HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE Q: What did you see tonight? “I think our guys competed at a much higher level here today. Unfortunately, it’s still not high enough. You’re playing against the Carolina Hurricanes, I think they set the standard, really in the league, in that regard. So despite the fact that we competed at a higher level today that was required in the game, it’s still not to the level necessary to be able to compete with a team like that. I like the fight of our team, obviously we scored first. I thought we stuck with our game even thought it was difficult. I mean, that’s the hardest game we’ve played this season by a wide margin in terms of the pressure, in terms of how difficult it is, in terms of how little time you have with the puck. It’s a different type of game we’ve played this season but I thought our guys were in the fight all the way through it. We just made mistakes that resulted in us getting scored on. They didn’t make those mistakes. I thought, at times, we gave too easy access to our net, guys getting behind our defence, and we didn’t get the same access to their net.” Q: What was your sense of the forward lines? “This is a tough one to really analyze that, frankly, because of how difficult Carolina made it. I thought there was times for sure – Tavares and Mitch, especially – I thought those guys moved around pretty well. They got some pucks off the wall. Otherwise, a lot of the game was spent on the boards here tonight. Not a whole lot of access to the middle of the ice so tough to really assess that. It was a difficult game but I thought the lines competed. Each line, I thought, competed. Again, it just shows we’ve got another level that we need to get to but like I said, I thought we were a lot better in a lot of areas tonight than we have been the last couple of games but still not to the level necessary to compete with a team like that the way we need to.” AUSTON MATTHEWS (ONE GOAL) Q: You guys had the lead… what gave it away? “I just think just little things, like little breakdowns we had and they capitalized on them. I mean, I think the effort that we had compared to the other night in Pittsburgh was a lot better but obviously not the result that we wanted.” Q: You said earlier it’s not the end of the world and you’re shutting it out anyways but what do you do next? “We put this one behind us and we move on to Chicago. Obviously we got plenty that we can take away from this, we played a really good team tonight. Offence is hard to come with the way that they play. Like I said not the result that we wanted but I think there’s things that we can take from a competitive stand point that we can move forward with positively, but obviously losing sucks. Especially when you lose a couple in a row it’s not great feeling but obviously for us we just want to clean up some aspects of our game and put our heads down and just keep working.” MICHAEL BUNTING (ONE ASSISST) Q: What were your thoughts on the game? Better effort than the Pittsburgh game? “I thought the effort was there. We had the lead in the game and you just have to build off the positives right now as a team. We have a great group of guys in there and we believe in ourselves and we can get out of this rut right now.” Q: What’s been the biggest issue over the last couple of games? “I don’t know. I think we just have to compete. We just have to believe, we have to believe in one another and everyone loves each other in this room, this is such a close hockey team and if any team can do this to get out of this rut we’re in, it’s us. We all believe that in that room and we’re looking forward to the next game.” JUSTIN HOLL (TEAM-HIGH 4 BLOCKS) Q: What were your thoughts on the game? Better effort than the Pittsburgh game? “Better effort for sure. You have to give credit to them they’re a good team but obviously we expect more out of ourselves in terms of winning hockey games. It’s always a work in progress and we’ll get back to work tomorrow at practice and try to fix what we can and build off the effort and intensity.” Q: What do you think is going less well to start the season for you guys? “I think there’s a combination of factors. Obviously the Pittsburgh game you could point just at the compete level wasn’t good enough. Other games we’re just falling a goal short here or there. Something that Sheldon mentioned tonight was protecting the net front and something that other teams have been doing better than we have recently so that will be something we will check out on video and try to make improvements where we can.” JACK CAMPBELL (32 SAVES) Q: What were your thoughts on the game? Better effort than the Pittsburgh game? “I thought we came out and played hard. Carolina has a great team over there. Definitely one of the top teams in the league and I thought we stayed right with them. I just think I have the ability to make those three saves and we get out of here with two points.” Q: What makes them such a tough team? “All three zones they’re great and they play fast and they have a lot of skill and they’re playing well.”
