Category: NHL

Maple Leafs at Oilers pregame notes

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (6-2-0 – 12 Points) vs.

EDMONTON OILERS (3-5-0 – 6 Points)

JANUARY 28, 2021 ▪ 10:00 PM EST

ROGERS PLACE (EDMONTON, AB) ▪
TV: TSN4 ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus EDMONTON

ALL-TIME RECORD:53-44-8-1 (106 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:23-25-6-1 (55 Games)
2020-21:1-1-0
LAST FIVE:3-2-0
LAST 10:8-2-0

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus EDMONTON

GAMES PLAYED:Joe Thornton (68), TJ Brodie (41), Jake Muzzin (33)
GOALS:Joe Thornton (12), Jason Spezza (9), Wayne Simmonds (8)
ASSISTS:Joe Thornton (58), Jason Spezza (18), TJ Brodie (16)
POINTS:Joe Thornton (70), Jason Spezza (27), John Tavares (19)
PENALTY MINUTES:Joe Thornton (28), Wayne Simmonds, (24), Zach Bogosian (23)

MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS TEAM STATS

 TORONTOEDMONTON
GOALS FOR (Rank):26 (4th23 (t-8th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       22 (t-22nd)29 (29th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):10/24 [41.7%] (2nd)5/28 [17.9%] (19th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):24/30 [80.0%] (14th)19/25 [76.0%] (20th)
SHOTS (Rank):243 (3rd)256 (2nd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):342 (2nd)325 (4th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):52.7% (t-11th)45.6% (26th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):55.7% (3rd)49.1% (18th)

MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:Nov. 11, 1979 (Toronto 6, Edmonton 3)
All-Time Record:53-44-8-1 (106 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:30-19-2-0 (51 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:23-25-6-1 (55 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:Dec. 14, 2019 (Toronto 4, Edmonton 1)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS5 (Marner)
ASSISTS7 (Marner)
POINTS12 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS5 (Marner, Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs17 (Simmonds)
SHOTS31 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%65.6% (Spezza)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %66.3% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS14 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS7 (Nylander)
HITS16 (Hyman, Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME23:45 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME3:13 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME3:45 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Tied for the NHL lead in wins (4).- Ranks seventh among NHL goaltenders in saves made (146).- Has an 13-1-1 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 16 career games against Calgary.  – Earned his 139th win as a Maple Leaf on January 22 vs. Edmonton to move past Curtis Joseph for fourth on the Maple Leafs’ all-time goaltender win register.
TJ Brodie– Averaging 18:09 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Averages 2:34 per game in shorthanded ice time, which ranks third among Maple Leafs defencemen.- Ranks third among Maple Leafs in blocked shots (9).
Justin Holl– Sixth amon NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (16:53) with a shot attempt percentage of 59.3%.- Averaging 21:38 per game in ice time after averaging 18:31 per game in 2019-20.- Ranks fifth among right-handed NHL defencemen in shorthanded ice time per game (3:45).
Zach Hyman–  Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:50).- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage (66.6%) among Toronto forwards.- One of 10 forwards in the NHL to start average over 12:00 minutes per game (14:16) of 5-on-5 ice time and start fewer than 35% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone (33.3%), while having a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage above 50% (54.0%).
Alex Kerfoot– Ranks fifth among Toronto forwards in points per 60 minutes of ice time (1.31).- Tied for the lead among Maple Leafs in penalties drawn (3).- Has won 64.3% (9 won, 5 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
Mitch Marner– Tied for the lead among NHLers in points (5-7-12).- Tied for the NHL lead in even-strength goals (5).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (23:33).- Has played 37.3% of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time.
Auston Matthews– Averaging 22:29 in time on ice per game, which ranks fourth among NHL forwards.- Ranks fourth among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (57.2%).- Ranks third in the NHL in shots on goal (31).- Has won the 11th-most faceoffs in the NHL (73).
Ilya Mikheyev– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:14).- Has an average of 23.0 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks second among NHLers who have played at least 15 minutes of shorthanded ice time.  
Jake Muzzin– Ranks 18th among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (3:42).- Ranks 12th among NHL defencemen who have appeared in five games in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (14.17).- Has the 21st highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (56.7%) among NHL defencemen who have appeared in five games.
William Nylander– Has the fourth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.69) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 60.4%, which is the second-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards.- Has recorded 10 points against the Oilers (two goals, eight assists) in 10 career games against Edmonton.
Morgan Rielly– Leads the Maple Leafs in average time on ice (23:45).- Tied for third among NHL defencemen in assists (5).- Tied for sixth among NHL defencemen in even-strength points (1-3-4).- Had his eighth career game with three-plus assists on January 24 at Calgary. Per NHL PR, only two defensemen in history have recorded more with the franchise: Borje Salming (29) and Tomas Kaberle (12).
John Tavares– Tied for 24th in the NHL in points (4-3-7).- Tied for the NHL lead in power play goals (4).- Tied for 11th among NHLers in shots on goal (26).- Has the third-highest faceoff win percentage (61.7%) among NHLers who have taken at least 100 faceoffs (120).
  

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Mitch MarnerAssists (4) and Points (2-4-6) in three consecutive games.
Auston MatthewsGoals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games.
Jake MuzzinPoints (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
Morgan RiellyAssists (5) in two consecutive games.
Wayne SimmondsGoals (2) in two consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach BogosianFour points from 200 NHL points
  

RECENT MILESTONES

Joey AndersonFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 26 at CGY)
Travis BoydFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 26 at CGY)
First goal as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 26 at CGY)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 26 at CGY)
Adam BrooksFirst NHL goal (Jan. 22 vs. EDM)
Mitch Marner300th NHL point (Jan. 24 at CGY)
Wayne SimmondsFirst goal as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 24 at CGY)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 24 at CGY)
500th NHL point (Jan. 24 at CGY)
  

INJURY REPORT

Jack Campbell (Leg)Week-to-week.
Nick Robertson (Knee)On long term injured reserve.
Joe Thornton (Rib)On long term injured reserve.
 Man Games Lost: 10
  

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 24Added forward Travis Boyd to roster.
Jan. 23Placed forward Joe Thornton on long term injured reserve.
Jan. 21Placed forward Nick Robertson on long term injured reserve. Added forward Joey Anderson to the taxi squad.

