Joe Thornton put the Maple Leafs on the board at 14:17 of the first period before collecting the secondary assist on Auston Matthews’ third period goal. Thornton’s goal is his first point as a Maple Leaf and first goal as a Maple Leaf. Tonight’s game is his first multi-point game of the season after he had four multi-point games in 2019-20. In 70 games with San Jose last season, he recorded seven goals and 24 assists.
Mitch Marner registered the primary on Thornton’s first period goal and later scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 1:10 of the second period before recording the primary assist on Auston Matthews’ third period goal. Tonight’s game is his first multi-assist and multi-point game of the season after he had 13 multi-assist and 17 multi-point games in 2019-20. He has a goal and two assists through three games this season.
Auston Matthews recorded the lone assist on Marner’s second period goal and later scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game on the power play at 2:42 of the third period. Matthews has a goal and two assists in three games to begin the season. Tonight’s game is his first multi-point game of the season after he had 25 in 2019-20. In 17 career games against Ottawa, he has recorded 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists).
TJ Brodie had the secondary assist on Thornton’s first period goal. Brodie’s assist his is first point as a Maple Leaf. He recorded 19 points (4-15-19) in 64 games with Calgary in 2019-20.
Jack Campbell stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced to earn his first win of 2020-21.
The Maple Leafs went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play tonight.
Auston Matthews was on the ice for a team-high 23 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 74.2% (23 for, 8 against).
Nick Robertson appeared in his first regular season game as a Maple Leaf. Robertson left the game in the first period due to a knee injury and did not return.
Jason Spezza did not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone. He was 9-for-9 (100%) on defensive zone faceoffs.
UPCOMING GAMES:
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)
Tuesday, January 26, 9:00 p.m. at Calgary Flames (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.
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…
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
TORONTO
OTTAWA
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
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
2 (Nylander, Tavares)
ASSISTS
3 (Tavares)
POINTS
5 (Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS
3 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
N/A
PIMs
15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS
10 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
100% (Four players tied)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
60.6% (Matthews)
BLOCKED SHOTS
5 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS
1 (Nine players tied)
HITS
4 (Hyman)
TOI PER GAME
25:59 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
4:32 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME
4:41 (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 Holl
Has assists (2) in two consecutive games.
Zach Hyman
Has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
William Nylander
Has assists (2) and points (2-2-4) in two consecutive games.
John Tavares
Has goals (2), assists (3) and points (2-3-5) in two consecutive games.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Zach Bogosian
Four points from 200 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)
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE (OTTAWA, ON) ▪ TV: TSN4 ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus OTTAWA
ALL-TIME RECORD:
56-53-3-11 (123 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:
25-31-1-4 (61 Games)
2019-20:
3-0-0
LAST FIVE:
3-2-0
LAST 10:
6-4-0
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus OTTAWA
GAMES PLAYED:
Joe Thornton (55), John Tavares (34), Wayne Simmonds (28)
GOALS:
Joe Thornton (16), Auston Matthews (13), Wayne Simmonds (10)
ASSISTS:
Joe Thornton (29), John Tavares (13), Mitch Marner (10), William Nylander (10)
POINTS:
Joe Thornton (45), Auston Matthews (22), John Tavares (20)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Joe Thornton (55), Wayne Simmonds (26), Zach Bogosian (23)
MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS TEAM STATS
TORONTO
OTTAWA
GOALS FOR (Rank):
5 (t-5th)
N/A
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
4 (t-16th)
N/A
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
2/4 [50.0%] (t-3rd)
N/A
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
1/3 [33.3%] (t-27th)
N/A
SHOTS (Rank):
34 (t-8th)
N/A
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
51 (5th)
N/A
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
52.0% (t-8th)
N/A
FACEOFF % (Rank):
54.0% (t-10th)
N/A
MAPLE LEAFS – SENATORS NOTES
First Matchup between Clubs:
Oct. 20, 1992 (Toronto 5, Ottawa 3)
All-Time Record:
56-53-3-11 (123 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:
31-22-2-7 (62 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:
25-31-1-4 (61 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:
Feb. 15, 2020 (Toronto 4, Ottawa 2)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
2 (Nylander)
ASSISTS
2 (Tavares)
POINTS
3 (Nylander, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS
1 (Five players tied)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
N/A
PIMs
5 (Simmonds)
SHOTS
7 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
100% (Nylander, Simmonds)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
66.7% (Matthews)
BLOCKED SHOTS
5 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS
1 (Five players tied)
HITS
3 (Simmonds)
TOI PER GAME
28:35 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
4:43 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME
3:51 (Holl)
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
Frederik Andersen
– Stopped 20 of 22 shots (.917) at even-strength on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Alexander Barabanov
– Made his NHL debut on January 13 vs. Montreal.
