Maple Leafs – Page 24 – The view from left field

Maple Leafs – Flames pregame notes

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (4-2-0 – 8 Points) vs.

CALGARY FLAMES (2-0-1 – 5 Points)

JANUARY 24, 2021 ▪ 4:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK SADDLEDOME (CALGARY, AB) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: FAN 590

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus CALGARY

ALL-TIME RECORD:	61-60-12-5 (138 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:	25-41-5-2 (73 Games)
2019-20:	0-1-1
LAST FIVE:	2-2-1
LAST 10:	5-4-1

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus CALGARY

GAMES PLAYED:	Joe Thornton (66), Jake Muzzin (31), Wayne Simmonds (25)
GOALS:	Joe Thornton (11), John Tavares (8), Wayne Simmonds (5)
ASSISTS:	Joe Thornton (44), Jake Muzzin (15), John Tavares (11)
POINTS:	Joe Thornton (55), John Tavares (19), Jake Muzzin (17)
PENALTY MINUTES:	Joe Thornton (31), Wayne Simmonds (21), Jake Muzzin (14)

MAPLE LEAFS – FLAMES TEAM STATS

	TORONTO	CALGARY
GOALS FOR (Rank):	19 (t-3rd)	11 (t-22nd)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	17 (t-20th)	6 (t-2nd)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	8/18 [44.4%] (2nd)	6/16 [37.5%] (t-5th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	18/22 [81.8%] (15th)	11/12 [91.7%] (4th)
SHOTS (Rank):	190 (4th)	93 (29th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	272 (3rd)	113 (t-28th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	56.2% (3rd)	52.2% (11th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	58.2% (1st)	45.7% (25th)

MAPLE LEAFS – FLAMES NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:	Nov. 5, 1972 (Toronto 2, Atlanta 2)
All-Time Record:	61-60-12-5 (138 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:	36-19-7-3 (65 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:	25-41-5-2 (73 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:	March 4, 2019 (Toronto 6, Calgary 2)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	4 (Marner, Tavares)
ASSISTS	5 (Nylander)
POINTS	8 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS	5 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	N/A
PIMs	15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS	27 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	66.3% (Thornton, Vesey)
BLOCKED SHOTS	12 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS	5 (Nylander)
HITS	14 (Hyman)
TOI PER GAME	24:27 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	3:32 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	3:54 (Holl)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen	– Ranks fourth among NHL goaltenders in saves made (123).- Has an 8-2-2 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 14 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 17:55 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Averages 2:40 per game in shorthanded ice time, which ranks third among Maple Leafs defencemen.- Ranks third among Maple Leafs in blocked shots (8).
Jack Campbell	– Is 2-2-0 in five career appearances against the Flames with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage.
Justin Holl	– Leads NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (16:34) with a shot attempt percentage of 62.5%.- Averaging 21:15 per game in ice time after averaging 18:31 per game in 2019-20.- Ranks eighth among right-handed NHL defencemen in shorthanded ice time per game (3:54).
Zach Hyman	– Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:00).- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage (57.1%) among Toronto forwards.- One of nine forwards in the NHL to start average over 12:00 minutes per game (13:57) of shorthanded ice time and start fewer than 35% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone (33.9%), while having a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage above 50% (51.9%).
Alex Kerfoot	– Tied for fourth among Toronto forwards in points per 60 minutes of ice time (1.72).- Leads the Maple Leafs in penalties drawn (3).- Has won 63.6% (7 won, 4 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
Mitch Marner	– Tied for second among NHLers in points (4-4-8).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (24:07).- Tied for sixth among NHL skaters in even-strength points (4-1-5). – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 55.9%.
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%).- Ranks second in the NHL in shots on goal (27).- Has won the ninth-most faceoffs in the NHL (55).
Ilya Mikheyev	– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:20).- Has an average of 21.5 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks sixth among NHL forwards who have played at least 10 minutes on the penalty kill.
Jake Muzzin	– Ranks 22nd among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (3:50).- Is 23rd among NHL defencemen in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (14.02).- Has the 16th highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (60.5%) among NHL defencemen.
William Nylander	– Has the highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.25) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 63.7%, which is the fourth-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards.- Has recorded six points against the Flames (two goals, four assists) in eight career games against Calgary.
Morgan Rielly	– Ranks 17th among NHLers who have appeared in multiple games in average time on ice (24:27).- Has been on the ice for the eighth-most shot attempts for among NHL skaters (100).- Has the seventh highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (51.5%) among NHLers who average at least 19:00 (19:42) per game in 5-on-5 ice time.
John Tavares	– Tied for eighth in the NHL in points (4-3-7).- Leads the NHL in power play goals (4).- Tied for third among NHL centres in shots on goal (22).- Has the third-highest faceoff win percentage (64.7%) among NHLers who have taken at least 75 faceoffs (85).
Jimmy Vesey	– Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 75% when the Maple Leafs lead in games, which is the highest percentage on the team.

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

TJ Brodie	Assists (2) in two consecutive games.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Bogosian	Four points from 200 NHL points
Mitch Marner	One point from 300 NHL points
Wayne Simmonds	One point from 500 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES

Adam Brooks	First NHL goal (Jan. 22 vs. EDM)
Mikko Lehtonen	First NHL game (Jan. 18 vs. WPG)

INJURY REPORT

Auston Matthews (Upper Body)	Did not play on Jan. 22 vs. EDM.
Nick Robertson (Knee)	On long term injured reserve.
Joe Thornton (Rib)	On long term injured reserve.
	Man Games Lost: 4

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 24	Added forward Travis Boyd to roster.
Jan. 23	Placed forward Joe Thornton on long term injured reserve.
Jan. 21	Placed forward Nick Robertson on long term injured reserve. Added forward Joey Anderson to the taxi squad.
Jan. 19	Loaned forward Travis Boyd to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Jan. 18	Recalled 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. 17	Added forward Pierre Engvall to the club’s taxi squad.

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

LEAFS 4, OILERS 2 QUOTES

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: What did you like most about what you saw from that Kerfoot line tonight?

Sheldon Keefe: I thought they skated well. It took them a little while to get going in the game I thought, like it did our whole team, but they were on the puck hard. What I liked most is that they scored us a 5-on-5 goal. Those have been hard to come by and it’s good to get one.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How did you feel the team handled the offence/defence balance that we were talking about in the days leading up to this one?