Leafs-Flames quotes

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You spoke this morning about how it’s not easy to beat a team twice in a row and it certainly wasn’t easy tonight. How did you see your team find a way?

Sheldon Keefe: Obviously, we were reeling there for quite a while, but the fact that our best people just got to work when things were all even again and went out there and found a way to get us another one, and then we were pretty good there right to the very end. Again, with the penalty kill, we made it even harder on ourselves, but it was a pretty gutsy win that way. We don’t like a lot of things about the game today in terms of how we let them back in it, of course. That just shows, again, where we need to continue to grow as a team. 

At the same time, that’s a good team over there. That’s two games they played us hard. They carried play for good chunks of time in both games. We knew they were going to push back. I wish we could have been a little better there, but to come out of it with another win here tonight is a really good sign for our team. In terms of the resiliency and not folding and not feeling sorry for ourselves when we give up the lead when they find their way back, all really good healthy signs for our team. There’s lots of things we’ll take away from here tonight that will help us get better from here.  

FREDERIK ANDERSEN 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: A bit of a wild ride for the team and for you, in terms of the action you were seeing. Not much at first and then quite a lot of pucks near the end. From your perspective, how did the team pull this one out?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, you said it pretty good. We scored some big goals at the right moments and then had some good kills at big moments as well so I think we can chalk that up to a few timely goals and  couple PKs. Pretty good first period, obviously. We didn’t really give them anything and got some goals so that was a good start.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You’ve obviously been teammates with Mitch Marner for a while now, what’s your perspective and what’s standing out to you about the way he’s started this season?

Frederik Andersen: It’s good. He’s a skillful player. He sees the ice so well, and creates a lot of time and space out there. Great shot today so that was nice to see.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: I wanted to ask you about Mitch’s shot. We all know how good of a shot Auston had all his career but Mitch has really seemed to have stepped up his game shot-wise. What have you seen of his progression as a shooter when you face him in practice?

Frederik Andersen: I think it’s underrated. I think he’s good at picking spots and being pretty elusive and tricky about where he’s going to go. That’s probably what he’s been really good at. I think he wants to be more than an incredible passer and playmaker. I know he wants to add to his game and I think he’s done that throughout the years I’ve played with him.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: As a goalie, when you’re looking at guys who have good shots and are good playmakers, is it all the more tough to anticipate what they’re going to do with the puck?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, of course. There’s more options so you’ve got to respect both the shot and the pass option so the better you can be at both, the more it’s going to help you.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: When you guys have a game like that where it’s kind of one story in the first and then another one in the second period, and you still manage to battle back and win, what do you think that says about the team and some growth that has been made in the last couple of years, or do you see it that way?

Frederik Andersen: Yeah, of course. It’s good character to battle these games out and get the two points. Obviously, we had a chance to take all four today in this little mini-series and we wanted to do that so it’s really nice to see the way we battled to the end and got away with the two points again tonight. Obviously, we don’t want to make it this hard every night but again, it’s a good character win.

TRAVIS BOYD 

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: I’m wondering since the camp ended, what was the priority for you to work on to stay sharp? What approach did you take into tonight’s game?

Travis Boyd: Coming out of camp was just trying to get up to speed. I think, just like everybody else, you only had a week of camp this year and I think it only ended up being six ice days or something like that. Just trying to get up to speed, get your conditioning going and, for me personally, also just trying to get used to the systems. My first year with the organization so just getting used to how they play and the structure that they want to play with every night. 

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: That aside, and a nice by Muzzin and Engvall to get that going, but how difficult did you find it to get into the rhythm of the game and that sort of thing, or did you after watching the first seven?

Travis Boyd: I actually thought, myself personally and my line, I thought we were good from the start tonight. Really had some good O zone shifts in the first and even in the second before we ended up scoring. Once you start playing you’re right back into it.  Obviously, like I said, I felt a few times out there tonight I had maybe been a little out of position or whatever versus how the structure is that we want to play with here, but other than that I thought we were good tonight. I thought my line was really good, I thought we had some good O zone shifts and didn’t give up a whole lot. 

TJ BRODIE 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How did you get it done tonight?

TJ Brodie: We came out hard. I thought we played well in the first. We had some looks. We let it go in the second a little bit there and started chasing it but we found a way to hold on and get the two points.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What’s your perspective on working alongside Frederik Andersen as a defenceman back there? What stands out the most to you about him?

TJ Brodie: He’s great. He’s always in position and I’ve been really impressed with the way he handles the puck. I haven’t had the chance to play against him too much, it’s definitely something that he does well.

Q: Luke Fox, Sportsnet: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about Mitch Marner that you didn’t know before coming to Toronto?

TJ Brodie: Just how great defensively he is. He’s always in the right spot, great stick and on the penalty kill, he’s real effective. Whether it’s up ice or in the zone, it’s something like I said not playing too much in Toronto through the years, it’s something that I didn’t really get to see or notice.

JUSTIN HOLL

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: From your perspective, after a strong first period, why was it difficult to maintain that as Calgary had a push back in the middle of the game?

Justin Holl: I thought they did a really good job of squeezing us in our defensive zone. They had four guys on one side while we were trying to breakout so I think we need to do a better job of finding the weak side D. That’s kind of our way out of it and we didn’t do a very good job of doing that. Then a little bit of panic set in where guys are throwing pucks and obviously I’m guilty as well. Some things we need to clean up but we’re just happy to get in here and get two wins in a row and onwards.

Q. James Mirtle, The Athletic: How do you feel your season has gone so far through eight games for you personally?

 

Justin Holl: I think it’s been good so far. The way I measure my game mostly, especially if I’m playing a lot of minutes like I have been, is if we win, really. Having a 6-2 record through eight games is positive for our team. I don’t think the games have been perfect, I don’t think we’re rolling yet, but that’s kind of how I measure success in terms of Muzz and I on the ice.  

MITCH MARNER 

Q: Mark Masters, TSN: Mitch, not easy to beat a good team back-to-back, especially on the road . Your perspective on how the team got it done tonight.