TJ Brodie
– Played 19:02 of even-strength ice time on January 13 vs. Montreal, his Maple Leaf debut, which ranked 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
– Led the Maple Leafs in shorthanded ice time (3:51) on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Zach Hyman
– One of three Toronto forwards (Kerfoot, Mikheyev) to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Alex Kerfoot
– Has five points (2-3-5) in seven career games against Ottawa.
Mitch Marner
– Had a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 65.7% in 17:53 of 5-on-5 ice time on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 14 games against the Senators.
Auston Matthews
– Played the second-most ice time among NHL forwards on opening night with 25:02 on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Recorded a team-high 14 shot attempts on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Had a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 66.6%.
Ilya Mikheyev
– Led Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time on January 13 vs. Montreal (2:19).
Jake Muzzin
– Had a team-high five blocked shots on January 13 vs. Montreal.
William Nylander
– One of four players in the NHL to have a multi-goal performance on opening night on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Had his first multi-goal and multi-point game of 2020-21 after registering four multi-goal and 18 multi-point performances in 2019-20.
Morgan Rielly
– Scored his fifth career overtime goal on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Led all skaters in ice time on opening night after playing 28:35.
Wayne Simmonds
– Played 10:25 in ice time in his Maple Leaf debut on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Jason Spezza
– Became the 92nd player in NHL history to record 600 assists on January 13 vs. Montreal.
John Tavares
– Had his first multi-assist and multi-point game of 2020-21 after registering six multi-assist and 18 multi-point games in 2019-20.- One of 12 NHLers to begin the season with a multi-assist game on the first night of the season after recording two on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Joe Thornton
– Played 17:30 in ice time in his Maple Leaf debut on January 13 vs. Montreal.
Jimmy Vesey
– Recorded his first point and goal as a Maple Leaf in his first game with the club on January 13 vs. Montreal.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
None
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Zach Bogosian
Four points from 200 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)
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)
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)
Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: Joe Thornton described that as a real fun game for everyone, but at times were you a little concerned about what was going on in the back end with your team?
Sheldon Keefe: It’s the first game of the season here, first time playing a game at that tempo. We just had a pretty emotional comeback win here for our first so I’m not going to get too nitpicky. We’ll get better everyday.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: Sheldon, the puck really seems to be exploding off Nylander’s stick early days here. What sort of improvements do you think he’s made since last season?
Sheldon Keefe: I don’t know, he was a pretty explosive player last season too. He’s a great talent. I think he’s come in really motivated and driven to continue to be a difference maker and to take it to another level. We’ve had a lot of pretty blunt discussions between he and I about where he needs to continue to get better away from the puck. He’s bought into that. I think it goes hand-in-hand. When he’s competing away from the puck, he’s more engaged when he has it, he’s more involved in the game. He was really good today. He and John were both really good.
Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: What were your first impressions of Joe alongside Mitch and Auston?
Sheldon Keefe: I thought they were good. I have to watch the video back for all our lines and the whole game, but I thought when he got the puck he put it in good spots, he made a play with it, he was around the net at different times. He came up with a couple of pucks on the forecheck. He looked like he had legs even through the third period. I was watching him, he had some really good tracks and returns back into our own end to have lots of legs and energy despite playing a lot the way the game went. I thought it was a good game for him.
Q. Luke Fox, Sportsnet: How’s Auston doing? He seemed to be in a bit of pain right before the overtime?
Sheldon Keefe: I think he just took a bit of a stinger. My understanding is he’s okay. He didn’t hesitate when I asked him if he was good to go for overtime.
Q. Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun: First season opener for you in your home building under very different circumstances. What did that feel like?