Sheldon Keefe: I thought it took us a little while to really settle into that proper balance. I thought we were pushing offensively early in the game. We did generate some good looks in that first period where we gave up too much. I thought we gave up more in the first period than we gave up in the entire game the other day. Over time, through the game, I thought we settled down in that area. That was a really good sign. I think what I liked most about the game is just when we go into it without two very important players for us, a game where we get down on a shorthanded goal the way that we did, responded right away. That was a positive sign for us. We get ahead, give up the lead early in the third, get a power play and just make good on it and then finish the job. Really good signs, just how despite having, in Engvall and Brooks’ case, two guys that haven’t played at all, and Barabanov, a guy who hasn’t played much, coming into our lineup. I thought that we were steady all the way through and I thought Fred Andersen was outstanding. That gave our group confidence to just keep playing.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: McDavid ties the game there, can it be a lesson going forward to see what you guys did from that point on and take the lead back and clamp down?

Sheldon Keefe: Like I said, I just like that we didn’t get rattled by that. I have to go back and watch the whole sequence of how it all happened, but I thought we actually did a pretty good job of clogging the neutral zone there, we forced them to dump it, and we didn’t get back onto the puck and breakout. They get it to the top, they shoot it and tip it. We can do a better job on the stick on the tip, but it’s one of those sequences that it happens. I just like how we shrugged it off and kept playing. We earned ourselves a power play and then guys made good on it. Whether it’s goaltending, penalty kill, power play, our best players here today – Mitch, his efforts, JT to get a tip on the winning goal, good shifts and efforts that we got from the guys that came in the lineup, I thought Wayne Simmonds had his best game. There was a lot of really good things to take out the game that will help us build from here.

Q. Josh Clipperton, The Canadian Press: A lot of people were expecting fireworks in this two-game set, it didn’t really happen. Were we wrong to expect that? What did you see? Why was it so tight?

Sheldon Keefe: I think if you go back and watch the first seven minutes of the first period I don’t think it was very tight and Fred was great. He kept us in it early there, I thought. That or we were just able to get back at the last second and break things up. Things were pretty loose early on. I thought as the game settled in structure kind of took over again. You’ve got two teams that are trying to improve defensively and not be so loose and free in terms of offensive chances, defensive chances. In our case tonight especially, you take two thirds of your top line out, and someone like Auston and what he means to our team, we’ve got to play a little bit differently and the group’s got to recognize the important of every shift and how important it is to stay with the structure and stay with the plan. I thought we did that really well today. I thought our best guys led us. Big time play from Will to make that pass to Vesey who finished it. That’s another big 5-on-5 goal from Jimmy Vesey for us. That’s a great sign. Just a real good team win, which we knew going in it was going have to be.

Q. Eric Francis, Sportsnet: Can you talk a little bit about what TJ Brodie has brought to your team that maybe you guys were hoping he would fill a void with?

Sheldon Keefe: He’s just been a real steady presence for us. Whether it be defensively or offensively with how he moves the puck. Just been a really steady, consistent, low maintenance guy who’s come in. Like every player there’s an adjustment period, but he looks really comfortable. When I talk about our team not getting rattled or fazed by anything that might have occurred in any of our games, he epitomizes that. He just goes out and plays. If he makes a mistake or the team makes a mistake, it doesn’t rattle him. He just goes out and plays his next shift. That’s really valuable on defence, in particular.

FREDERIK ANDERSEN

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: You passed Curtis Joseph in wins tonight in franchise history. Do wins like this mean that much more to you when they come second half of a back-to-back in a game that sets the tone for you guys heading on the road?

Frederik Andersen: I’ll start by saying it’s obviously cool to be in the same sentence as a guy like Cujo. He’s a phenomenal person, obviously enjoyed seeing him around here under normal circumstances. Playing a lot of games and being part of a good team you’re going to end up with wins and I’m really happy about the way we responded. The second part of the question, obviously we wanted to respond on the last game and take two points back. Obviously, every single game is a division game so we knew we had to respond to not dig ourselves a hole. I like the way we came out.

Q. Dave McCarthy, NHL.com: If I’m not mistaken, Cujo was a guy that you really idolized growing up. I believe you wore his pads back at the Centennial Classic. Is he a guy that you really followed growing up?

Frederik Andersen: It was probably a little bit hard to say that because in Denmark we didn’t get much NHL, but obviously with the pads being his brand and I would see them, they would be the ones being sold in the stores in Denmark and I know my Dad played with the same colours. He’s one of the greats in Toronto and it’s special, like that game back in my first year, to be able to give him a little respect. It’s cool.

TJ BRODIE

Q. Eric Francis, Sportsnet: How has your role changed in Toronto as opposed to the role you played here in Calgary?

TJ Brodie: I think it’s pretty similar. I’m willing to play wherever they want me to play and wherever helps the team the most. That’s the way I’ve looked at it throughout my career and the way I’ll continue to look at it.

Q. Eric Francis, Sportsnet: Have you touched base with many of the guys in the room? I know you’re tight with a ton of them.

TJ Brodie: Yeah we’ve talked here and there. Obviously, since the season’s started I haven’t really talked to them, it’s been a bit chaotic with the schedule, but it will be good to face off against them.

Q. Eric Francis, Sportsnet: How much have you thought about your return to Calgary either during the summer or of late?

TJ Brodie: Yeah I didn’t really think about it at all. My main focus has been here, getting to know the guys, getting to know the systems and create that chemistry here. It’s something I didn’t really worry about. I figured I’d think about it when the time comes.

ADAM BROOKS

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Adam, you were drafted five years ago, a long road to this moment. To score your first goal, how does it feel?

Adam Brooks: Yeah, it definitely feels good. I think there was a lot of pressure taken off me. That was the first game I’ve played in 330 days or something like that. It’s been a long time. It was nice to get that bounce and nicer to come from a guy like Jason Spezza. It was a lot of fun . A great moment that I’ll remember forever obviously and just happy that I got the opportunity to be out there with those guys.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Where’s the puck going?

Adam Brooks: I’m sure my parents will steal it and put it in their basement but I’m not even really sure where it is right now.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How would you describe what it was like waiting? You mentioned the time off, what was it like trying to stay focused and all of that?