Auston Matthews scored at 3:25 of the first period for the Maple Leafs. Matthews marked his first goal of the season and 200th of his NHL career.
Michael Bunting recorded the primary assist on Matthews’ goal. Bunting registered his second assist of the season. SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL CAROLINA 15 (12) 6 (6) 15 (14) 36 (32) TORONTO 8 (8) 8 (6) 9 (9) 25 (23) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL CAROLINA 24 (19) 12 (12) 21 (19) 57 (50) TORONTO 13 (13) 22 (19) 20 (16) 55 (48) ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Maple Leafs are 0-3-0 on the road this season.
Toronto’s all-time record is 47-60-11-7 in 125 games against the Carolina Hurricanes and 23-28-6-5 in 62 games played in Carolina.
Toronto is 2-3-1 against the Eastern Conference this season and 0-2-1 against the Metropolitan Division this season. MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 5 (Ritchie) Shot Attempts 6 (Ritchie, Nylander) Faceoff Wins 10 (Spezza) Faceoff Win Percentage 53% (Spezza – 10 won, 9 lost and Tavares – 8 won, 7 lost) Hits 3 (Engvall) Blocked Shots 4 (Holl) Takeaways 3 (Spezza) TOI 23:12 (Rielly) Power Play TOI 2:24 (Tavares) Shorthanded TOI 3:21 (Muzzin) Shifts 28 (Rielly, Holl, Muzzin) 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 61.54% (Dermott – 16 for, 10 against) RECORD WHEN…
The Maple Leafs were 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill tonight.
Toronto is 1-1-0 when the club scores the first goal of the game.
The Maple Leafs are 1-1-0 when leading after one period and 0-4-0 when trailing after two periods.
Toronto is 1-2-0 when outshot by their opponent.
The Maple Leafs are 0-1-1 in Monday games. OF NOTE…
Matthews’ goal was his 200th career goal in his 338th regular season game. Per NHL Stats, Matthews required the second-fewest games to reach 200 goals in Maple Leafs history among players who debuted with the team, trailing only Charlie Conacher (317 games). Matthews reached the 200-goal mark with the second-fewest games among all active NHLers, behind only Alexander Ovechkin (296 games). Just 18 players in NHL history recorded 200 career regular-season goals in fewer games than Matthews. He also became the fastest U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach the 200-goal milestone, eclipsing Kevin Stevens (363 games).
Matthews is the 14th player in Maple Leafs franchise history to record 200 goals with the team, joining Mats Sundin (420), Darryl Sittler (389), Dave Keon (365), Ron Ellis (332), Rick Vaive (299), George Armstrong (296), Frank Mahovlich (296), Wendel Clark (260), Bob Pulford (251), Ted Kennedy (230), Lanny McDonald (219), Syl Apps (201) & Charlie Conacher (200).
Morgan Rielly was on the ice for a team-high 22 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5.