Mitch Marner: I think the first period we came out how we wanted to. Second period, obviously we sat back, gave them everything, game them all the opportunities, Freddie stood strong for us there. I think we gave up way too many shots, chances against. O-zone wasn’t there for us, controlling it wise puck.  Like I said, Freddie kept us strong in there. Then it came to us in the third, again we were sitting back a little too much. I think everyone got their feet under them, kind of calmed down the bench and did what we needed to do.

Q: Mark Masters, TSN: What did you see the on game-winning goal? An example of that kind of shot mentality you talked about wanting to establish?

Mitch Marner: I’ve really been working on that shot with Matts. I think if I can try to find that shot more, I know that Matts can find me there. We’ve been trying to work on that shot a lot. For me, it’s just trying to get it off my stick quickly and on to the net, for a chance on net, for a rebound or something for [Hyman] to go in, which it did. But again, I mean I’m trying to get more of a shot mentality in there, trying to be more of a threat. It was a great dish by Matty and that’s big goal.

Q: Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: About your shot, how much do you work on it like 12 months a year, all season and you seem to have really gotten better with it in the last year or two. What are you doing to get to another level with that shot?

Mitch Marner: I think obviously weight helps, put on a lot of weight since first and second year, got a lot stronger on my stick and everything like that, more flex. I guess less flex on my stick actually got higher up in that range. I mean I think just the last two years I’ve been trying to work on it. I feel like it’s a mentality thing. I feel like I really want to try and make an extra play most of the time but this year around, trying to be more of a threat. More of a guy that can be more a consistent shooter on net, kind of change things up on goalies and that’s what I did tonight. I had a couple of good opportunities in the second. I just missed the net on both which I’ve got to fix that opportunity but like I said, great play by Matty there, great dish by him and great space and for me, it’s just trying to put it in.

Maple Leafs-Flames postgame notes

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (6-2-0 – 12 Points) vs.

CALGARY FLAMES (3-1-1 – 5 Points)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021

 123OTFINAL
TORONTO211–4
CALGARY021–3

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Wayne Simmonds put the Maple Leafs on the board at 3:44 of the first period. Simmonds has goals (2) in two consecutive games. He has 16 points (8-8-16) in 27 career games against the Flames.
  • Auston Matthews scored the second Toronto goal of the night on the power play at 14:16 of the first period and later had the primary assist on Mitch Marner’s third period goal. Matthews has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his second multi-point performance of the season. He has registered seven points (4-3-7) over his last five games played.
  • Travis Boyd scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game at 2:09 of the second period. Boyd’s goal is his first goal as a Maple Leaf and his first point as a Maple Leaf. He had 10 points (3-7-10) in 24 games as a member of the Washington Capitals last season. Tonight’s game is his first game as a Maple Leaf.
  • Mitch Marner registered the primary assist on Matthews’ first period goal and later scored Toronto’s fourth goal of the night at 12:14 of the third period. Marner has assists (4) and points (2-4-6) in three consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his fifth multi-point game of the season. He is tied for the NHL lead in points with 12 (5-7-12) through eight games played.  He leads the NHL in even-strength goals (5). Toronto is 6-0-0 when Marner records a point this season.
  • Justin Holl recorded the primary assist on Simmonds’ first period goal. Holl has five assists in eight games played this season. The Maple Leafs are 3-1-0 when Holl records a point this season.
  • Jimmy Vesey collected the secondary assist on Simmonds’ first period goal. Vesey has two points (1-1-2) over his last three games played. Tonight’s assist is his first point on the road in 2020-21.
  • Morgan Rielly had the secondary assist on Matthews’ first period goal and later had the secondary assist on Marner’s third period goal. Rielly has assists (5) in two consecutive games. He has recorded five (0-5-5) of his six (1-5-6) points on the road this season.
  • Pierre Engvall recorded the primary assist on Boyd’s second period goal. Engvall’s assist is his first point of the 2020-21 season. In 48 games as a rookie in 2019-20, Engvall registered eight goals and seven assists.
  • Jake Muzzin picked up the secondary assist on Boyd’s second period goal. Muzzin has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. He has 19 points (3-16-19) in 33 career games against the Flames.
  • Frederik Andersen stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced to earn his fourth win of the season.

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

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO10 (6)5 (5)6 (6)–21 (17)
CALGARY1 (1)18 (17)7 (5)–26 (23)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO12 (8)16 (16)11 (10)–39 (34)
CALGARY9 (7)27 (26)17 (14)–53 (47)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road3-1-0 (4 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Calgary  63-60-12-5 (140 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Calgary on the Road27-41-5-2 (75 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots3 (Marner)
Shot Attempts6 (Marner)
Faceoff Wins11 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Engvall – 1 won, 0 lost)
Hits3 (Muzzin)
Blocked Shots3 (Anderson)
Takeaways1 (Eight players tied)
TOI23:53 (Muzzin)
Power Play TOI1:46 (Marner, Matthews)
Shorthanded TOI3:43 (Holl)
Shifts31 (Muzzin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage53.3% (Simmonds – 8 for, 7 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first3-1-0
Lead after 12-0-0
Lead after 25-0-0
Score 1 power play goal4-0-0
Allow 1 power play goal2-2-0
Outshot by opponent3-1-0
Tuesday1-0-0

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs went 3-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-2 on the power play tonight.
  • Toronto has scored at least one power play goal in seven of the club’s eight games this season.
  • Joey Anderson skated in his first game as a Maple Leaf.
  • Zach Hyman and Jake Muzzin started 33.3% of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
  • Auston Matthews was 9-for-15 (60%) in the faceoff circle when matched up with Calgary centre Elias Lindholm.
  • Jake Muzzin was on the ice for a team-high 14 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 40.0% (14 for, 21 against).

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Thursday, January 28, 10:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (TSN4, TSN 1050)
  • Saturday, January 30, 7:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
  • Thursday, February 4, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (TSN4, FAN 590)
  • Saturday, February 6, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
  • Monday, February 8, 7:00 p.m. vs. Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)

Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distribution. Please consult official NHL game sheets (links above) to confirm no statistical changes were made.