Adam Brooks: Yeah, it’s definitely hard. A lot of guys obviously were in that situation where they didn’t play for a long time. Whenever you get back into a situation like that where you get to play, the first period or the first little is going to be hard I think. No matter how hard you train and no matter what you’re doing, whenever you get into game mode it’s always a little bit harder and a little bit of a step up so you know it was nice to get out there and get my feet wet. Obviously I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward but I was happy to get the opportunity. Like I said, fortunate to get a bounce like that.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What will you remember most about that goal, that sequence?

Adam Brooks: I think for me it’s pretty cool to play with a guy like Spezza. My first game ever he was on my wing as well. I got him to sign a stick for me. So to say that he assisted on my first goal, a guy that’s played for that long and of that caliber, it’s a pretty cool moment for me. Just the whole thing was pretty exciting.

JOHN TAVARES

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: You were talking this morning about guys having to elevate their games and that sort of thing. Did that happen tonight?

John Tavares: I think certainly to get a good hard fought win like that you need the whole group and some guys got new different opportunities, more opportunities. When you come out on the right side of it, I thought as the game went on we got better. We were a little loose with some opportunities they created in the first period, but other than that I thought, we found our game, found our rhythm and it was hard fought. They competed hard and certainly guys stepped up and got a big bounce back.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: Your thoughts on heading out west for a week now and two with the Flames and two with the Oilers and what you expect?

John Tavares: Yeah, I guess we’re Alberta bound – just try to build some momentum off a decent week here. Each game is so important, we know everything is inner divisional so it doesn’t stop. You can’t take your foot off the gas and we’ve got to keep improving. We’ve got a real challenge going into Sunday with the travel, the turnaround and the amount of hockey we’ve already played. Mentally and physically, we’ve got to respond, get ourselves ready to go and know that we’ve got a tough one with our first time seeing the Flames. It should be a fun trip. I don’t think we’ve got any back-to-backs so try to take advantage of those days in-between and make the most of this trip.

JIMMY VESEY

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Can you take us through the goal?

Jimmy Vesey: Yeah, I thought it was a good forecheck by our line. Kerf made a nice anticipation play and picked it off and found Willy who made a great play to me. You know, I think a lot of people thought that he would have shot that puck but froze the goalie and slid it over and I just tried to bury it.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What was it like getting reunited with Alex [Kerfoot]? We know you guys go way back.

Jimmy Vesey: I thought it was great. You know we’ve had some sporadic shifts from the games before this. It was great to play with him tonight. I think we still have a little bit of that chemistry. He’s a pass first guy and I thought he was looking for me and Willy tonight so it was nice to play with him and obviously, nice to get a goal.

Q. Josh Clipperton, Canadian Press: What you thought of the team’s performance overall, missing Auston, missing Joe and how you guys grinded one out after the disappointment Wednesday.

Jimmy Vesey: I thought it was a great effort by the group. Like you said, no Auston, no Jumbo, guys came and stepped up. You know obviously Brooksy, first NHL goal and I thought Barabanov came in and looked a lot more comfortable and played a really good game for us. I thought it was a gutsy effort. We didn’t like our game the other night. It’s good we didn’t have to wait to play those guys again and came back and got it done tonight.

Maple Leafs 4, Oilers 2 postgame notes

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

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (4-2-0 – 8 Points)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
EDMONTON	0	1	1	–	2
TORONTO	0	2	2	–	4

GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

Adam Brooks put the Maple Leafs on the board with a power play goal at 5:55 of the second period. Brooks’ goal is his first career NHL goal. In seven games with the Maple Leafs in 2019-20, he recorded three assists. He had 20 points (9-11-20) in 29 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) last season.
Jimmy Vesey scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 11:16 of the second period. Vesey’s goal is his second of the season and second on home ice. Vesey had nine goals and 11 assists in 64 games with Buffalo last season.
John Tavares scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night on the power play at 11:46. Tavares is second in the NHL in points with four goals and three assists in six games to begin the season. He has three goals and two assists in four games on home ice. Tavares has 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists) in 18 career games against Edmonton.
Mitch Marner notched the primary assist on Tavares’ third period goal before scoring Toronto’s fourth goal into an empty net at 19:59 of the third period. Tonight’s game is Marner’s third multi-point game of the season. He leads the NHL lead in points with eight (4 goals, 4 assists). He has seven points (4-3-7) over his last four games. Marner has five points (3-2-5) in four games on home ice this season.
Jason Spezza registered the primary assist on Brooks’ second period goal. Spezza’s assist is his second of the season. Both of his assists have come on home ice. In 31 career games against Edmonton, he has 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists).
TJ Brodie collected the secondary assist on Brooks’ second period goal. Brodie has assists (2) in two consecutive games. He has three assists in six games this season.
William Nylander recorded the primary assist on Vesey’s second period goal and later had the secondary assist on Tavares’ third period goal. Nylander has five assists in six games to begin the season. Tonight’s game is his first multi-assist and second multi-point game of the season. He has nine points (2-8-10) in 10 career games against the Oilers.
Alex Kerfoot had the secondary assist on Vesey’s second period goal. Kerfoot has two assists over his last three games. In nine career games against Edmonton, he has recorded eight points (5-3-8).
Frederik Andersen stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced to earn his third win of the season.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
EDMONTON	11 (11)	10 (5)	11 (10)	–	32 (26)
TORONTO	12 (12)	9 (7)	8 (3)	–	29 (22)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
EDMONTON	17 (17)	18 (10)	20 (19)	–	55 (46)
TORONTO	20 (20)	16 (12)	18 (13)	–	54 (45)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home	3-1-0 (4 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton	53-44-8-1 (106 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton at Home	30-19-2-0 (51 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	4 (Engvall, Tavares)
Shot Attempts	6 (Vesey)
Faceoff Wins	12 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage	71% (Spezza – 5 won, 2 lost)
Hits	7 (Bogosian)
Blocked Shots	4 (Brodie, Muzzin)
Takeaways	3 (Marner)
TOI	23:16 (Hyman)
Power Play TOI	2:21 (Marner, Nylander, Rielly)
Shorthanded TOI	2:19 (Holl)
Shifts	27 (Muzzin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	81.0% (Vesey – 17 for, 4 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first	3-1-0
Tied after 1	2-1-0
Lead after 2	3-0-0
Score multiple power play goals	3-1-0
Do not allow a power play goal	3-0-0
Outshot by opponent	1-1-0
Friday	1-1-0

OF NOTE…

The Maple Leafs went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 2-for-2 on the power play tonight.
Pierre Engvall and Jason Spezza started 33.3% of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Jake Muzzin was on the ice for a team-high 25 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 58.1% (25 for, 18 against).
John Tavares won 67% (6 won, 3 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Sunday, January 24, 4:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Tuesday, January 26, 9:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
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)

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.

