TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (21-14-5 – 47 Points) vs.
MINNESOTA WILD (19-16-5 – 43 Points)
DECEMBER 31, 2019 ▪ 6:00 PM EST
XCEL ENERGY CENTER (ST. PAUL, MN) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus MINNESOTA
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 11-11-0-1 (23 Games) |
| ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD: | 3-6-0-1 (10 Games) |
| 2019-20: | 1-0-0 |
| LAST FIVE: | 3-2-0 |
| LAST 10: | 3-7-0 |
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus MINNESOTA
| GAMES PLAYED: | Jason Spezza (30), Tyson Barrie (29), John Tavares (16) |
| GOALS: | John Tavares (7), Jason Spezza (5), Tyson Barrie (4), Jake Muzzin (4) |
| ASSISTS: | Morgan Rielly (10), Tyson Barrie (10), Jason Spezza (10) |
| POINTS: | John Tavares (15), Jason Spezza (15), Tyson Barrie (14) |
| PENALTY MINUTES: | Tyson Barrie (12), Alex Kerfoot (10), Jason Spezza (8) |
MAPLE LEAFS – WILD TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | MINNESOTA | |
| GOALS FOR (Rank): | 141 (1st) | 124 (t-14th) |
| GOALS AGAINST (Rank): | 129 (26th) | 132 (t-28th) |
| POWER PLAY [%] (Rank): | 26/109 [23.9%] (7th) | 22/126 [17.5%] (21st) |
| PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank): | 89/117 [76.0%] (26th) | 89/114 [78.0%] (24th) |
| SHOTS (Rank): | 1356 (4th) | 1151 (27th) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank): | 2055 (2nd) | 1696 (23rd) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank): | 53.0% (4th) | 48.6% (22nd) |
| FACEOFF % (Rank): | 52.6% (t-3rd) | 48.4% (26th) |
MAPLE LEAFS – WILD NOTES
| FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS: | Oct. 25, 2000 (Toronto 6, Minnesota 1) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 11-11-0-1 (23 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME: | 8-5-0-0 (13 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD: | 3-6-0-1 (10 Games) |
| LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT AT HOME: | Dec. 1, 2018 (Toronto 5, Minnesota 3) |
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. WILD
| Tyson Barrie | First NHL point (Assist) (Feb. 13, 2014 at MIN) |
| Michael Hutchinson | First NHL game (April 7, 2014 WPG vs. MIN) First Maple Leaf game (Jan. 3, 2019 vs. MIN) |
| Morgan Rielly | 200th NHL point (Assist) (Dec. 1, 2018 at MIN) 200th career NHL assist (Oct. 15, 2019 vs. MIN) |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| CATEGORY | LEADER |
| GOALS | 26 (Matthews) |
| ASSISTS | 26 (Marner) |
| POINTS | 46 (Matthews) |
| POWER PLAY POINTS | 13 (Matthews) |
| SHORTHANDED POINTS | 2 (Engvall, Kapanen) |
| PIMs | 34 (Muzzin) |
| SHOTS | 144 (Matthews) |
| FACEOFF WIN% | 59.5% (Gauthier) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % | 56.0% (Nylander) |
| BLOCKED SHOTS | 69 (Muzzin) |
| TAKEAWAYS | 45 (Marner) |
| HITS | 87 (Muzzin) |
| TOI PER GAME | 24:23 (Rielly) |
| PP TOI PER GAME | 3:04 (Marner) |
| SH TOI PER GAME | 3:03 (Ceci) |
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
| Frederik Andersen | – Is 10-4-0 on the road this season with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. – Has made eight career appearances against the Wild and is 5-3-0 with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.- Tied for the NHL lead in wins (19).- Second in the NHL in saves (890) and second in even-strength saves (750).- Fourth in the NHL in shootout saves (11). |
| Tyson Barrie | – Averaging 14.6 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time, which is the sixth-highest average among NHL defencemen who have appeared in 30 games.- Averaging 7.6 shots on goal per 60 minutes of ice time, which is the fifth-highest average among NHL defencemen who have appeared in 30 games. – Has been on the ice for the seventh-most shot attempts for (777) among NHL skaters. – Has an on-ice shot attempt differential of plus-132, which is 11th among NHL defencemen. |
| Cody Ceci | – 10th among NHL skaters in shorthanded time on ice (122:05).- Has played 62.0 percent of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time, which is the 11th-highest shorthanded time on ice percentage among NHLers who have appeared in at least 30 games. |