Sheldon Keefe: Once the game starts you’re caught up in it and, I’ll be honest, it just feels like hockey. The guys are competing, you’re into it. When you’re coaching behind the bench you’re making a decision every couple of seconds. You’re too engaged in it to really get caught up in it. I think once the puck drops it just feels like we’re in a game. I think the start of the game, before it really gets going, especially in a home opener like this is where you really felt the no fans. I believe the home opener, in particular for your new players, your incoming guys, it’s a great opportunity for them to connect with the fans and the fans to recognize them, in particular in our situation, of course, with guys like Joe and [Simmonds] coming back here to Toronto and Ontario. You miss out on those kinds of moments. We miss our fans in such a fun, back and forth type of game like this. It would have been nice, of course, to have them here. We’re going to have to get used to this, this is what we’ve got. Hopefully we’re able to entertain people at home.
WILLIAM NYLANDER
Q. Kristen Shilton, TSN: What did you like about your line tonight and how you guys were able to gel in this first game?
William Nylander: Well I think we did a good job. It was more of a grind game. We didn’t really get that many clean looks. So, I think we were relentless and when we gave up that goal, we were able to get one back which was huge.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: What did you make of Wayne Simmonds dropping the gloves there and maybe turning things around for you guys a little bit?
William Nylander: Yeah, that was a turning point in the game, for sure. He got the boys going, fired up. I think we were a little soft and slow in the beginning and after that we got fired up and got going which was huge.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: What about your own shooting tonight? Those were a couple of real nice shots. Anything going through your heads in those particular moments?
William Nylander: The first one was just a great job by the guys getting to the net. Price couldn’t see the puck. And the second one was just waiting, waiting and looking for a pass and just put it on net.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: And what about Jimmy Vesey tonight with the goal that forces overtime?
William Nylander: Yeah, it was huge. We were heavy on the forecheck there. We were able to get Price – lucky bounce though but it was a nice goal to get for us, for sure.
MORGAN RIELLY
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: Your thoughts on how this game went and your own play tonight?
Morgan Rielly: I think it was a good game to play in, good game to watch, good way to open the year with a win. They’re a good team, they came out and played hard. It’s what we expected. We’re happy with the win, obviously, and I think we’ve got a lot of areas to get better. We’re going to talk tomorrow on ways we can improve. To open the year with a win, that’s always a good feeling.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: What did you think of pairing up with TJ Brodie?
Morgan Rielly: I like playing with TJ, he’s great. I think he’s really good going back for pucks. He’s really good breaking it out, he’s calm with it, that first pass it great. It’s been a pleasure so far, just keep talking, keep trying to make it work better for us.
Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: Wayne Simmonds told us his fight, he thought the boys needed a spark. How did the boys take that fight on the bench and on the ice?
Morgan Rielly: I think it was awesome. I think that’s what Wayne brings to this group. He’s been doing that in his career for a long time. It’s incredibly valuable. He brings a whole lots of aspects, of great things to our team. The way that he’s able to play and that part of his game, and then his off-ice leadership. He’s incredibly valuable to this team and we’re very, very lucky to have him. He’s hard to play against so it’s nice to have him on our side for once. I think tonight was the perfect example of him taking it upon himself to get the team going and that’s exactly what happened.
WAYNE SIMMONDS
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: What did you feel of your performance tonight and the team’s performance tonight?
Wayne Simmonds: I thought we chased the game a little bit, but I thought we showed great character and the comeback. We kept coming back and we made it tough on them. At the end of the game we ended up with two points, obviously. It’s most important we build off of our mistakes and keep in mind what we did good, but at the same time, like I said, we build off of our mistakes and we continue to get better day after day here.
Q. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star: There’s usually nerves when a player comes to a team for the first time, plays his first game, maybe fans have something to do with that. How did you feel?
Wayne Simmonds: I was fine. I’ve been around the last year. I think this is my fifth team in the last year. I’m comfortable coming to new surroundings, the boys made it really easy for me to integrate within the team. I was just really excited for the game tonight to be honest.
Q. Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun: Obviously, you’re brought in for your physicality, we all know that, you know that is part of your game. Probably not going to scrap every night, but how did it feel to drop the gloves there, as short as the fight was. From these eyes, and others saw a bit of a turning point for your club in the second period.