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)
2020-21	0-1-0
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

	TORONTO	EDMONTON
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

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	3 (Marner, Tavares)
ASSISTS	4 (Holl)
POINTS	6 (Marner, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS	4 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	N/A
PIMs	15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS	27 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	66.3% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS	11 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS	4 (Matthews, Nylander)
HITS	11 (Matthews)
TOI PER GAME	25:00 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	3:32 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	4:13 (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 Matthews	Points (2-2-4) in three consecutive games.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Bogosian	Four points from 200 NHL points
Mitch Marner	Three points from 300 NHL points
Wayne Simmonds	One point from 500 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES

TJ Brodie	First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Mikko Lehtonen	First NHL game (Jan. 18 vs. WPG)
Joe Thornton	First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)

INJURY REPORT

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

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 21	Placed forward Nick Robertson on long term injured reserve.
Jan. 19	Loaned forward Travis Boyd to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Jan. 18	Recalled 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. 17	Added forward Pierre Engvall to the club’s taxi squad.
Jan. 16	Recalled forward Nick Robertson from the club’s taxi squad. Loaned forward Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad.

OILERS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1: postgame notes

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

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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
EDMONTON	1	0	2	–	3
TORONTO	0	0	1	–	1

GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

Auston Matthews put the Maple Leafs on the board at 6:44 of the third period. Matthews’ goal is his second of the season. Matthews has points (2-2-4) in three consecutive games. He has six points (4-2-6) in eight career games against Edmonton.
Zach Hyman registered the primary assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Hyman has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games to begin the season. Both of his assists have come on home ice.
Mitch Marner collected the secondary assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Marner leads the NHL in scoring with seven points (3-4-7) through five games to begin the season. He has points (3-3-6) in three consecutive games.
Frederik Andersen stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced in the loss.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
EDMONTON	3 (3)	8 (5)	11 (9)	–	23 (18)
TORONTO	8 (6)	12 (5)	6 (4)	–	26 (15)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
EDMONTON	6 (6)	18 (11)	13 (11)	–	37 (28)
TORONTO	15 (12)	20 (10)	18 (14)	–	53 (36)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home	2-1-0 (3 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton	52-44-8-1 (105 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton at Home	29-19-2-0 (50 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	6 (Matthews)
Shot Attempts	8 (Matthews)
Faceoff Wins	14 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage	100% (Kerfoot, Thornton)
Hits	6 (Matthews)
Blocked Shots	4 (Holl)
Takeaways	1 (Hyman, Matthews)
TOI	25:36 (Marner)
Power Play TOI	1:15 (Matthews, Marner)
Shorthanded TOI	2:48 (Spezza)
Shifts	26 (Hyman)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	81.8% (Lehtonen, Mikheyev – 9 for, 2 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first	2-1-0
Trail after 1	1-1-0
Trail after 2	0-2-0
Do not score a power play goal	0-1-0
Do not allow a power play goal	2-1-0
Outshoot opponent	3-1-0
Wednesday	1-1-0

OF NOTE…

The Maple Leafs went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play tonight.
Auston Matthews and Jake Muzzin were on the ice for a team-high 15 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 62.5% (15 for, 9 against), while Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 65.2% (15 for, 8 against).
Auston Matthews won 78% (7 won, 1 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs and was 10-for-14 in the faceoff circle against Edmonton centre Connor McDavid in all situations.
Joe Thornton left tonight’s game and did not return.

UPCOMING GAMES:

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)
Tuesday, January 26, 9:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
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)

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.

Oilers 3, Maple Leafs 1: Quotes.

SHELDON KEEFE

Q. Kristen Shilton, TSN: Auston was just saying he felt like maybe you guys were playing it a bit too safe tonight. Did you feel similarly that maybe that held you back from really getting going offensively?

Sheldon Keefe: If you don’t play a little bit safe against this team, they’re going to embarrass you like they did the last time they were in here. You have to be intelligent with how you play, but at the same time, we had our opportunities to play with the puck, they defended well and we didn’t make any plays, we didn’t get off the wall, we didn’t do anything. We can talk about it however way we wish, but both teams defended well today. They were just a little bit better offensively than we were and that’s the difference.

Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: Given those weapons that they have, can you take some positives from the defensive effort and the amount of chances you gave up?

Sheldon Keefe: Sure, I thought defensively we didn’t really expose ourselves until the third period – we started giving up some chances when we were really pressing, but I didn’t like our game at all today. I thought we were really slow, disjointed, didn’t play with enough pace to generate any sort of sustained pressure or offense. Couldn’t draw power plays, took some careless penalties ourselves and that ends up being the difference in the game. A bad bounce and a penalty we couldn’t kill that caught up with us in the third.

Q. Jonas Siegel, The Athletic: I’m just wondering if you had an update on Joe

Sheldon Keefe: Looks like he’s definitely going to miss some time here with us, but we don’t know the extent of it. He’s going to have to get more tests and images and stuff like that later this week.

Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: If you could put your finger on what went wrong, what would you be doing differently on Friday night against this same team?

Sheldon Keefe: Well we’re going to have to look at it. Like I said, they defended really well today. They really shut down the neutral zone, made it hard for us to get through there and we turned the puck over a lot and got stalled offensively once we got in the zone. It was really difficult to get to the net so we’ll have to look to see what we can do better there offensively. I don’t think when we had the puck we played well. I do think you’re definitely aware of who you’re out there against and that’s a big factor in the game. You have to be, but that’s not no excuse to why that would affect us the way it did. We just didn’t skate or work offensively enough today.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: I think you used the term careless penalties, but is it tough when you guys play the way you did and you put yourselves in the position to have some of the calls that were made tonight? How do you see it? I’m talking specifically about the Muzzin call.