Travis Dermott finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 61.54 percent (16 for, 10 against). UPCOMING GAMES:
Oct. 27 Leafs at Chicago United Center 7:30 pm ET
Oct. 30 Leafs vs. Detroit Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
Nov. 2 Leafs vs. Vegas Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
Nov. 4 Leafs vs. Tampa Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
Nov. 6 Leafs vs. Boston Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
Nov. 8 Leafs vs. Los Angeles Scotiabank Arena 7:30 pm ET Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distri
2021-22 Matchups vs. Carolina: First of Three 2020-21 Record vs. Carolina: N/A Next Game vs. Carolina: Monday, January 3 vs. Carolina Toronto Season Record: 2-3-1 Toronto Road Record: 0-2-0 TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590
RECENT TRANSACTIONS October 17, 2021 Goaltender Michael Hutchinson recalled on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) October 16, 2021 Alex Bishop signed to a one-game amateur tryout October 11, 2021 Adam Brooks claimed off waivers by the Montréal Canadiens. October 10, 2021 Defenceman Alex Biega and forward Kurtis Gabriel have been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). October 9, 2021 Forward Kirill Semyonov has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 1 at Pittsburgh 7 Date: Saturday, October 23, 2021 TOR Goals: Spezza PIT Goals: O’Connor (2), Matheson, Zucker, Pettersson, Boyle, Rodrigues TOR Goaltender: Campbell, 16-21, .762 SV% – Hutchinson, 10-12, .833 SV% PIT Goaltender: Jarry, 28-29, .966 SV% TOR Power Play: 0-for-3 PIT Power Play: 1-for-5
NEXT GAME Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Opponent: at Chicago Blackhawks Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Petr Mrázek Groin Ilya Mikheyev Thumb Man Games Lost: 10
ALL-TIME VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES: First Matchup between Clubs: December 31, 1979 (Toronto 2, Hartford 4) All-Time Record: 47-59-11-7 (124 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 24-32-5-2 (63 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 23-27-6-5 (61 Games) Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road: December 11, 2018 (Toronto 4, Carolina 1) Record in Last Five Games: 2-3-0 Record in Last 10 Games: 6-4-0ACTIVE LEADERS VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES: Games Played: Jason Spezza (44), John Tavares (39), Wayne Simmonds (33) Goals: John Tavares (27), Jason Spezza (20), Wayne Simmonds (13) Assists: Jason Spezza (22), John Tavares (21), Wayne Simmonds (14) Points: John Tavares (48), Jason Spezza (42), Wayne Simmonds (27) Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (45), John Tavares (26), Jason Spezza (20)
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22 Power Play: 3/19 (15.8%) Power Play Goal Leader: 1 (Engvall, Spezza, Nylander) Power Play Point Leader: 2 (Spezza, Nylander) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
ON THE PK IN 2021-22 Penalty Kill: 18/21 (85.7%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: N/A Shorthanded Point Leader: N/A 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%)
FAST FACTS Monday games 2 of 7 (3 home, 4 road) Back-to-Backs played 2 of 13 Record in first game of Back-to-Back 1-1-0 Record in second game of Back-to-Back 0-2-0 October games 7th of 9 (5 home, 4 road)
RECENT MILESTONES TRAVIS DERMOTT Skated in his 200th career NHL game on Apr. 24 at WPG. ALEXANDER KERFOOT Skated in his 100th game as a Maple Leaf on Mar. 29 vs. EDM. MITCH MARNER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 24 at WPG. AUSTON MATTHEWS Appeared in his 300th NHL game on Feb. 20 at MTL. AUSTON MATTHEWS Recorded his 300th NHL point with a goal on Feb. 8 vs. VAN, tying Charlie Conacher to become the second-fastest Maple Leaf to reach the mark at 294 games. JAKE MUZZIN Skated in his 600th NHL game on March 1 at EDM. WILLIAM NYLANDER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 18 at VAN. MORGAN RIELLY Recorded his 300th NHL point with an assist on Apr. 13 vs. CGY to become the sixth defenceman in franchise history to record 300 points with the club. WAYNE SIMMONDS Skated in his 950th career NHL games played, Oct. 16 vs. OTT JOHN TAVARES Skated in his 200th game as a Maple Leaf on May 12 at OTT. JOHN TAVARES Registered his 100th assist as a Maple Leaf on April 18 at VAN. JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 800th career NHL point on April 5 at CGY. JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs on Oct. 18 vs. NYR.