| Justin Holl | – Has started 46.2 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 53.9 percent at 5-on-5, which is the highest percentage among Toronto defencemen who have appeared in at least 10 games.- Has a 5-on-5 on-ice goals-for percentage of 54.7 percent, which is the highest percentage among Maple Leafs defencemen. |
| Michael Hutchinson | – Has made 11 appearances against the Wild, his most against a single opponent, and posted a 4-5-1 record with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.- Second among NHL goaltenders who have appeared in 10 or fewer games in saves (250). |
| Zach Hyman | – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 54.0 percent, which ranks eighth among Toronto skaters who have played 20 games. – Averaging 15:46 per game in even-strength ice time, which ranks seventh among Maple Leafs. – Has played 51.5 percent of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time since returning to the lineup on November 13, which ranks 18th among NHL forwards and first among Maple Leafs forwards in that span. |
| Kasperi Kapanen | – Has scored nine goals this season, which is tied for 11th most among NHLers with no power play goals.- Tied for seventh among Toronto skaters in even-strength points (7-9-16).- Has recorded 16 (7 goals, 9 assists) of his 21 points in 21 road games this season. |
| Alex Kerfoot | – Played 23 shifts on December 28 vs. New York, which ties his single-game high for shifts this season. – One of two Toronto forwards to have recorded at least 20 hits (29) and 20 blocked shots (25) this season. |
| Mitch Marner | – Averaging 1.30 primary assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is eighth among NHLers who have appeared in at least 20 games.- Tied for 14th in the NHL in primary assists (16). His 16 primary assists are the most among NHLers who have appeared in less than 30 games.- Second in the NHL in takeaways (45).- Ninth among NHL forwards in shifts per game (25.5). |
| Auston Matthews | – Second among NHL skaters in goals (26).- Leads NHL skaters in even-strength goals (20).- Leads the NHL in goals scored at 5-on-5 (18).- Tied for 10th among NHL skaters in even-strength points (20-13-33).- Ninth in the NHL with 144 shots on goal.- Has an on-ice goals-for percentage of 62.9 percent at 5-on-5, which leads Toronto skaters and is tied for 11th among NHLers who average at least 15 minutes per game in 5-on-5 ice time. |
| William Nylander | – Has recorded 11 primary assists, which is fourth among Toronto skaters. – Averages 1.04 goals per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- One of 20 NHLers to average at least 14:00 minutes per game at 5-on-5 and a goal per 60-minute rate of at least one (1.04).- Has recorded five points (3-2-5) in six games against Central Division opposition. |
| Morgan Rielly | – Tied for 17th among NHL defencemen in points (3-22-25).- Tied for 10th among NHL defencemen in even-strength points (3-15-18).- Fourth among NHL defencemen in assists recorded at 5-on-5 (14).- 13th among NHL skaters in TOI per game (24:23).- Eighth among NHL skaters in shifts per game (28.6).- Averaging 14.4 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks seventh among NHL defencemen who have appeared in at least 30 games. |
| Jason Spezza | – Averaging 2.37 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which is the fourth-highest average among Toronto skaters.- Averaging 1.18 primary assists per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time in 2019-20, which ranks second on the Maple Leafs and is the 13th-highest average among NHLers who have appeared in at least 25 games. |
| John Tavares | – Named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the week ending Dec. 29 after recording seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in three games, including a pair of three-point performances.- Averaging 17.3 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is the third-highest average among NHL centres who have appeared in 20 games.- Averaging 9.2 shots on goal at 5-on-5 per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks 10th among NHL centres who have appeared in 20 games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 55.2 percent, which ranks third among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least 20 games. |
