 4 games. After starting the season by producing 13 points (7-6-13) in 20 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, Zadina ranks as one of the NHL’s top rookies since his initial callup on 11/24. Below is a look at the top point-producing rookies since that date:

RAPTORS 122, WIZARDS 118 QUOTES: “We won the game. That helps. It’s going to be a work in progress and I think guys will continue to get more comfortable every game. We are going to continue to have to have guys step up.” –KYLE LOWRY

(8-19) WASHINGTON WIZARDS, 118 VS. (20-8) TORONTO RAPTORS, 122 SCOTIABANK ARENA FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019

TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES

NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)

On the return of Fred VanVleet … Yeah, I think he was a smidge, just, off a little bit. He got to the rim some, which you know, some quickness, which was good. Yeah, it’s definitely good to have him out there though for sure.

On tonight’s game … It was okay. Obviously I thought we came out with great energy, the ball was going in, (and) we were flying around really good. We had 25 deflections in the first half, which is a huge number, but that’s about where it stayed. I think the second half we were moving. We never really got into a rhythm on either end, defensively or offensively. We gave up 66 in the second half. Give them some credit – they made a bunch of shots and we probably waited a little long on the blitzing, but when we did blitz they made some shots and plays out of that too, so (we) hung on for the win. Any win is tough in this league, that’s for sure, especially when you’re missing half of your team.

On the bench … Those guys have had some great times … They played it about even when you look at the plus minus. It felt like to me we were trading buckets. That’s kind of what we were doing. I didn’t think they played as well defensively as they have in the past, and a lot of that was, I thought, that they committed a bunch of fouls. It was Chris (Boucher), Terence (Davis), Chris, Terence. It was just foul, foul, foul there for a while, so those are mistakes, but I’ve got to look at it. I think I said to the staff after the game, “We had those guys really flying around and playing awesome.” But I think it might have been in some of our other defences, you know, when we were out in L.A. and Portland we were playing a lot of the box-and-one, triangle-and-two, and maybe that frees them up just to kind of fly around. They will and they will play hard and they’ll make plays, and I just think they just got caught up. Washington was executing well and we didn’t quite get there, (but) again, I have to look at the tape before I say too much.

KYLE LOWRY (26 points, nine assists, four rebounds)

On working in a new starting five… We won the game. That helps. It’s going to be a work in progress and I think guys will continue to get more comfortable every game. We are going to continue to have to have guys step up.

Is there an urgency to get your game back on track? I’ll be all right. I’ll be ready to go. I’m going to do what I gotta do and help our team win games. Tonight was a good effort by everybody to kind of get themselves going and having Freddie back definitely helped a lot. So it’s one of those things where Serge (Ibaka), is getting in the lineup and then Malcom (Miller) getting a little more comfortable, TD’s (Terence Davis) got to get a little more comfortable, and Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson), Pat (McCaw). You know, we’ve gotta get guys more comfortable in their own skin and just going out there and hooping.

FRED VANVLEET (18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists)

How important was it to get back on the floor with recent injuries? It was very important. I was turning that corner anyway. For three of our top five, six guys to go out all in one game, it’s not very fortunate for our ball club, but (I) tried to get back out there with the guys and give us a better chance to win. I’d like to think that I increased our chances of winning tonight, regardless of how ugly it was. I just want to be out there with the guys.

What changed in the second half? It’s the ups and downs of the game. We kind of had a dry spell on offence and Bradley (Beal) got hot. They started smacking in some threes and they got a little bit of momentum and they got hot, so we have to do a better job. (We’ll) look at the tape and see how we can keep continuing to get better on defence, but just finding ways to win is the most important part.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS QUOTES

SCOTT BROOKS (HEAD COACH)

On the team’s fight tonight… That’s what we do. We fight, we claw, we don’t make any excuses but we can’t get down 40-23 in that first quarter. It always seems to be one quarter. Two nights ago it was the fourth quarter. Lots of times it’s the second quarter, tonight it was the first. We fought back and we clawed our way back in. We had a great look, not a good look – a great look by one of the best shooters on the planet to put us up three with three minutes to go and then it would have been really interesting. They come down with a guy (Patrick McCaw) that we’re somewhat comfortable taking a three and he makes it. That’s what it is, it comes down to a lot of the times making a shot. I’m proud of our guys. We competed and gave ourselves a chance to win the game. That’s what we have to do and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.