UPCOMING MILESTONES TJ BRODIE Four games away from 700 career NHL games played TJ BRODIE One goal away from 50 career NHL goals JACK CAMPBELL Eight wins away from 50 career NHL wins TRAVIS DERMOTT Two points away from 50 career NHL points PIERRE ENGVALL Four games away from 100 career NHL games played JUSTIN HOLL Nine points away from 50 career NHL points ONDREJ KAŠE Six goals away from 50 career NHL goals ONDREJ KAŠE Two points away from 100 career NHL points DAVID KÄMPF Nine assists away from 50 career NHL assists AUSTON MATTHEWS One goal away from 200 career NHL goals ILYA MIKHEYEV Seven games away from 100 career NHL games played MORGAN RIELLY One assist away from 250 career NHL assists
2021-22 TEAM LEADERS
GOALS 3 – Spezza BLOCKED SHOTS 12 – Holl ASSISTS 3 – Rielly, Nylander TAKEAWAYS 9 – Nylander POINTS 5 – Nylander HITS 16 – Ritchie POWER PLAY POINTS 2 – Spezza, Nylander TOI PER GAME 24:26 – Rielly SHORTHANDED POINTS N/A PP TOI PER GAME 3:39 – Nylander PIMs 9 – Simmonds SH TOI PER GAME 3:04 – Kämpf SHOTS 24 – Tavares WINS 2 – Campbell SHOT ATTEMPT % 61.2% – Nylander FACEOFF% 100% – Marner
GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE 2.22 – Campbell SAVE PERCENTAGE .916 – Campbell
HURRICANES vs. MAPLE LEAFS SERIES NOTES — Carolina is facing Toronto in the first of three meetings between the teams during the 2021-22 season. The Hurricanes will visit Scotiabank Arena on 1/3 and 3/17. — The Hurricanes and Maple Leafs are meeting for the 125th time in their histories. Carolina holds a 66-42-11-5 overall record, including a 32-20-6-3 home record and a 16-13-2-3 record at PNC Arena. — Carolina and Toronto last met on 2/22/20, as Carolina did not face any North Division teams in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season series was tied 1-1-0 in 2019-20. — Martin Necas has earned six points (3g, 3a) in two career games against Toronto. — Jordan Staal has posted 32 points (15g, 17a) in 40 career games against the Maple Leafs. — Teuvo Teravainen has tallied 12 points in 13 career games against Toronto. — Vincent Trocheck has recorded 15 points (4g, 11a) in 18 career games against the Maple Leafs. — Frederik Andersen appeared in 268 games with Toronto from 2016-21, earning a 149-74-36 record, 2.79 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 13 shutouts. — Brendan Smith is a native of Mimico, Ont., and has recorded two assists in 19 games against the Maple Leafs. — Hurricanes Assistant Coach Tim Gleason posted five points (1g, 4a) in 39 games with Toronto in 2013-14. — Petr Mrazek played 92 games with Carolina from 2018-21, registering a 50-32-8 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and 10 shutouts. — William Nylander’s father, Michael, was drafted by the Whalers in the third round (59th overall) of the 1991 NHL Draft and tallied 77 points (22g, 55a) in 117 games with Hartford from 1992-94. — Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan skated in 76 games for the Whalers from 1995-96, recording 79 points (45g, 3, 4a). — Maple Leafs Assistant Coach Dean Chynoweth served as an assistant coach for the Hurricanes from 2018-21. — Maple Leafs Assistant Coach Manny Malhotra tallied 13 points (7g, 6a) in 69 games with Carolina in 2013-14. COMING IN HOT The Hurricanes have started the season with a 4-0-0 record for the second time in three seasons (2019-20) and just the third time in franchise history (1995-96). With a win on Monday, Carolina would tie the longest season-opening win streak in franchise history (2019-20: 5-0-0). The Hurricanes posted a 5-1 win at CBJ (10/21) to increase their goal total to 18 through four games this season, tied for the most goals through as many games in any season in franchise history (1985-86, 1989-90). The team’s 4.50 goals per game ranks tied with PHI for fourth in the NHL behind only STL (5.50), PIT (4.60) and EDM (4.60). STEADY FREDDIE Frederik Andersen stopped 27 of 28 shots at CBJ (10/23) to earn his fourth consecutive win. He has posted a 4-0-0 record, 1.75 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in four games in 2021-22, joining Jeff Reese (1993-94) as the second goaltender in franchise history to begin his Whalers/Hurricanes tenure with wins in each of