Sharks make plans after early February games at SAP Center are nixed — Red Bluff Daily News

Now knowing they’ll have to stay away from San Jose for longer than they had first hoped, some Sharks players have been busy trying to find out what it will mean for them to be the home team in another city. Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Sunday that players have been reaching out to the…

Sharks make plans after early February games at SAP Center are nixed — Red Bluff Daily News

Bruins pound Flyers into submission, 6-1 — Lowell Sun

In today’s NHL, we may never see a team like the Big, Bad Bruins of the 1970s. Their descendants from earlier this decade would even be hard to replicate these days. But the 2021 Bruins have enough brawn in their lineup to impose their will on more than a few teams and that’s what they […]

Bruins pound Flyers into submission, 6-1 — Lowell Sun

Maple Leafs-Oilers pregame notes

EDMONTON OILERS (2-3-0 – 4 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3-2-0 – 6 Points)

JANUARY 22, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: TSN4 ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus EDMONTON

ALL-TIME RECORD:52-44-8-1 (105 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:29-19-2-0 (50 Games)
2020-210-1-0
LAST FIVE:4-1-0
LAST 10:8-2-0

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus EDMONTON

GAMES PLAYED:Joe Thornton (68), TJ Brodie (40), Jake Muzzin (32)
GOALS:Joe Thornton (12), Jason Spezza (9), Wayne Simmonds (8)
ASSISTS:Joe Thornton (58), Jason Spezza (17), TJ Brodie (15)
POINTS:Joe Thornton (70), Jason Spezza (26), John Tavares (18)
PENALTY MINUTES:Joe Thornton (28), Wayne Simmonds, (24), Zach Bogosian (23)

MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS TEAM STATS

 TORONTOEDMONTON
GOALS FOR (Rank):15 (t-5th)13 (t-8th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       15 (t-22nd)16 (t-26th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):6/16 [37.5%] (t-3rd)3/21 [14.3%] (t-21st)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):16/20 [80.0%] (t-16th)14/16 [87.5%] (t-9th)
SHOTS (Rank):161 (2nd)160 (3rd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):227 (t-2nd)192 (5th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):57.8% (3rd)45.5% (t-26th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):58.6% (2nd)51.3% (11th)

MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:Nov. 11, 1979 (Toronto 6, Edmonton 3)
All-Time Record:52-44-8-1 (105 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:29-19-2-0 (50 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:23-25-6-1 (55 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:Feb. 27, 2019 (Toronto 6, Edmonton 2)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS3 (Marner, Tavares)
ASSISTS4 (Holl)
POINTS6 (Marner, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS4 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS27 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %66.3% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS11 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS4 (Matthews, Nylander)
HITS11 (Matthews)
TOI PER GAME25:00 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME3:32 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME4:13 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Ranks fourth among NHL goaltenders in saves made (93).- Has a 12-1-1 record with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 15 career games against Edmonton.  
TJ Brodie– Averaging 17:58 in even-strength ice time through five games, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Has not been on the ice for a goal against at even-strength at home.   
Jack Campbell– Earned his first win of the season on January 16 at Ottawa after making 17 saves on 19 shots.
Justin Holl– Leads NHL defencemen who have appeared in multiple games and average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (16:17) with a shot attempt percentage of 61.8%.- Averaging 21:21 per game in ice time after averaging 18:31 per game in 2019-20.
Zach Hyman–  Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:15).- Has played 45.4% of Toronto’s time on the penalty kill this season.
Alex Kerfoot– Leads the Maple Leafs in penalties drawn (3).- Has seven points (5-2-7) in eight career games against Edmonton.- Has won 71.4% (5 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
Mitch Marner– Tied for fourth among NHLers in points with six (3-3-6).- Ranks second among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (24:46).- Tied for seventh among NHL skaters in even-strength points (4). – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 59.7%. 
Auston Matthews– Averaging 23:24 in time on ice per game, which ranks fourth among NHL forwards.- Ranks third among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (65.7%).- Leads the NHL in shots on goal (27).- Has won the fourth-most faceoffs in the NHL (55).
Ilya Mikheyev– Ranks second among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:31).- Has an average of 23.8 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks third among NHL forwards who have played at least 10 minutes on the penalty kill.  
Jake Muzzin– Eighth among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (4:09).- Tied for 22nd among NHL defencemen in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (14.37).
William Nylander– Has the fourth-highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.81) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 61.6%, which is the fourth-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards.- Has recorded eight points against the Oilers (two goals, six assists) in nine career games against Edmonton.
Morgan Rielly– Ranks 16th among NHLers who have appeared in multiple games in average time on ice (25:00).- Has been on the ice for the fifth-most shot attempts for among NHL skaters (91).- Has the third highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (57.2%) among NHLers who average at least 19:00 (19:46) per game in 5-on-5 ice time.
John Tavares– Tied for fourth in the NHL in points (3-3-6).- Leads the NHL in power play goals (3).- Has the highest faceoff win percentage (66.26%) among NHLers who have taken at least 50 faceoffs (65).
  

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Auston MatthewsPoints (2-2-4) in three consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach BogosianFour points from 200 NHL points
Mitch MarnerThree points from 300 NHL points
Wayne SimmondsOne point from 500 NHL points
  

RECENT MILESTONES

TJ BrodieFirst point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Mikko LehtonenFirst NHL game (Jan. 18 vs. WPG)
Joe ThorntonFirst point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
  

INJURY REPORT

Nick Robertson (Knee)Expected to miss at least four weeks.
Joe ThorntonLeft Toronto’s game on January 22 vs. Edmonton and did not return.
 Man Games Lost: 2
  

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 21Placed forward Nick Robertson on long term injured reserve.
Jan. 19Loaned forward Travis Boyd to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Jan. 18Recalled defenceman Mikko Lehtonen from the club’s taxi squad. Added goaltender Michael Hutchinson to the club’s taxi squad. Goaltender Aaron Dell claimed off waivers by New Jersey.
Jan. 17Added forward Pierre Engvall to the club’s taxi squad.
Jan. 16Recalled forward Nick Robertson from the club’s taxi squad. Loaned forward Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad.