On the play of Admiral Schofield… He’s hungry and you win and you get better by being hungry, and he’s hungry. He wants to get out there. He loves his opportunities; he gets down on the court anywhere, whether it’s with the Go-Go or with us he wants to get better and he’s challenged himself to compete every minute and I love that about him. He’s undersized, he’s playing the five and I think he’s maybe 6’5 but he’s competing. He’s giving himself a chance. It doesn’t matter how big you are, it’s how much are you willing to lay out on the line every night. That’s what it’s about. You can be a smaller player at your position and have a long career if you do that, and that’s why he’s going to have a long career.

BRADLEY BEAL (37 points, six assists, seven rebounds)

What ultimately decided the game tonight? I felt like we should have won. We had enough flow and juice to win. I think down the stretch we kind of got away from ourselves, we weren’t defending. They made some tough shots down the stretch too, that Pat McCaw three hurt, a couple of big plays Kyle (Lowry) made down the stretch too and we were fouling a lot. So, I think the fouls took us out of the game.

When you were down 18, did you feel you had enough to come back? Yeah, because I knew I wasn’t being aggressive as I should have been. I just came out in the third and just wanted to do that, set the tone and get us going, and see what we could get. Sure enough we were back in the game.

On the play of Schofield… I love him. He competes the hardest on this team. He doesn’t care about getting the ball, he doesn’t care about stats or nothing like that. He goes out and hits people. That’s what he does, he goes out and hit people, he’s physical and he makes an impact in the game. He made some big threes tonight too. I just tell him all the time to stay ready, he’s taking advantage of his opportunity and coach is going to continue to play him because he plays his ass off. I love him. We all love him. Just let him continue to get better, stay humble and continue to work.

ISH SMITH (26 points)

Can you describe the type offensive rhythm you were in tonight? To be honest with you, I missed some of the easy ones yesterday (Wednesday), that I kind of get a little frustrated when I miss some easy ones that I usually make, and so tonight I’m thankful, thank God, we put in the work, me and Corey (Gaines) and the coaching staff put in the work and make shots. Winning and losing, there’s no moral victories. This is something you think about when you’re 40 years old and in your rocking chair with your wife and your kids, right now it’s turn the page and try to figure what we can do and how we can get better moving forward with Philly. That’s a really good team, we’re playing the defending champions and I thought we fought, played hard. Again, it’s no moral victories but we did a great job. I thought we competed, we played hard and just came up short.

LEAFS 6, RANGERS 3 QUOTES: “I think we controlled the puck. We didn’t throw it away. Kept the pedal down. It’s something we’ve just got to make sure we keep doing in the thirds. It’s something that we haven’t been consistent at. We’ve just got to make sure we keep the pedal down in the thirds. Make sure we’re trying to give teams no space.”–MITCH MARNER.

HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE

On tonight’s third period performance:

Well, you know what, I thought like we’ve talked about in some of the previous games when the third periods haven’t gone well that the second period is maybe when some of the issues started to come up. I thought some of the positives of the second period today – which I thought there were lots – carried through to the third period. Obviously, we got a good start and the puck went in the net for us. That helped, but there were a lot of really good signs for our team in terms of how we retained the puck, which I thought was a real key to this game, in particular. When their team has the puck, they’re a tough team to deal with and I thought we handled that well.

On the team not getting discouraged after the Rangers came from behind twice:

Yeah, the message was just to keep going and stay with it. That was the challenge for us. And the guys did, and it worked out for us.

On what he had seen from Nylander coming into tonight:

You know, I talked with him, we actually met this morning. He didn’t feel like he had a great trip out west, in particular. He said he just didn’t feel good, didn’t feel right, but liked his practice and the work that he had done back in Toronto and was excited to get back and playing. So, you know, we met and talked about some things but really, I thought that Will had a much better here game you today and he got rewarded for it.

On if there’s anything he sees in Nylander’s game when he’s at his best:

Yeah, there were times today where he was doing that, which was just that he has the puck a lot in the offensive zone and guys come to try to get it away from him and he’s evading the check, he’s hanging on to the puck, he’s really difficult to knock off the puck. That’s when I really see his game kind of rounding out and a lot of it’s just because of how he protects the puck. When it’s not going well for him those pucks good off his stick too quickly.

MITCH MARNER (2 GOALS)

On tonight’s win:

I think we controlled the puck. We didn’t throw it away. Kept the pedal down. It’s something we’ve just got to make sure we keep doing in the thirds. It’s something that we haven’t been consistent at. We’ve just got to make sure we keep the pedal down in the thirds. Make sure we’re trying to give teams no space.