his first four decisions. According to NHL Stats, Andersen is the fourth goalie in league history and the first in franchise history to win each of a team’s first four games of a season in his first season with the club. The last NHL netminder to accomplish the feat was Martin Jones (SJS) in 2015-16. Andersen spent the past five seasons (2016-21) with TOR and looks to face the Maple Leafs on Monday, for the first time since signing with Carolina on 7/28. POWER TRIP Carolina scored three power-play goals in the win at CBJ (10/23), which the team accomplished just twice in 56 games last season (1/30 vs. DAL, 3/11 vs. NSH). The Hurricanes are now 6-for-16 (37.5%) on the man-advantage this season after boasting the second-best power play in the NHL in 2020-21 (42-for-164: 25.6%). The team posted a 23-3-4 record when scoring at least one power-play goal last season and a 10-0-0 record when scoring at least two. Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Vincent Trocheck each scored on the man-advantage on Saturday after ranking tied for the team lead with seven power-play goals apiece in 2020-21. INVINCEABLE Vincent Trocheck recorded a team-high three points (2g, 1a) at CBJ (10/23), including his second multi-goal game with Carolina (1/30 vs. DAL: 2g, 1a), and he has now tallied five points (2g, 3a) in his last two games. His first goal on Saturday stood as the 13th game winner of his NHL career and his fourth with the Hurricanes. Trocheck also registered his first two power-play points of the season (1g, 1a) after ranking tied with Sebastian Aho and Dougie Hamilton for the team lead in that category (18) in 2020-21. WE’RE GOING STREAKING Sebastian Aho (1g), Andrei Svechnikov (2a) and Teuvo Teravainen (1a) each extended their point streaks to four games at CBJ (10/23). Aho has registered six points (3g, 3a), including a team-high two power-play goals, and he is now three power-play goals away from tying Sami Kapanen for the 10th-most power-play goals in team history (since relocation). He has also won 68.2% of his faceoffs this season (30-of-44), which ranks fourth in the NHL (min. 30 draws). Svechnikov leads the team with seven points (4g, 3a) and ranks third in the NHL with a team-high 5.25 shots on goal per game. He also scored in each of the team’s first three games (10/14-10/21: 4g, 1a), tying the third-longest season-opening goal streak in franchise history for the second consecutive season (1/14-1/18: 3g). Teravainen has posted six points (2g, 4a), and his four assists are tied with Tony DeAngelo for the team lead in 2021-22. This season marks the second time in franchise history that the Whalers/Hurricanes have had three players open the season with point streaks of four games or longer, as Nelson Emerson (3-3-6 in 5 GP), Brendan Shanahan (0-6-6 in 5 GP) and Andrew Cassels (3-3-6 in 4 GP) accomplished the feat in 1995-96. KEEPING IT 600 Ian Cole is looking to play his 600th career NHL game vs. TOR (10/25). Cole signed with Carolina as a free agent on 7/28 and has skated in all four games with the team this season. Since making his NHL debut with STL on 11/6/10, Cole has registered 146 points (27g, 119a) in 599 career games with STL, PIT, CBJ, COL, MIN and CAR. He has also tallied 24 points (1g, 23a) in 96 career NHL playoff games and won back-to-back Stanley Cups with PIT in 2016 and 2017. BETTER CALL STAAL Jordan Staal earned two points (1g, 1a) at CBJ on Saturday, scoring his first goal of the season on the power play. Staal ranked tied for the team lead with a career-high seven power-play goals in 2020-21. He recorded 38 points (16g, 22a) in 53 games last season, marking his highest scoring rate (0.72 points per game) in any season in his NHL career. The 2021-22 season marks his 10th year with the Hurricanes since being acquired from PIT on 6/22/12, and he is the seventh player in franchise history to skate in as many seasons with Carolina/Hartford. FAST AND FURIOUS Jesper Fast scored the Hurricanes’ opening goal at CBJ (10/23), and he now ranks tied for second on the team with three goals in four games this season after scoring six goals in 46 games with Carolina in 2020-21. Entering this season, Fast had never scored more than one goal through the first four games of any season in his NHL career, and when he scored a career-high 13 goals with NYR in 2017-18, his third goal of the season came in the Rangers’ 17th game (11/22/17 at CAR
HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE Q: Sheldon, you can’t be happy, what are your thoughts after that game? “I have a lot of thoughts obviously. Not many good ones. I thought that after the first little segment in the first period we found our game and I thought we were going really well. I thought we started the second period, the first couple of shifts, really well. Offence in our zone, we were moving around a little bit, we had some chances, and then had a turnover in the offensive zone and didn’t have structure coming back. Ends up in our net and before we’re gathered it’s in our net again and it’s 3-1. It got away on us. It got away on us there and then obviously there’s a lot of things to not be happy about from that point on but tough game to assess in a lot of ways because I thought we were going pretty well there for a good chunk of time and then two pucks are in our net in a hurry and the game really changed from there. I didn’t like how we managed it from that point on. It’s tough playing from behind, we’ve been doing it too much here lately and this one got away from us. We give Pittsburgh full marks, they were fast and competitive all through the game. They don’t make it easy on you. So at times when we were careless with the puck they made us pay for it and it was pretty consistent all the way through.” JOHN TAVARES (5 SHOTS) Q: What’s the concern level for yourself, and Auston and Mitch, that it’s not really going here with goals? “Well, when you give up – what was it? – 12 in two games, we could have scored four or five but it wouldn’t have mattered so first we have to take care of the areas defensively. I think the type of players we are and the skillsets we have, you just continue to work at it and do the right things, play a strong game and trust and believe in yourself. I think history will tell us that eventually you’re going to break through and find a way. You’ve just got to continue to stay with it and work at your game and find ways to help the team in all areas.” Q: Was there something with the chemistry that’s perhaps not working? There were a lot of passes that just weren’t connecting. “I think we’ve had opportunities through all six games so far this year. Certainly there’s been times the puck hasn’t gone in. At times, we probably haven’t been as clean on plays but when you see some of the goals that are being scored, there’s a lot of goals just going off people and in right now. We’ve just got to continue to stay with it. Spezza’s group has scored some goals on second efforts and second and third opportunities and just staying on pucks and hounding it. That’s what you’ve got to continue to do when things aren’t coming as easy or not going in the way you’d like it to. It’s a long season and we’ve just got to keep our foot on the gas and take care of our overall game and eventually that’ll come.” MITCH MARNER (20:18 TOI) Q: How concerned are you after tonight’s result? “I don’t think we can be concerned. We’re still early in the season. Obviously, it’s not what we wanted but day off tomorrow in Carolina. Fresh page. Just make sure we go over what we did wrong tonight. We know a lot of the things we did wrong. We’ve got to make sure we’re covering each other, helping each other out. We didn’t do a very good job of that tonight so we’ve just got to make sure we get ready for Carolina. It’s obviously a good team over there. We’ve got to make sure we bounce back
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (2-3-1 – 5 Points) at PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (3-0-2 – 8 Points) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021 1 2 3 FINAL TORONTO 1 0 0 1 PITTSBURGH 1 4 2 7
Jason Spezza scored at 12:44 of the first period for the Maple Leafs. Spezza has scored in back-to-back games and leads Toronto with three goals on the season.
Pierre Engvall registered the primary assist on Spezza’s goal. Engvall has notched an assist in backto-back games, the first time in his NHL career to do so.