Leafs 3, Sens 2 quotes

SHELDON KEEFE
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Can I start by asking Robertson’s condition?
Sheldon Keefe: It looks like he’s definitely going to miss some time, the extent of it we don’t quite know yet. He’s going to get an MRI I believe tomorrow. I’m not sure, but we’ll hear very soon. We’ll know more then.
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: What did you think of Joe and the goal?
Sheldon Keefe: I thought it was a great goal, a great sequence by that line. That line you could tell right from the drop of the puck today was going to have a night. They’ve been working really hard, haven’t had the results here quite yet, but they’ve been really working and it was just a matter of time for the line and
for Auston, certainly. I felt that line was going to break out today, I don’t know that I had Jumbo maybe being the first one to get on the board, but you could tell that the line was going to break out and have a good night. It did so it was great.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What did you like the most about that line? Mitch felt like maybe they were being a bit more creative, letting that flow. What did you see from that group?
Sheldon Keefe: We had talked before the game, I had talked to the team, I had talked to you guys, about offensively we just needed to really increase our pace and that’s been something we’ve been talking about and working at since day one of training camp. It hadn’t really shown up in our first two games.
With how Ottawa is playing and they’re competing defensively and how they’re content to defend, it was a real challenge for us to make sure we’re doing that. I thought we did that tonight. As a result I just thought those guys were just way more involved, they were all over the puck and they were getting pucks back, they were getting second and third opportunities in the offensive zone. It just really opened the game up for them. We didn’t get an abundance of great chances, again credit to Ottawa with how they play and defend, but those guys were quite good today. You lose sight of the fact that just how good defensively
they were at the same time.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Jack Campbell was talking to us about how it could be tough with the long layoff to stay sharp as a goalie. How did he look to you tonight?
Sheldon Keefe: He looked excellent. I think it’s a tough night for a goalie. He goes long stretches without shots and we did still give up some looks at the net, guys in behind us and all those kinds of things – in behind us in our own end, I should say, not so much breakaways or rushes or anything like that. They got
some clean looks at the net. Obviously, their power play was pretty dangerous, the 5-on-3 and they had some looks there and looks at the end, and obviously the game saving save there at the end is big time
stuff. It’s great, it’s what you want to get from your goaltender coming in like this. It’s a back-to-back game for our team and we needed to have a great response and we need great goaltending and he brought that for us.
Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: What were the differences for you, do you think, from the hashmarks down or in the defensive zone as a whole?
Sheldon Keefe: We really didn’t spend much time in our own end at all tonight. I think that’s a bigger part of it. We had the puck a lot, when we didn’t have the puck we were above the thing very quickly and we got it back quite quickly. It wasn’t perfect. At times I thought they had some looks at our net. We want to
do a better job there of picking up coverage and things, but we really didn’t spend very much time in our own end today. Frankly, we didn’t spend much time in our end yesterday either, but when we did we
weren’t very good in that regard. Today we were in and out pretty quick and that helps a great deal.
Q. James Mirtle, The Athletic: Joe Thornton’s minutes were down to around 14, is that just a case of it being a back-to-back or was it game situations? How did you settle on that today?
Sheldon Keefe: A little bit of both, James. I was mindful, not just of him, but some of our other guys in trying to spread out the minutes a little bit better. We lost Robertson and that changed the flow of our team a little bit. I was spotting in Simmonds with that line a little and moving things around a bit. I was
mindful of the back-to-back, but it was also just circumstantial, really. I thought Joe had really great legs right until the very end of the game. Some of our best tracks and catching guys from behind and having a
stick on the puck and creating a turnover in the last couple of games here against Ottawa came from Joe and his efforts there. Feeling real good about what he’s been able to do and how he looks in that area.
JACK CAMPBELL
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: How did it feel in there tonight and what has the dynamic been with you, Freddie and Aaron all being together?
Jack Campbell: It’s been great. Deller’s a great person and Freddie and I really have enjoyed having him. He brings a great attitude and work ethic. Freddie’s been doing his thing and we’re just trying to keep building and get better every day.
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: How did you feel tonight yourself?
Jack Campbell: Not bad. It’s been a little bit so I’ve got to get the rust off. I know I can be a lot better, but thankfully the boys were amazing tonight and I thought we deserved that two points. The boys played awesome.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You mentioned the layoff, your first game since March, your first win since February. What have you done well or done to stay as sharp as you can be?
Jack Campbell: I’ve definitely used the time to work on things that I’ve needed to clean up within my game, as well as things off the ice that I wanted to turn weaknesses into strengths. I think I’ve done that. Thankfully we have a great training staff here and I spent the offseason, summer, whatever you want to
call it right here getting better and we had a great crew pushing each other. You can see tonight how hard we worked and the condition that we’re all in. It was really fun to be a part of tonight.
MITCH MARNER
Q. Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star: Can you talk about your line’s play tonight compared to the other nights? I think it just clicked more tonight, but can you address that?
Mitch Marner: I think we felt better. I think it was really our first good game together. We were moving well. Down low, we were really creating a lot of chances holding onto the puck. We weren’t rushing plays.
I think we were really using our creativity out there and that’s something I think we weren’t doing in the first two games. I feel like were really kind of rushing, throwing pucks away, so that’s a better game by us three. Obviously, we were working hard, we were moving, we were physically engaged and winning puck battles down low in the O-zone so that’s something that if you do that well, you’re going to come out with the puck a lot of times. I think we did that well tonight and we got a lot of scoring chances off of it.
Q. Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star: Can you talk about the team’s confidence with Jack Campbell in net?
Mitch Marner: Whoever we have in that net, we have major belief in them. Soupy’s shown multiple times that he can go in there regardless and play an amazing game. Again tonight he did that. He’s been awesome every time he’s stepped on that ice and played in that net. Like I said, we have faith in either
goalie going out there and playing in our net and he had another amazing game for us.
JAKE MUZZIN
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What stands out the most about Joe Thornton as a teammate, the energy he brings and also what he’s bringing on the ice right now?
Jake Muzzin: Yeah he’s playing well. He brings a lot of experience, obviously. He’s been around a long time, played a lot of hockey games and seen a lot of stuff. He’s been through it all, seen it all and it helps with young guys coming up in this league. He’s fun in the room, he’s loud, he brings energy, he’s great to have around, for sure.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What was the biggest difference for you guys as a team tonight?
Jake Muzzin: Well we stayed with it. Last game we got off to a good start and we got away from it for a little bit and they capitalized on a couple chances and we were chasing the game. Tonight, again we got off to a good start and then we just stayed with it for most of the game. A little bit of penalty trouble but
other than that we were pretty good most of the night.
JOE THORNTON
Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: I’m sure if you knew, you are the second oldest Leaf to score and the oldest forward ever to score.
Joe Thornton: Who’s the oldest?
Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Allan Stanley.
Joe Thornton: And how old would he be?
Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: He was 41 and 6-7 months older than you. Hall of Famer.
Joe Thornton: So I’ve got to play a couple more years you’re saying, eh?
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: I guess the goal in a game like this was just as big. You guys needed to take a split from this series.
Joe Thornton: We did. We didn’t feel too good about our game last night. It was just a good 60-minute effort. Just happy to contribute for the guys tonight.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Mitch was just describing you as a version of himself 20 years from now because of how energetic you are. How would you describe what it’s like being around Mitch?
Joe Thornton: Oh, I love all the boys, to be honest with you. It’s been so fun with Mitchy and [Matthews]. We have a lot of fun out there. I think we’ll continue to keep growing as a line because we are having fun
and we get excited before every game and I think you can tell each game we’re getting better, and that’s a real good sign. I love playing with those two kids.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Mitch was saying that you were calling for it on the play where scored. What did you see on that sequence?
Joe Thornton: I wanted to give it over to [Matthews] but they kind of took him away so I kind of saw the goalie cheating a bit so I shot. The amount of attention that these two guys get, I’ve just got to get open for them and just be ready to shoot the puck and be ready to distribute to these guys.