Sheldon Keefe: We had a hold, a high stick, trip. These are careless penalties that the other team’s not taking. We had a couple of power plays, I think, and chance to score on those and didn’t, but I thought we took some careless ones there that really stalled our game, first of all, even more. And then you know a power play like that is going to break through eventually and we gave them too many opportunities.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: You talked earlier this morning about Auston’s two-way game. Do you feel he did enough in that area tonight? It certainly looked like he had takeaways using his body, scoring the goal. Do you feel he did his best tonight?

Sheldon Keefe: I thought he worked, I thought he did a pretty good job, but I thought all our guys were really disconnected today. Where Auston had success, just like his goal, was very individual. He created the takeaway. He attacked the net. We didn’t do much together with any sort of connection from our zone out through the neutral zone into the offensive zone. They also made it difficult because they defended well, they pushed us to the wall so you don’t have proper support and people around the puck. It makes it real hard.

I thought all of our lines and players today were just disjointed and didn’t have legs. Today was a strange game. I don’t know how many of you were in the building, but today was the first game, to me, that felt like a game with no fans. It was a really quiet and slow pace to the game. The first period was tough to get through being on the bench. It just felt like one of those nights and we were trying to get something going. It didn’t feel like we ever really got there.

TJ BRODIE

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: You’re a guy who played a lot against Edmonton, do you find they have, they’re known for their offence but they can put a good forechecking game together tonight like they did?

T.J. Brodie: Yeah, they’re a fast team over there. You know they like to get pucks in deep and get on the forecheck and they’re a pretty big team too. It was as we expected. I thought we did a good job containing the speed through the neutral zone. You know there’s definitely things to improve on for the next game.

Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Along those lines, you were probably happy to keep their big line shut down to a large degree five-on-five.

T.J. Brodie: Yeah, you know those big guys are good and skilled guys. So, anytime you can hold them off the scoresheet five-on-five is big.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What sort of adjustments or areas you feel you’d like to up for the rematch on Friday?

T.J. Brodie: I think maybe just playing faster. It’s an asset for us to play fast and tonight, I felt like it was a little slow on the regroups and stuff like that. I think that’ll be a big difference maker if we can do that.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You feel that will be something that will be easier as the season gets going? You guys didn’t have the exhibition season, no preseason games, that sort of thing.

T.J. Brodie: Yeah, definitely. The longer guys play together, the more they get to know each other, get to know the tendencies and get that chemistry built and you know, that’s a big aspect of the game.

MITCH MARNER

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Why do you think it ended up playing out the way it did as a tightly defensive struggle?

Mitch Marner: I think both teams know that both teams are deadly on odd-man rushes, 3-on-2s, 2-on-1s, anything like that. I think everyone was trying to stay above people, not really give a whole lot of space out there. You could just tell it was a game that wasn’t too many odd-man rushes or anything like that going on. It was going to be won down low and around the net.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Auston was talking this morning about the battle against the McDavid line and he’s going to get his looks, but it felt like you did a good job of containing him tonight. How do you assess that matchup?

Mitch Marner: I think we were staying above, we were doing a good job, but I think we’ve got to be better in the O-zone, we’ve got to hold on to the puck more, try and control it more. I feel like we weren’t really pressuring too hard on the offence, we were worried about staying above them all night. I think, like I said, we did a good job of it, but at the same time, we’ve got to play more down low in their zone and make it harder.

AUSTON MATTHEWS

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: So much firepower on both sides, why did you think it ended up being more of a defensive game?

Auston Matthews: I think both teams watched the pre-scout and were trying to key in on the top guys. It was a pretty underwhelming game, not much going on. We really didn’t do a great job through the neutral zone, we couldn’t get much going. Not a whole lot of offense in that game, not really expected but we definitely have to do a much greater job creating offense.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Talking to Mitch, he was happy with the job you guys did on the McDavid line defensively, not as much in terms of the offensive zone. How did you see that matchup tonight?

Auston Matthews: When we go through the pre-scout, obviously we key in on those two guys – they’re extremely dangerous, two of the top two players in the world. We can’t get away from our game too, we’ve got to go out there and play our game and try to produce offence. We’ve got to play to win, not contain two guys. I think we’ve got to regroup as a team, do a good job of watching video and learning from some mistakes and trying to apply some stuff to this next game because we’ve got these guys in another day here.

MORGAN RIELLY

On tonight’s game as a defensive battle:

Morgan Rielly: If you look at the goals, they’re kind of unusual. The puck was bouncing a little bit, I guess. I don’t know, it was just one of those nights I think. Both teams obviously were focused on the big guys up front so that’s just how it goes sometimes.

Q. Mark Masters, TSN: How do you asses how you guys handled McDavid and the speed he’s got?

Morgan Rielly: It was good. We’re back at it again in a couple of days and I think after that we got them six more times or something so we’ve got a lot of work left to do. I thought it was alright first night.

Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: You get the Oilers right back again on Friday. What do you take out of this that you can apply to Friday night?

Morgan Rielly: I think that there are periods of the game where we played okay. We got chances. As we talk about it tomorrow at practice, there will be areas that we’ve got to clean up. Obviously, you want the power play to be able to execute when you’ve got chances. I think that in terms of turnovers, I think we had too many, but we’ll talk about that tomorrow. We’ll talk about what we can do to be better and that’ll be discussed. But you know as of right now, I think it was just an odd night. We expect to be better here on Friday.