On if the team did a good job eliminated what the Rangers wanted to do offensively:

Yeah, I think we had some shifts where we did do that and some shifts where we didn’t. That’s going to happen in the game, it’s going to go the opposite way sometimes. I think we did a good job of bouncing back every time. Like I said, that was a big third period for us. We’ve got to make sure we come out and do that every time.

WILLIAM NYLANDER (2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST)

On the performance of his line tonight:

I think we were moving the puck, we were skating a lot, trying to play tight in the D-zone to get transitions, which we got a few of.

On the contributions of the third and fourth lines:

It’s huge when they come up with goals like that. We need guys that can score when we’re getting deep into the playoffs. The third and fourth line are going to be crucial for us, too.

On the third period:

I think we just had a different mentality tonight. We knew it was tied 3-3 and we had to go out and get the game.

JOHN TAVARES (5 SHOTS ON GOAL)

On the importance of the fifth goal to the team:

It was a great play by [Marner]. Anytime you’re able to extend your lead, especially once you get into the third period, it goes a long way. So, big goal by him. Really stepped up there for the group and gave us the lead and kind of the confidence to then just continue to stay on it and not give them a whole lot knowing they needed two.

On what scoring two quick goals in the third period did for the team’s mindset:

Well, we want to score on all of our opportunities. So whether we’re up a goal or down a goal or up two goals, we want to continue to put the pressure on and play our type of game. Keep the puck, create the chances when we can get them and capitalize when we get our opportunities and obviously, we want to create as many as we can.

RAPTORS 122, WIZARDS 118 POSTGAME NOTES: Fred VanVleet returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous five games with a right knee contusion and had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists.

FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 122, WASHINGTON WIZARDS 118

DATE: DECEMBER 20, 2019 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)

FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS Washington 118 8-19 Beal – 37 Bertans – 8 Beal – 6

Toronto 122 20-8 Lowry – 26 Ibaka – 10 Lowry – 9

KEY RUN With the game tied 109-109, the Raptors went on a 7-1 run to lead by six with two minutes remaining … Washington pulled with two with 1.1 seconds left, but Fred VanVleet clinched the win at the free throw line. KEY STAT The Raptors set season highs in both free throws made and attempted (34-for-44) … Washington shot 75 per cent (24-for-32) at the foul line … Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka attempted 11 and 10 free throws, respectively.

RAPTORS NOTES: • With the win, Toronto improves to 20-8 this season and 12-3 at home … The Raptors have won four in a row (Dec. 14-20), including three straight games at Scotiabank Arena … Toronto is now 6-4 in the month of December. • Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Raptors are 16-3 vs. Washington during the regular season and have won the last four meetings at home. • All five Toronto starters scored in double digits, combining for 96 points. • The Raptors scored a season-high 40 points in the first quarter. • Kyle Lowry led the Raptors in scoring for the fifth time this season with 26 points (7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 9-11 FT) … Lowry added a game-high nine assists and four rebounds in 41 minutes. • Serge Ibaka recorded his third double-double in the last four games (Dec 14-20) with 23 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in 36 minutes in his first start of the season. • The Raptors had six players score double figures – Lowry (26), Ibaka (23), OG Anunoby (18), Fred VanVleet (18), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (14) and Patrick McCaw (11) … VanVleet returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous five games with a right knee contusion … McCaw’s 11 points were a season high in his first start of the season. • Rookie Terence Davis ll is the only Raptor not to miss a game this season.

WIZARDS NOTES: • With the loss, Washington falls to 8-19 on the season and 4-12 on the road … The Wizards have dropped their last two games (Dec. 18-20) and are now 2-8 in the month of December. • The Wizards outscored Toronto 25-16 on the fast-break. • Bradley Beal led all scorers with 37 points (12-24 FG, 3-10 3PT, 10-12 FT) – his 12th 30-point game of the season … Beal added seven rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes. • Ish Smith scored a season-high 26 points (9-9 FG, 4-4 3PT, 4-4 FT) in 30 minutes off the bench. • The Wizards had five players score in double digits – Beal (37), Smith (26), Isaiah Thomas (13), Troy Brown Jr. (11) and Davis Bertans (10). = 2019-20