Devils top Bruins with OT buzzer beater — Sentinel and Enterprise

NEWARK, N.J. — Egor Sharangovich scored his first NHL goal in the final seconds of overtime to propel the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday. MacKenzie Blackwood made 27 saves and picked up his first victory of the season. Miles Wood also scored for the second consecutive game…

Devils top Bruins with OT buzzer beater — Sentinel and Enterprise

Leafs-Sens pregame notes

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (1-1-0 – 2 Points) vs.

OTTAWA SENATORS (1-0-0 – 2 Points)

JANUARY 16, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE (OTTAWA, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus OTTAWA

ALL-TIME RECORD:56-54-3-11 (124 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:25-32-1-4 (62 Games)
2020-21:0-1-0
LAST FIVE:3-2-0
LAST 10:6-4-0

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus OTTAWA

GAMES PLAYED:Joe Thornton (56), John Tavares (35), Wayne Simmonds (29)
GOALS:Joe Thornton (16), Auston Matthews (13), Wayne Simmonds (10)
ASSISTS:Joe Thornton (29), John Tavares (14), William Nylander (11)
POINTS:Joe Thornton (45), Auston Matthews (22), John Tavares (22)
PENALTY MINUTES:Joe Thornton (57), Wayne Simmonds (36), Zach Bogosian (23)

MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS TEAM STATS

 TORONTOOTTAWA
GOALS FOR (Rank):8 (t-4th)5 (t-7th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):       9 (27th)3 (t-8th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):4/9 [44.4%] (3rd)1/5 [20.0%] (18th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):5/8 [62.5%] (25th)3/5 [60.0%] (26th)
SHOTS (Rank):57 (t-6th)24 (t-25th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):86 (3rd)37 (22nd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):50.6% (t-13th)51.4% (t-11th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):54.6% (t-7th)44.8% (24th)

MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:Oct. 20, 1992 (Toronto 5, Ottawa 3)
All-Time Record:56-54-3-11 (124 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:31-22-2-7 (62 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:25-32-1-4 (62 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:Feb. 15, 2020 (Toronto 4, Ottawa 2)
  

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS2 (Nylander, Tavares)
ASSISTS3 (Tavares)
POINTS5 (Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS3 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS10 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%100% (Four players tied)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %60.6% (Matthews)
BLOCKED SHOTS5 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS1 (Nine players tied)
HITS4 (Hyman)
TOI PER GAME25:59 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME4:32 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME4:41 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen– Has made 47 saves through two games, which ranks fourth among NHL goaltenders. 
TJ Brodie– Averaging 21:58 in ice time through two games this season, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen. 
Jack Campbell– Has a 3-2-1 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average with the Maple Leafs since being acquired on February 5, 2020.
Justin Holl– Ranks ninth among NHL defencemen in shorthanded ice time per game (4:41).
Zach Hyman–  One of seven NHLers to play at least 25 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time with no offensive zone starts.
Alex Kerfoot– Has five points (2-3-5) in seven career games against Ottawa. 
Mitch Marner– Ranks second among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (26:21).- Has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 15 games against the Senators.
Auston Matthews– Averaging 24:04 in time on ice per game, which ranks third among NHL forwards.- Has a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 60.6%.- Averaging 22.66 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, which ranks sixth among NHL forwards who have appeared in multiple games.
Ilya Mikheyev– Ranks second among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:47).- Averaging 22.14 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, which ranks seventh among NHL forwards who have appeared in multiple games.
Jake Muzzin– Averaging 7.70 shots per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, which leads Maple Leafs defencemen.
William Nylander– Has points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games to begin the season. – Averaging the highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (4.99) among Toronto skaters.
Morgan Rielly– Leads all NHLers who have appeared in multiple games in average time on ice (25:59).- Has the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage among Maple Leafs defencemen (55.8%) through two games.
John Tavares– Tied for the NHL lead in points (2-3-5) through two games.- Leads all NHL skaters in power play shot attempts (7).- Has the fourth-highest faceoff win percentage (61.3%) among NHLers who have taken at least 30 faceoffs.
Joe Thornton– Ranks second among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (60.3%).  
Jimmy Vesey– Tied for the team lead in penalties drawn (2).
  

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Justin HollHas assists (2) in two consecutive games.
Zach HymanHas points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
William NylanderHas assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games.
John TavaresHas goals (2), assists (3) and points (2-3-5) in two consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach BogosianFour points from 200 NHL points
Wayne SimmondsOne point from 500 NHL points
  

RECENT MILESTONES

Alexander BarabanovFirst NHL game (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Zach BogosianFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
TJ BrodieFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Wayne SimmondsFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Jason Spezza600th NHL assist (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Joe ThorntonFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Jimmy VeseyFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First goal as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
  

Sens 5, Leafs 3 quotes: “I just sensed that we had stopped playing.” — Sheldon Keefe.

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What did you sense and see from the group after that 2-1 goal in the second? 