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
| Tyson Barrie | Has assists (4) and points (1-4-5) in three consecutive games. |
| Kasperi Kapanen | Has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. |
| William Nylander | Has assists (2) in two consecutive games and goals (3) and points (3-3-6) in three consecutive games. |
| John Tavares | Has assists (6) and points (2-6-8) in four consecutive games. |
UPCOMING MILESTONES
| Alex Kerfoot | One point from 100 NHL points |
| William Nylander | Five points from 200 NHL points |
RECENT MILESTONES
| Frederik Andersen | 20,000 career minutes (December 28 vs NYR) |
| Adam Brooks | First NHL game (December 28 vs. NYR) |
INJURY REPORT
| Andreas Johnsson (Leg) | On injured reserve. |
| Ilya Mikheyev (Wrist Laceration) | On injured reserve. |
| Trevor Moore (Concussion) | On injured reserve. |
| Jake Muzzin (Foot) | Is week-to-week with a broken foot sustained on December 27 at New Jersey. |
| Man Games Lost: 83 |
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
| December 30 | Loaned defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). |
| December 30 | Recalled defencemen Teemu Kivihalme and Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Marlies (AHL). |
| December 29 | Loaned forward Kenny Agostino and defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). |
| December 28 | Recalled forward Kenny Agostino and defenceman Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Marlies (AHL). Placed forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Trevor Moore on injured reserve. |
| December 27 | Recalled forward Adam Brooks and defenceman Martin Marincin from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) |
WILD NOTES
UPCOMING GAMES (all times Central)
1/4 vs. WPG 1 p.m. – FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
1/5 vs. CGY 6 p.m. – FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
1/9 at CGY 8 p.m. – FSN Plus, KFAN 100.3 FM
INJURIES Mikko Koivu (lower body) – 12 Greg Pateryn (IR – lower body) – 11 Jason Zucker (lower body) – 6 2019-20 Total Man Games Lost: 95 UPCOMING MILESTONES Mikko Koivu – 497 career assists Zach Parise – 395 career assists RECENT TRANSACTIONS 12/30 – Reassigned F Nico Sturm to Iowa (AHL); Activated F Mikko Koivu from Injured Reserve
SERIES NOTES VS. MAPLE LEAFS
All-Time Wild Record: 12-11-0 (7-3-0 at Xcel Energy Center, 5-8-0 at Toronto) 2019-20: The Wild fell in its first season meeting against the Maple Leafs, 4-2, at Scotiabank Arena (10/15)…C Luke Kunin and C Gerald Mayhew each scored for Minnesota…G Devan Dubnyk stopped 30-of-34 shots…D Morgan Rielly led Toronto with four assists…RW Mitchell Marner recorded three points (1-2=3)…LW Andreas Johnsson tallied two points (1-1=2)…G Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.
WILD LEADERS: C Eric Staal leads the Wild with 51 points (24-27=51) in 48 games against Toronto…RW Mats Zuccarello owns 22 points (10-12=22) in 18 contests…LW Zach Parise has 22 points (12-10=22) in 35 matches…C Mikko Koivu owns 11 points (4-7=11) in 18 contests…LW Marcus Foligno owns 11 points (3-8=11) in 27 games.
WILD GOALIES: Dubnyk is 6-4-1 with a 2.84 GAA, a .908 SV% and one shutout in 12 games (11 starts) vs. the Maple Leafs…G Alex Stalock earned a 28-save shutout in his only career action against Toronto (12/14/17).
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS: C Jason Spezza leads the Maple Leafs with 15 points (5-10=15) in 30 career games against Minnesota…C John Tavares owns 15 points (7-8=15) in 16 matches…D Tyson Barrie has 14 points (4-10=14) in 29 contests.
MAPLE LEAFS GOALIES: Andersen is 5-3-0 with a 2.53 GAA and a .915 SV% in eight career starts vs. the Wild…G Michael Hutchinson is 4-5-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV% in 11 games (seven starts).