Maple Leafs-Oilers pregame notes:

EDMONTON OILERS (1-3-0 – 2 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3-1-0 – 6 Points)

JANUARY 20, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus EDMONTON

ALL-TIME RECORD:	52-43-8-1 (104 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:	29-18-2-0 (49 Games)
2019-20	1-1-0
LAST FIVE:	4-1-0
LAST 10:	8-2-0

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus EDMONTON

GAMES PLAYED:	Joe Thornton (67), TJ Brodie (39), Jake Muzzin (31)
GOALS:	Joe Thornton (12), Jason Spezza (9), Wayne Simmonds (8)
ASSISTS:	Joe Thornton (58), Jason Spezza (17), TJ Brodie (14)
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

	TORONTO	EDMONTON
GOALS FOR (Rank):	14 (1st)	10 (t-8th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	12 (24th)	15 (t-28th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	6/14 [42.9%] (3rd)	2/18 [11.1%] (t-18th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	14/17 [82.4%] (16th)	12/14 [85.7%] (t-13th)
SHOTS (Rank):	135 (2nd)	138 (1st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	191 (1st)	164 (3rd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	58.1% (2nd)	45.8% (t-26th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	58.7% (1st)	53.4% (7th)

MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:	Nov. 11, 1979 (Toronto 6, Edmonton 3)
All-Time Record:	52-43-8-1 (104 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:	29-18-2-0 (49 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

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	3 (Marner, Tavares)
ASSISTS	4 (Holl)
POINTS	6 (Marner, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS	4 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	N/A
PIMs	15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS	21 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	67.1% (Vesey)
BLOCKED SHOTS	7 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS	4 (Nylander)
HITS	8 (Holl)
TOI PER GAME	25:03 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	3:48 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	4:46 (Muzzin)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen	– Ranks sixth among NHL goaltenders in saves made (74).- Has a 12-0-1 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 14 career games against Edmonton.
TJ Brodie	– Averaging 17:38 in even-strength ice time through four games, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Had a pair of assists in four games against Edmonton in 2019-20.
Jack Campbell	– Earned his first win of the season on January 16 at Ottawa after making 17 saves on 19 shots.
Justin Holl	– Ranks sixth among NHL defencemen who have appeared in multiple games with a shot attempt percentage of 63.1%.- Tied his career-high for assists in a game with two on January 18 vs. Winnipeg.
Zach Hyman	– Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:24).- Established a new single-game career-high for shots in a game (10) on January 18 vs Winnipeg. His 10 shots against the Jets are the most in a single game by any NHLer this season.
Alex Kerfoot	– Leads the Maple Leafs in penalties drawn (3) and is tied for the NHL lead in net penalties (+3).- Has seven points (5-2-7) in seven career games against Edmonton.
Mitch Marner	– Tied for the NHL lead in points with six (3-3-6).- Ranks second among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (24:23).- Tied for second among NHL skaters in even-strength points (4).
Auston Matthews	– Averaging 23:11 in time on ice per game, which ranks fourth among NHL forwards.- Ranks third among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (66.4%).- Leads the NHL in shots on goal (21).- Averaging 25.30 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, which ranks second among NHL forwards who have appeared in multiple games.
Ilya Mikheyev	– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:39).- Has an average of 11.3 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks second among NHL forwards who have played at least 10 minutes on the penalty kill.
Jake Muzzin	– Tied for fifth among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (4:46).- Ranks 12th among NHL defencemen in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (17.43).
William Nylander	– Has the third-highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.32) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 62.6%, which is the fourth-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards.- Has recorded eight points against the Oilers (two goals, six assists) in eight career games against Edmonton.
Morgan Rielly	– Ranks 15th among NHLers who have appeared in multiple games in average time on ice (25:03).- Has been on the ice for the second-most shot attempts for among NHL skaters (80) behind Auston Matthews.- Tied for the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (58.8%) among NHLers who average at least 19:00 (19:31) per game in 5-on-5 ice time.
John Tavares	– Tied for the NHL lead in points (3-3-6).- Leads the NHL in power play goals (3).- Has the second-highest faceoff win percentage (69.6%) among NHLers who have taken at least 50 faceoffs.
Joe Thornton	– Ranks second among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (67.0%).

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Mitch Marner	Goals (3) and points (3-2-5) in two consecutive games.
Auston Matthews	Assists (2) and points (1-2-3) in two consecutive games.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Bogosian	Four points from 200 NHL points
Mitch Marner	Three points from 300 NHL points
Wayne Simmonds	One point from 500 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES

TJ Brodie	First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Mikko Lehtonen	First NHL game (Jan. 18 vs. WPG)
Joe Thornton	First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
TJ Brodie	First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)

INJURY REPORT

Nick Robertson (Knee)	Expected to miss at least four weeks.
	Man Games Lost: 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 19	Loaned forward Travis Boyd to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Jan. 18	Recalled 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. 17	Added forward Pierre Engvall to the club’s taxi squad.
Jan. 16	Recalled forward Nick Robertson from the club’s taxi squad. Loaned forward Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad.

Leafs 3, Jets 1: Postgame quotes.

SHELDON KEEFE
Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: John Tavares described the team as being more connected tonight, things are coming together that way. To what would you attribute that?
Sheldon Keefe: I definitely agree. I think what I would attribute it to is just time – more time together, more games, more meetings, more discussions as a group. I think we’ve definitely seen progress in a lot of areas. We leave the game feeling good about the effort the guys put in today. At the same time, I’m fairly confident we’re going to have a number of things to discuss tomorrow and where we can continue to get better. That’s obviously very positive. We’re still not where we can be. It’s going to take us a little more time, keep getting a little bit better every day, but to get another win here today and have a good second period like we did to set us up well is very positive. As I said, there’s going to be a number of things that we can look at and discuss as a group tomorrow that will help us next time.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: What did you think of Mikko’s debut tonight and what did [seven defencemen and 11 forwards] look like for you tonight?
Sheldon Keefe: Mikko, he didn’t play a lot in the second half of the game. I’d have to go back and watch all his shifts just to see the details and stuff inside of it, but from the bench when he was out there I thought he looked good and looked confident. He skated well, moved well, when the puck came to him he didn’t panic so those were all positive signs. I think today’s a good positive step for him. As for our 7-11, I thought it was fine. At times it felt we were maybe a forward short, you’re feeling the effects of not having a guy and then there’s other times you like it. We were able to get Auston extra shifts with a really favourable matchup at different times, whether it’s John or Will or Mitch, those guys are getting extra shifts down there. There’s pros and cons to it and I think I felt both sides of it here tonight.
Q. Jonas Siegel, The Athletic: Could you get a sense tonight for how the Kerfoot line can open some things up for some of the other lines?
Sheldon Keefe: Yeah, I would say so. That’s the intent behind it is that those guys can give us a really good shift against anybody and give us a chance to rest our top people, yet still have them come over the boards in a favourable position. That’s the way it’s set up. I’ve got to go back and watch it obviously, I think it was Kerfoot-Mikheyev-Simmonds was on the line when we gave up that goal right after we had made it 2-0. That was a tough shift for us there, but as a whole, I think when Kerfoot, Mikheyev and Hyman have been playing together they’ve been giving us real good minutes.