Wayne Simmonds: Yeah. It felt good. That’s my first real game action in like 10 months, 28 days, and I can probably tell you to the second. It felt really good and I thought the boys needed a little bit of a spark there. I know my role on this team. I asked Chiarot and I didn’t think he wanted to go at first, but then he dropped the gloves before me so it was green light, go. I’m happy he gave me that one and helped turn the tide for our team.
JOE THORNTON
On his first game as a Maple Leaf:
Joe Thornton: Wasn’t that fun? It was great. Great game, boys were down early but we managed to come back and what a great finish by Mo. I think the 40-plus players and coaches really enjoyed being out there again.
Q. Chris Johnston, Sportsnet: What was the most fun part for you?
Joe Thornton: Just starting, hearing ‘Number 97 from St. Thomas, Ontario,’ you can’t beat that. Just competing again, competing with the guys, getting good looks, good passing, the competition again was nice to have.
Q. Mark Masters, TSN: You mentioned the finish by Morgan there. What stood out to you the most about Rielly since you’ve been around him?
Joe Thornton: He just competes. I think his skating is very elite, he’s a big body, great shot, sees the ice very, very well. Being from out west, really we don’t watch too much East games, but he’s been very, very impressive.
William Nylander put the Maple Leafs on the board at 15:56 of the first period and later Toronto’s second goal of the night on the power play at 18:00 of the second period before collecting the lone assist on Jimmy Vesey’s third period goal. Tonight’s game is his first multi-goal game and multi-point game of 2020-21. He had four multi-goal and 12 multi-point games in 2019-20. He has 14 points (8-6-14) in 14 career games against Montreal.
John Tavares collected the secondary assist on Nylander’s first period goal and later scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the game on the power play at 19:21 of the second period before recording the primary assist on Rielly’s overtime goal. Tonight’s game is his first multi-point performance of 2020-21 after he had 18 in 2019-20. Tavares had 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games last season. In 36 career games against the Canadiens, he has recorded 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists).
Jimmy Vesey scored the fourth Toronto goal of the night at 10:33 of the third period. Vesey’s goal is his first goal as a Maple Leaf and first point as a Maple Leaf. He had nine goals and 11 assists in 64 games during the 2019-20 season with the Buffalo Sabres. Tonight’s game is his first game as a Maple Leaf.
Morgan Rielly scored the fifth Maple Leafs goal of the game at 3:24 of overtime. Rielly’s goal is his fifth career overtime goal. In 2019-20 he scored three goals, including two game winners.
Justin Holl registered the primary assist on Nylander’s first period goal. In 68 games last season, Holl registered two goals and 16 assists.
Jason Spezza registered the primary assist on Nylander’s second period goal. Spezza’s assist is the 600th assist of his career. He has 70 points (32 goals, 38 assists) in 67 career games against the Canadiens.
Zach Hyman had the secondary assist on Nylander’s second period goal. Hyman’s assist is his first point of 2020-21. He registered 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists) in 51 games during the 2019-20 season.
Mitch Marner recorded the primary assist on Tavares’ second period goal. Marner’s assist is his first point of the season. He led the Maple Leafs with 51 assists in 2019-20.
Frederik Andersen picked up the secondary assist on Tavares’ second period goal. Andersen’s assist is his first since November 15, 2018 vs. San Jose.
Auston Matthews had the secondary assist on Rielly’s overtime goal. Matthews’ assist is his first point of 2020-21. He had 47 goals and 33 assists in 70 games played in 2019-20.
Frederik Andersen stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced in the win.
The Maple Leafs went 1-for-3 on the penalty kill and 2-for-4 on the power play tonight.
Alexander Barabanov made his NHL debut.
Zach Bogosian made his Maple Leaf debut.
TJ Brodie made his Maple Leaf debut.
Zach Hyman, Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev were the lone Toronto skaters to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly were on the ice for a team-high 24 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 64.9% (24 for, 13 against), while Rielly finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 63.2 percent (24 for, 14 against).
Wayne Simmonds made his Maple Leaf debut.
Joe Thornton made his Maple Leaf debut.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Friday, January 15, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (TSN4, FAN 590)
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)
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