CONNECTIONS: Minnesota Assistant GM Tom Kurvers collected 55 points (15-40=55) and 37 PIM in 89 contests with the Maple Leafs in parts of two seasons (1989-1991)…Wild Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was drafted in the third round (42nd overall) by Toronto in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft…He skated in 134 games with the Maple Leafs, collecting 69 points (27-42=69) over six seasons (1976-82)…Wild Assistant Coach Darby Hendrickson was selected by Toronto in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft and skated in 233 games with the Maple Leafs (1994-99)…D Greg Pateryn was selected in the fifth round (128th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Maple Leafs…D Justin Holl hails from Tonka Bay and skated in four seasons with the University of Minnesota (2010-14).
FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 9-3-0 in its last 12 games against Toronto, including a seven-game win streak (11/13/13-12/7/16)…The Wild has scored one goal or less in seven of its 11 all-time losses to the Maple Leafs…In its 11 wins, Minnesota has outscored Toronto, 38-17, including a Wild shootout goal.
RISING RANKS – The Wild is 13-5-4 in its last 22 games, including its season-best 11-game point streak (8-0-3) from Nov. 14-Dec. 5. The Wild’s 30 points rank T-2nd in the NHL since Nov. 14. – Minnesota is 15-7-5 in its last 27 games – the 35 points rank T-6th in the NHL since Nov. 2, four points shy of first. – The 11-game point streak is the second-longest in franchise history – the longest point streak in team history is 13 games (12-0-1), Dec. 2-29, 2016.
GOALS, GOALS, GOALS – The Wild has totaled 40 goals in the second period in the last 27 games, ranking first in the NHL since Nov. 2. Minnesota ranks third in the NHL with 49 goals in the second period this season. – Minnesota has netted a season-high four goals in a single period, three times – twice in the third period this season. – Minnesota ranks T-1st in the NHL since Nov. 2 with 95 goals (including a Wild shootout goal) and fifth in goals per game (3.52). – Minnesota tied its franchise record of eight goals scored in a game Dec. 19 at Arizona. It was the fourth time in team history the Wild notched eight goals,
second on the road (last, 3/25/04 at CHI). HOME SWEET HOME – Minnesota plays 18 of its 25 games from Dec. 28-Feb. 29 at Xcel Energy Center – the second-most home games played in the NHL in that time frame (OTT – 19 home games). – The Wild is 10-3-3 in 16 home games this season – the 16 home games are the fewest in the NHL. The three regulation losses are tied for the third-fewest in the League. – The Wild has totaled three-plus goals in 13 of its 16 home games this season, including a shootout goal. – Minnesota recorded its second-longest home point streak in team history with a 12-game home point streak from Oct. 20-Dec. 14 (9- 0-3). The third-longest home point streak in the NHL this season (BOS, 17 games; NYI, 13 games).
NO STAALING – Eric Staal was named to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game on Monday. It will be his sixth career All-Star appearance, second with the Wild (2018). – He has 11 points (7-4=11) in the last nine games, ranking T-4th in the NHL in goals and T-12th in scoring since Dec. 12. – He owns at least one point in 21 of the last 33 games, including a season-high six-game point streak (10/26-11/7), a season-high three-game goal streak (12/12-12/15) and seven multi-point contests.
DUBNYK RETURNS – Devan Dubnyk is 2-1-0 in his last three starts with a 2.36 GAA, a .926 SV% and one shutout. He is also 4-1-1 in his last seven games (six starts) and is 4-2-2 in nine games (eight starts) at Xcel Energy Center this season. – The 6-foot-6 backstop made a season-high 40 saves Dec. 27 at COL, his eighth 40-plus save game in a Wild sweater – the third-most by a Wild goaltender in team history. He owns 19 career 40-plus save games and is 14-1-4 in those contests. – The native of Regina, Saskatchewan, recorded a 22-save shutout Dec. 23 vs. CGY, his first shutout of the season.