FREDERIK ANDERSEN
Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: Can you give us an idea of how you used the Saturday when you didn’t dress for that game and how you felt that went in terms of getting ready for this one?
Frederik Andersen: A little new thing we’re trying. I think it was good. I think me and Steve Briere got some good time in, extra time on the ice just to work on a few things that we were talking about the night before. I thought it was good. It’s obviously something new. Got to stay at the hotel for a little bit longer and just come for the game.
Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: I think Tavares used the word connected to describe the team’s play in front of you tonight. Are you seeing that grow a bit here through the first four games?
Frederik Andersen: Yeah, that’s probably a good way to put it. I think we were good at keeping them to the outside and then, as they turned the puck over after a shot, I thought we were good at breaking out and pushing it down their end and making them defend a little bit more and get them a little bit tired. I thought that we showed simplifying our game a little bit both defensively and just cycling the puck offensively. I thought the guys played well today. That was fun.
MIKKO LEHTONEN
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: How did it feel out there in your first game?
Mikko Lehtonen: I think it felt good. I was confident and felt good. Good to get the first one done.
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Was anyone watching you back home?
Mikko Lehtonen: Yeah, I think a lot of my friends and family. They were excited to see me play and that was fun. Huge thing for my family, too.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: Just wondered what was going through your head while you weren’t playing and how you were practicing?
Mikko Lehtonen: Of course I think everybody wants to play every night, but I wasn’t in the lineup the first three games. I worked hard and stayed positive. What I can focus on is giving my best every day. That’s the thing. When the coaches say, go play, I will play. I came here to play so it’s fun to play.
MITCH MARNER
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What are you appreciating about what John Tavares has brought to the table early in the season?
Mitch Marner: His work ethic every day has been great. He’s come ready to play and being very competitive, every puck he’s out there against. I mean that’s what you want out of your leaders. You want them to show and be an example for everyone else and he’s done a great example of everyone else.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: This rivalry seems to be bubbling nicely. I’m not sure what Pionk was trying to do there at the end and then Scheifele was quite upset with you it seemed. What was your perspective on that final sequence?
Mitch Marner: Who cares, we won the game. That’s all that matters, that’s all I care about.
Q. Josh Clipperton, The Canadian Press: You guys were dominant in the second period, what was working so well for your group?
Mitch Marner: Speed, breaking out of our zone quickly, finding easy exits. I think we were really communicating and also controlling the puck in the O-zone. I feel like a lot of times when they were exiting they were pretty fatigued so they couldn’t really forecheck our D too much and we were going right back into them. That’s something we’ve talked about wanting to get better at every game. I thought tonight in the second period we really took over and did that well. It’s just something we’ve got to keep doing.
JOHN TAVARES
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: It seemed like you guys found another gear, especially in that second period. What did you like most about the win tonight?
John Tavares: Yeah, I think we’re just starting to build some good habits over the last couple of games and just staying with it. Obviously, we didn’t love giving up the goal at the end of the period, but we faced some adversity here with how well we played in the second and we fought hard to get the two goal lead. Good job in the third still being able to create some opportunities, being aggressive on the forecheck and making them really have to work to get up the ice and then create chances on the penalty kill was great tonight but a lot of good stuff especially with amount of opportunities that they had. Good hard fought win.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: The power play also seemed to have a dominant stretch there obviously with a lot of chances before the goal. What was your sense in the lead up to the goal about the momentum that was building?
John Tavares: Well we’re just sticking to what team’s are giving us and we’re just trying to execute the framework that we’re playing off of and the structure that we have and just taking what’s there. And obviously when you create opportunities and you’re able to retrieve pucks and break them down and get them tired, those open looks start to come and being able to draw people in and Willy made a great play, really selling the shot and I had the easy job of just firing it in.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: You’re off to a terrific start production wise. What do you attribute that to?
John Tavares: Well I’m just trying to play my game. I know it’s been part of what’s helped me get to this point in my career, just continuing to find ways to be productive and consistent. The power play’s doing a really good job. Every game 5-on-5 continues to build a little bit better so just trying to build on that and find different ways to create opportunities and produce.

Maple Leafs 3, Jets 1: Postgame notes

WINNIPEG JETS (1-1-0 – 2 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3-1-0 – 6 Points)

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
WINNIPEG	0	1	0	–	1
TORONTO	0	2	1	–	3

GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

John Tavares opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs with a power play goal at 5:28 of the second period. Tavares is tied for the NHL lead in goals, and leads the League in power play goals, power play points and points. He has 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 29 career games against the Jets franchise.
Mitch Marner scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 18:39 of the second period and later scored Toronto’s third goal of the night into an empty net at 19:37 of the third period. Marner has goals (3) and points (3-2-5) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his first multi-goal and second multi-point performance of 2020-21. He has 10 points (4-6-10) in eight career games against the Jets.
William Nylander registered the primary assist on Tavares’ second period goal. Nylander has two goals and two assists in two games on home ice this season. In seven career games against Winnipeg, he has recorded nine points (5-4-9).
Jake Muzzin collected the secondary assist on Tavares’ second period goal. Muzzin’s assist is his first point of the season. He had six goals and 17 assists in 53 games during the 2019-20 season.
Justin Holl recorded the primary assist on Marner’s second period goal. Holl has three assists in four games to begin the season. He has a pair of assists in two games on home ice.
Auston Matthews had the secondary assist on Marner’s second period goal. Matthews has assists (2) and points (1-2-3) in two consecutive games. He has two assists in two games at home this season. In nine career games against the Jets he has recorded 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists).
Alex Kerfoot had the lone assist on Marner’s empty net goal. Kerfoot’s assist is his first assist of 2020-21. He has a goal and an assist through four games this season.
Frederik Andersen stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn his second win of the season.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
WINNIPEG	10 (6)	6 (4)	12 (8)	–	28 (18)
TORONTO	10 (10)	22 (11)	6 (5)	–	38 (26)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
WINNIPEG	14 (9)	11 (9)	23 (14)	–	48 (32)
TORONTO	16 (16)	36 (22)	13 (11)	–	65 (49)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home	2-0-0 (2 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg	35-19-1-9 (64 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg at Home	18-9-1-4 (32 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	10 (Hyman)
Shot Attempts	10 (Hyman, Matthews, Tavares)
Faceoff Wins	10 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage	100% (Nylander, Simmonds)
Hits	3 (Five players tied)
Blocked Shots	2 (Dermott, Holl)
Takeaways	2 (Matthews, Nylander)
TOI	24:38 (Marner)
Power Play TOI	1:15 (Five players tied)
Shorthanded TOI	4:20 (Bogosian)
Shifts	31 (Marner)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	93.3% (Vesey – 14 for, 1 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first	3-0-0
Tied after 1	2-1-0
Lead after 2	2-0-0
Score 1 power play goal	2-0-0
Do not allow a power play goal	2-0-0
Outshoot opponent	3-0-0
Monday	1-0-0