Sheldon Keefe: I just sensed that we had stopped playing. We lost three or four shifts in a row coming off of that goal. As soon as we scored the goal the message on the bench was that we need to keep pushing. The reality is when you score a goal like that and you had control of the period the way that we did scoring that goal, for us, if we want to be a team that’s going to accomplish anything, the game should be over from there. We should be able to take care of the lead and then build on the lead. Obviously, we showed that we’re not there yet. 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What sort of adjustment period is a guy like TJ Brodie facing coming into a new team? A big, prominent role and without the preseason games he usually would have. 

Sheldon Keefe: I think all the new guys are adjusting to the system, to the new teammates, all those kind of things. It’s going to take time. I think TJ really has been fine for us. I thought he was a standout for us in the Montreal game. Nobody really was a standout for us here today, obviously, but Brodes has been fun. He plays the kind of game where you’ve got to watch it back on video and really focus on what he’s doing to really see the value in it. 

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: How do you stress to the guys that there has to be more determination in bearing down in the defensive zone? 

Sheldon Keefe: We’ve just got to keep doing it. That’s been our message from day one. Part of it’s bearing down, part of it is just the structure pieces of it, making sure you’re on the right side of the puck, real fundamental things that at different times we weren’t very good at here today. That’s part of it. That’s part of it for sure. We’ve given up too many goals here through two games, that’s an area we wanted to get better in and obviously we’re not yet. That’s hurting us. At the same time, I think our offence has been very poor as well through both games despite the fact we got seven, plus the overtime goal I guess, so eight goals through two games. To me, offensively, we’re nowhere near where we need to be either. 

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: Some nice possession in the second period capped by Alex’s goal, but when you have just 20-something shots overall against a team that hasn’t played in nearly a year, how does that get better within 24 hours? How do you get more at the net tomorrow night? 

Sheldon Keefe: I don’t see what the length of time from the last time they played matters. They’ve been back to practicing and scrimmaging, just like we have. In fact, they’ve been doing it longer than we have. I don’t think that’s a relevant part to anything, but it’s more about the style and how they played, how they compete. We knew they were going to be content to just stay on the inside and make it difficult for us there. We’re trying to speed up our game a lot offensively and challenge the net a lot more. We just haven’t done that. That’s going to take some time, that’s a big adjustment for a lot of our guys, but that’s something that we obviously need to do a better job of. You’re trying to set up the perfect shot and the perfect play towards the net, but there’s a great number of goals that are scored in the League that are just randomness. You just put the puck to space and try to outnumber the opposition and win loose pucks. That’s really all their goals, for the most part, came off situations like that. We had great control of the game for long periods of time, but didn’t accomplish much with it. That’s, again, another thing that’s been a message to our team since day one of camp, but it’s a big adjustment for our team. We’ll get there and playing against this team here again tomorrow night, and then the number of times that we do throughout the season with how they play, we’re going to get lots of practice at that. 

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: What’s your assessment of Freddie’s play through two games here? 

Sheldon Keefe: I would say obviously too many pucks have gone in the net, but as we’ve talked about a number of times, that’s not all on him. We’ve got to do a better job in front of him. Lots of bodies, lots of loose pucks in and around the net here tonight. Lots of breakaways, stuff like that in the Montreal game to which he stood tall on, save for the one. There’s a lot more happening here where we need to improve in a lot of areas. I think Fred would probably agree that goaltending is one of them, but there’s a lot of other things happening out there that we’ve got to get better at.

Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: What’s your comfort level with the new power play units and when do you decide to go back to the unit from last season? 

Sheldon Keefe: We talked about it. We expected to use that unit from last season at different times. We’ve been getting in some practice reps and obviously used it today, used it a little bit in the Montreal game at different times. That said, we do feel like we need to give some time to those other units and those other looks and get more people involved. Not having exhibition games hasn’t given us ample time to really get a feel for what that can do to our team. Part of it is the effect it has on the powerplay itself and also the effects that it has outside of the powerplay with how you’re using people, how involved other people are in the game, spreading out minutes, all those kind of things and having defined roles for the players we’ve added. So we’ve got a lot happening there that’s not just about the success of the powerplay. We’re trying to see if we can have a greater outlook to it but yet still have success with the people that we have. Obviously we scored a powerplay goal in the first period and that was a big one for us. We gave it back just by a bad penalty and it compounded by a bad error, cheating on the penalty kill, getting caught with too many men. We gave that power play goal back. There’s things that we’ve got to continue to get better at and the best part of these back-to-back situations is you get to go right back at it again tomorrow. 

FREDERIK ANDERSEN

Q. Kristen Shilton, TSN: What did Ottawa do tonight to make it tough on you guys?

Frederik Andersen: I think they capitalized on a little bit of a lapse in our game. I thought we had a really good first period, good moments in the rest of the game too, but they pushed back on us and I think we maybe invited them a little bit back in and it shows you tough it is to win in this league. You’ve got to have a full 60 minute effort from the net out through every player. I think it was a good lesson early on. I think we can use it and move forward from here on out. 

Q. Jonas Siegel, The Athletic: What kind of adjustment has it been for you not having preseason games to work off rust and everything like that as usual? 

Frederik Andersen: It’s not anything I can really control. I just try to do as much as I can in practice and obviously the one preseason game we had in intersquad just to take what you can get. That’s really all I can do. I can’t just imagine a preseason game. Just got to work the kinks out as we go and I know I have better for them too. That’s the positive. 

ZACH HYMAN

Q. Kristen Shilton, TSN: It seemed like you guys had some really good possession there in the second period. How do you think Ottawa stole the momentum that they were able to hold onto? 

Zach Hyman: Yeah, they just took advantage of our mental lapses. I think we got the second one, got out to a lead, and then took a couple shifts off there. Then they’re on the board and they get three in a row. You just can’t take any shifts off.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How do you feel like your line is coming together a couple of games in now?

Zach Hyman: Good. I think that we all play fast. We all play hard. I thought we had a strong game. I thought we played well on the boards. I thought we played well together. I really like playing with those guys.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How different does Ottawa look now versus the last time you saw them? 

Zach Hyman: We knew they were going to be competitive and hungry. They have young guys who want to make a stamp in the League. A lot of young guys, and they’ve got a good coach in D.J. (Smith) who we’re familiar with. They’re a team that’s going to be good. They’re young but they’re good. We have them again tomorrow so we’ll be prepared.