MAPLE LEAFS 6, RANGERS 3 POST GAME NOTES: Pierre Engvall opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 9:38 of the first period. Engvall has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) over his past three games.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 6 (18-14-4 – 40 Points) vs.
NEW YORK RANGERS 3 (16-14-4 – 36 Points)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019

ON THE SCORESHEET
Pierre Engvall opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 9:38 of the first period. Engvall has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) over his past three games. Tonight’s goal is his first point against an Eastern Conference opponent in six games. He has registered all six of his points (2-4-6) on the road in 2019-20.
William Nylander scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 11:52 of the first period and later had the secondary assist on Mitch Marner’s second period goal before scoring the fourth Toronto goal of the night at 2:10 of the third period. Nylander has assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his third multi-goal and fifth multi-point performance of 2019-20. In five career games at Madison Square Garden, Nylander has registered four goals and three assists.
Mitch Marner scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night on the power play at 2:50 of the second period before adding the fifth Maple Leafs goal of the night at 2:57 of the third period. Marner has points (4-6-10) in six consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his second multi-goal and eighth multi-point performance of 2019-20. He has 14 points (7-7-14) in 11 games on the road this season.
Ilya Mikheyev collected the secondary assist on Engvall’s first period goal and later scored the sixth Toronto goal of the game at 16:23 of the third period. Mikheyev has goals (3) and points (3-1-4) in three consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his sixth multi-point performance of the season. He has 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 20 road games.
Justin Holl registered the primary assist on Engvall’s first period goal. Holl has three assists over his last five games. He has recorded eight (1-7-8) of his 11 points on the road this season. He has two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in two career games at Madison Square Garden.
Kasperi Kapanen recorded the lone assist on Nylander’s first period goal. Kapanen has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in 10 games against Metropolitan Division opponents this season. He has 15 points (6-9-15) in 20 games on the road.
Auston Matthews registered the primary assist on Marner’s second period goal and later had the primary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Matthews has points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his third multi-assist game of the season and his 12th multi-point game of 2019-20. Eleven of Matthews’ 17 assists have been primary assists, which is the second highest primary assist total among Toronto skaters.
Travis Dermott picked up the secondary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Dermott has four points (2-2-4) in seven games against Metropolitan Division teams this season. Five (2-3-5) of his six points have come on the road this season.
Alex Kerfoot had the lone assist on Mikheyev’s third period goal. Kerfoot has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) over his last three games. He has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in five career games against the Rangers. Toronto is 5-2-1 when Kerfoot records a point this season.
Frederik Andersen stopped 19 shots to earn his League-leading 18th win of the season.

Record on the Road
10-10-0 (20 Games)
All-Time Record vs. New York
288-222-95-10 (615 Games)
All-Time Record vs. New York on the Road:
169-94-39-5 (307 Games)
Record vs. Eastern Conference
9-9-4 (21 Games)
Record vs. Metropolitan Division
3-4-3 (10 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
Shots
6 (Marner)
Shot Attempts
8 (Rielly)
Faceoff Wins
9 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage
83% (Gauthier – 5 won, 1 lost)
Hits
4 (Ceci)
Blocked Shots
5 (Muzzin)
Takeaways
2 (Marner, Mikheyev)
TOI
21:59 (Rielly)
Power Play TOI
2:44 (Marner, Matthews, Tavares)
Shorthanded TOI
3:49 (Muzzin)
Shifts
29 (Holl)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage
80% (Barrie – 28 for, 7 against)

RECORD WHEN…
Scoring first
11-3-1
Tied after 1
7-5-2
Tied after 2
5-5-1
Score one power play goal
7-3-2
Do not allow a power play goal
11-5-0
Outshooting opponent
9-4-1
Friday
3-2-0

OF NOTE…
The Maple Leafs went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and went 1-for-3 on the power play tonight.
Toronto won 60 percent (9 won, 6 lost) of their offensive zone faceoffs at 5-on-5.
Tyson Barrie and Morgan Rielly were on the ice for a team-high 28 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Barrie finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 80 percent (28 for, 7 against), while Rielly had a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 77.8 percent (28 for, 8 against).
Zach Hyman and John Tavares started 16.7 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Auston Matthews won 59 percent (5 won, 4 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saturday, December 21, 7:00 p.m. vs. Detroit Red Wings (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Monday, December 23, 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Friday, December 27, 7:00 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
Saturday, December 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. New York Rangers (Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590 The FAN)
Tuesday, December 31, 6:00 p.m. at Minnesota Wild (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)