OF NOTE…

The Maple Leafs went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-1 on the power play tonight.
TJ Brodie was on the ice for a team-high 23 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Brodie finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 67.7% (23 for, 11 against).
Mikko Lehtonen appeared in his first career NHL game.
Zach Hyman started 14.3% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters. He led the team in shots on goal tonight (10).

UPCOMING GAMES:

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)
Tuesday, January 26, 9:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
Thursday, January 28, 10:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (TSN4, 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.

Maple Leafs-Winnipeg Jets pregame notes

WINNIPEG JETS (1-0-0 – 2 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (2-1-0 – 4 Points)

JANUARY 18, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

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

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus WINNIPEG

ALL-TIME RECORD:	34-19-1-9 (63 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:	17-9-1-4 (31 Games)
2019-20	1-0-1
LAST FIVE:	3-1-1
LAST 10:	5-3-2

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus WINNIPEG

GAMES PLAYED:	Jason Spezza (50), Joe Thornton (43), John Tavares (28)
GOALS:	Jason Spezza (15), Joe Thornton (12), John Tavares (9)
ASSISTS:	Jason Spezza (36), Joe Thornton (32), John Tavares (21)
POINTS:	Jason Spezza (51), Joe Thornton (44), John Tavares (30)
PENALTY MINUTES:	Joe Thornton (41), John Tavares (25), Jason Spezza (20)

MAPLE LEAFS – JETS TEAM STATS

	TORONTO	WINNIPEG
GOALS FOR (Rank):	11 (t-1st)	4 (t-23rd)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	11 (t-26th)	3 (t-2nd)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	5/13 [38.5%] (4th)	1/4 [25.0%] (t-12th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	10/13 [76.9%] (15th)	2/3 [66.7%] (t-24th)
SHOTS (Rank):	97 (3rd)	34 (29th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	142 (2nd)	39 (29th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	57.3% (3rd)	52.7% (8th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	57.1% (2nd)	54.6% (5th)

MAPLE LEAFS – JETS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:	Oct. 27, 1999 (Toronto 4, Atlanta 0)
All-Time Record:	34-19-1-9 (63 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:	17-9-1-4 (31 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:	17-10-0-5 (32 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:	Oct. 27, 2018 (Toronto 3, Winnipeg 2)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	2 (Nylander, Tavares)
ASSISTS	3 (Marner, Tavares)
POINTS	5 (Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS	3 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	N/A
PIMs	15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS	16 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	67.5% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS	5 (Holl, Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS	2 (Four players tied)
HITS	5 (Holl, Tavares)
TOI PER GAME	25:33 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	4:39 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	5:11 (Muzzin)

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen	– Has a 9-0-2 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 12 career games against Winnipeg.
TJ Brodie	– Averaging 17:05 in even-strength ice time through three games, which ranks second among Toronto defencemen.- Recorded his first point as a Maple Leaf with an assist on January 16 at Ottawa.
Jack Campbell	– Earned his first win of the season on January 16 at Ottawa after making 17 saves on 19 shots.
Justin Holl	– Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 62.7% which ranks fourth among NHL defencemen who have started less than 50% (45.4%) of their shifts in the offensive zone.
Zach Hyman	– Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:09).
Alex Kerfoot	– Leads the Maple Leafs in penalties drawn (3) through three games.- One of two Maple Leafs who haven’t been on the ice for an even-strength goal against (Ilya Mikheyev).
Mitch Marner	– Ranks second among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (24:18).- Tied for second among NHL skaters in assists (3).
Auston Matthews	– Averaging 23:19 in time on ice per game, which ranks fourth among NHL forwards.- Ranks second among Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (64.9%).- Averaging 25.11 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 (2:52).- One of two Maple Leafs who haven’t been on the ice for an even-strength goal against (Alex Kerfoot).
Jake Muzzin	– Ranks third among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (5:11).- Ranks sixth among NHL defencemen in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (20.25).
William Nylander	– Averaging the highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (3.26) among Toronto skaters.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 58.2%.
Morgan Rielly	– Ranks 10th among NHLers who have appeared in multiple games in average time on ice (25:33).- Has the second-highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (57.4%) among NHLers who average at least 19:00 (19:16) per game in 5-on-5 ice time.
John Tavares	– Tied for the NHL lead in points (2-3-5) through three games.- Tied for the lead among NHL skaters in power play shot attempts (9).- Has the second-highest faceoff win percentage (67.4%) among NHLers who have taken at least 40 faceoffs.
Joe Thornton	– Leads the Maple Leafs in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (67.5%). – Recorded his first point as a Maple Leaf on January 16 at Ottawa with a goal.

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

None

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Bogosian	Four points from 200 NHL points
Mitch Marner	Five points from 300 NHL points
Wayne Simmonds	One point from 500 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES

Alexander Barabanov	First NHL game (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Zach Bogosian	First game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
TJ Brodie	First game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL) First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Nick Robertson	First NHL regular season game (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Wayne Simmonds	First game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Jason Spezza	600th NHL assist (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Joe Thornton	First game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL) First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Jimmy Vesey	First 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)

INJURY REPORT

Nick Robertson (Knee)	Left Toronto’s game on Jan. 16 and did not return.
	Man Games Lost: 0

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 16

Recalled 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.