Q. Jonas Siegel, The Athletic: What strides do you think this team can make defensively? 

Zach Hyman: I think just being hard on pucks. I think we have all the tools there, I think we just need to do it every shift and do it continuously. I don’t think we’re good enough to take shifts off. That goes for all lines, I think everyone can be better. Everyone can be better defensively. Those mental lapses turn out to go into our net.

AUSTON MATTHEWS

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Auston, you guys seemed to be in pretty good position up 2-1 in the second, where did things get away from you guys after that?  

Auston Matthews: I think we just kind of let our foot off the gas. I think we just were playing a little bit too loose and that’s a team that works hard, they’re not going to go away. That’s on all of us. We’ve got to make sure that we put our foot on the gas and no mercy. We can’t let up one bit because obviously this team, they’ve got speed, they’ve got skill and they work hard. 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How different do they look versus the team you last saw? It’s been a while for them playing. 

Auston Matthews: Same identity, you know what to expect every night. They’re going to work hard, they’re well coached, they’re not going to give you much time and space. Obviously, they’ve added some really good players, some young skill, some high draft picks. They’ve added another element to that team. That’s a good team. They hadn’t played a game in eight, nine months so we knew they were going to come out flying and we just let our foot off the gas.  

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: The Kerfoot goal caps quite a long string of possession by you guys in the Sens’ end. How do you guys make that happen a little more often at 5-on-5 tomorrow night now do you think? 

Auston Matthews: I thought we had the puck quite a bit in their zone as far as possession goes. We had the puck quite a bit. I think trying to deliver it to the net like we did on that Kerfoot goal, getting more guys on the inside. I think we were a little bit too much perimeter tonight, but I think it’s just sticking with it, not letting our foot off the gas, like I said. That’s a good team over there and luckily we get another chance at them tomorrow. We’ve got to be ready to go.

JOHN TAVARES

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Where did you see the game get away from the team? 

John Tavares: We just had a really poor response after we took the lead. We controlled a lot of the game obviously playing on their half of the ice. We got a big goal, but very poor response and then gave them life and we weren’t able to establish our game again. We got sloppy and it obviously led to too many good looks for them and then trying to dig yourself out of a three goal hole is difficult to do in this league. 

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Sens haven’t played in a long time. How do they look to you versus the last time you saw them? 

John Tavares: They’ve obviously added some good players and have made some strong moves, they continue to develop a lot of the players they’ve been bringing in. We know they’re going to work and compete and there’s not going to be any easy nights against them. 

Senators 5, Maple Leafs 3: postgame notes

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (1-1-0 – 2 Points) vs.

OTTAWA SENATORS (1-0-0 – 2 Points)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021

 123OTFINAL
TORONTO111–3
OTTAWA131–5

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

  • Zach Hyman put the Maple Leafs on the board with a power play goal at 9:59 of the first period. Hyman’s goal is his first of the season. He has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games to begin the season. Hyman had two assists in two games against the Senators in 2019-20.
  • Alex Kerfoot scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 9:15 of the second period. Kerfoot’s goal is his first of the season. In 65 games during the 2019-20 season he recorded nine goals and 19 assists. He has three goals and three assists in eight career games against Ottawa.
  • John Tavares registered the primary assist on Hyman’s first period goal and later scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game on the power play at 7:07 of the third period. Tavares has goals (2), assists (3) and points (2-3-5) in two consecutive games. He has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 18 career games at Ottawa.
  • William Nylander collected the secondary assist on Hyman’s first period goal. Nylander has assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games. In 17 career games against Ottawa, he has recorded 15 points (4-11-15).
  • Justin Holl recorded the primary assist on Kerfoot’s second period goal. Holl has assists (2) in two consecutive games.
  • Ilya Mikheyev picked up the secondary assist on Kerfoot’s second period goal. Mikheyev’s assist is his first point of the season. He had eight goals and 15 assists in 39 games during the 2019-20 season.
  • Frederik Andersen stopped 19 of the 24 shots he faced in the loss.

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

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO8 (6)11 (9)4 (2)–23 (17)
OTTAWA6 (3)9 (8)9 (7)–24 (18)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
TORONTO19 (12)21 (17)11 (5)–51 (34)
OTTAWA12 (9)16 (15)17 (12)–48 (39)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road0-1-0 (1 Game)
All-Time Record vs. Ottawa  56-54-3-11 (124 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Ottawa on the Road25-32-1-4 (62 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots4 (Kerfoot, Muzzin, Tavares)
Shot Attempts6 (Muzzin, Rielly)
Faceoff Wins9 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Hyman, Marner, Mikheyev)
Hits2 (Hyman, Muzzin, Bogosian)
Blocked Shots3 (Dermott)
Takeaways1 (Four players tied)
TOI25:02 (Marner)
Power Play TOI4:21 (Marner, Matthews)
Shorthanded TOI5:30 (Holl)
Shifts29 (Marner)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage60.0% (Muzzin – 15 for, 10 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first0-1-0
Tied after 10-1-0
Trail after 20-1-0
Score multiple power play goals1-1-0
Allow one power play goal0-1-0
Outshot by opponent0-1-0
Saturday0-1-0

OF NOTE…

  • The Maple Leafs went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill and 2-for-5 on the power play tonight.
  • Justin Holl, Zach Hyman, Alex Kerfoot, Ilya Mikheyev and Jake Muzzin were the lone Toronto skaters to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
  • Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews were on the ice for a team-high 16 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Marner finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 48.5% (16 for, 17 against), while Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 51.6% (16 for, 15 against).

UPCOMING GAMES:

  • Saturday, January 16, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
  • Monday, January 18, 7:00 p.m. vs. Winnipeg Jets (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
  • Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
  • Friday, January 22, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (TSN4, TSN 1050)
  • Sunday, January 24, 4:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)

Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distribution. Please consult official NHL game sheets (links above) to confirm no statistical changes were made.

Kings approach new season with playoff aspirations — Whittier Daily News

While the opening-game roster and new taxi squad aren’t what the Kings has envisioned, they’re ready to pick up where they left off last season in Thursday’s opener against Minnesota at Staples Center.

Kings approach new season with playoff aspirations — Whittier Daily News