EASY PARISE – Zach Parise owns five points (1-4=5) in the last six games and 13 points (6-7=13) in the last 17 games, including a season-high fivegame point streak (Nov. 25-Dec. 3). – The Minnesota native has 21 points (11-10=21) in the last 27 games and leads the team in PPG (5), ranks second in GWG (3) and shots, and is T-3rd in scoring.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT – Ryan Donato netted his eighth goal of the season Sunday and owns 10 points (7-3=10) in his last 16 games. He ranks second on the Wild in goals since Nov. 25. The Boston, Mass. Native, owns seven points (5-2=7) in the last 11 games, including a season-high four-game point streak. His four-game point streak included a career-high three-game goal streak (12/7-12/12). – Joel Eriksson Ek is on a three-game point streak (1-2=3), tying his career-high three-game point streak for the third time, second this season. The 22-year-old owns a career high in assists (12) and is one point shy of tying his career best (16) set in 75 games during the 2017-18 season. – Kevin Fiala has seven points (2-5=7) in the last eight games and 15 points (4-11=15) in the last 18 games, including three multi-point games. The 23-year-old ranks second on the Wild in scoring since Nov. 23. – Jordan Greenway has three assists in the last five games and five points (1-4=5) in the last nine games. The 22-year-old registered his first career Gordie Howe hat trick Dec 12 vs. EDM. He became the seventh and youngest NHL player to record a Gordie Howe hat trick this season. – Luke Kunin owns three points (1-2=3) in the last three games and six points (3-3=6) in the last nine contests, including two multi-point games. The Chesterfield, Mo. native, is one point shy of tying his career-best 17 points in 49 games last season. He ranks third on the Wild in shots on goal, tallying at least one shot in 35 of his 39 games this season.
POSITIVE IMPACT – Jonas Brodin owns nine helpers and a plus-11 rating in the last 13 games, ranking T-5th in the NHL in plus/minus rating since Dec. 3. – He owns 11 assists in the last 15 games and 14 points (1-13=14) in the last 22 contests. – The Karlstad, Sweden native, ranks second on the Wild with a plus-10 rating, third with 16 assists and fourth with 53 blocked shots this season.
SUTE UP – Ryan Suter owns nine points (2-7=9) in the last nine games, ranking T-4th amongst NHL defensemen in scoring since Dec. 12. He has 17 points (3-14=17) in the last 20 games, including four multi-point contests. His 14 assists since Nov. 19 rank second amongst League defensemen. – He leads the Wild in assists (21; T-10th amongst NHL blueliners), TOI/gm (25:07; seventh in the NHL) and PPP (9) and ranks second in scoring and T-2nd in multi-point games (6).
DR. SOUCE – Carson Soucy owns eight points (4-4=8) in the last 13 games, ranking T-4th amongst NHL rookies in goals and scoring since Dec. 3. His plus-13 rating since Dec. 3 ranks T-2nd in the NHL. – The Viking, Alberta native, leads the Wild and ranks second amongst League rookies (T-14th overall) with a plus-16 rating this season. – He owns five goals this season ranking fourth in team history for most goals scored by a rookie defenseman. – The 25-year-old netted his first career shorthanded (empty-net) goal Dec. 14 to became the sixth defensemen in franchise history to record a SHG.
NORWEGIAN FORCE – Mats Zuccarello notched his 10th goal of the season on Dec. 27 and has five points (3-2=5) in the last six contests. – He has 11 points (6-5=11) in the last 13 games, including a three-game goal and point streak (12/3-12/7). – The winger owns 16 points (7-9=16) in the last 20 games, ranking T-3rd on the Wild in scoring since Nov. 19.
STALOCK FOR THE SAVE – Alex Stalock is 6-3-2 in his last 11 starts with a 3.13 GAA and a .900 SV%. – The 32-year-old is 8-4-2 in his last 15 starts and has made 12 of his 18 starts this season on the road. – He is 15-6-5 in a Wild sweater at Xcel Energy Center with a 2.30 GAA, a .919 SV% and one shutout in 28 games (24 starts) since 2016. Minnesota Wild:
The view from left field 