Wayne Simmonds posted the secondary assist on Spezza’s goal. Simmonds has recorded an assist in back-to-back games.
Jack Campbell stopped 16-of-21 shots through two periods.
Michael Hutchinson relieved Campbell to start the third period and stopped 10-of-12 shots he faced. SHOTS ON GOAL 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL PITTSBURGH 10 (9) 11 (8) 12 (8) 33 (26) TORONTO 16 (11) 10 (7) 3 (3) 29 (21) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL PITTSBURGH 18 (15) 16 (11) 15 (11) 49 (37) TORONTO 29 (21) 20 (15) 11 (9) 60 (45) ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Maple Leafs are 0-2-0 on the road this season.
Toronto’s all-time record is 84-81-17-7 in 189 games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and 37-49-6-4 in 96 games played in Pittsburgh.
Toronto is 2-2-1 against the Eastern Conference this season and 0-1-1 against the Metropolitan Division this season. MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 6 (Matthews) Shot Attempts 10 (Matthews) Faceoff Wins 7 (Kämpf) Faceoff Win Percentage 100% (Nylander – 1 won, 0 lost) Hits 3 (Sandin, Bunting) Blocked Shots 3 (Muzzin) Takeaways 1 (Holl, Kaše, Matthews, Sandin, Rielly, Brodie, Nylander) TOI 22:59 (Rielly) Power Play TOI 2:35 (Marner, Matthews, Rielly, Nylander, Tavares) Shorthanded TOI 5:40 (Kämpf) Shifts 28 (Rielly) 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 78.57% (Matthews – 22 for, 6 against) RECORD WHEN…
The Maple Leafs were 0-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill tonight.
Toronto is 1-3-1 when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.
The Maple Leafs are 1-2-0 when tied after one period and 0-3-0 when trailing after two periods.
Toronto is 1-1-0 when outshot by their opponent.
The Maple Leafs are 1-1-0 in Saturday games and 0-2-0 in the second game of a back-to-back. OF NOTE…
Jake Muzzin was on the ice for a team-high 23 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 65.71% (23 for, 12 against).
Jack Campbell, Timothy Liljegren, Michael Bunting appeared in their first career NHL game against Pittsburgh.
Sandin registered three hits during the game, tying his second-best single-game high. UPCOMING GAMES: Oct. 25 Leafs at Carolina PNC Arena 7:00 pm ET Oct. 27 Leafs at Chicago United Center 7:30 pm ET Oct. 30 Leafs vs. Detroit Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Nov. 2 Leafs vs. Vegas Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Nov. 4 Leafs vs. Tampa Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Nov. 6 Leafs vs. Boston Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
RECENT TRANSACTIONS October 17, 2021 Goaltender Michael Hutchinson recalled on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) October 16, 2021 Alex Bishop signed to a one-game amateur tryout October 11, 2021 Adam Brooks claimed off waivers by the Montréal Canadiens. October 10, 2021 Defenceman Alex Biega and forward Kurtis Gabriel have been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). October 9, 2021 Forward Kirill Semyonov has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 3, San Jose 5 Date: Friday, October 22, 2021 TOR Goals: Spezza, Kaše, Tavares SJS Goals: Couture, Meier, Karlsson, Dahlen, Couture TOR Goaltender: Hutchinson, 26-30, .867 SV% SJS Goaltender: Hill, 30-33, .909 SV% TOR Power Play: 0-for-2 SJS Power Play: 0-for-3
NEXT GAME Date: Monday, October 25, 2021 Opponent: at Carolina Hurricanes Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Petr Mrázek Groin Ilya Mikheyev Thumb Man Games Lost: 8 ALL-TIME VS. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: First Matchup between Clubs: December 13, 1967 (Toronto 1, Pittsburgh 2) All-Time Record: 84-80-17-7 (188 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 47-32-11-3 (93 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 37-48-6-4 (95 Games) Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road: November 3, 2018 (Toronto 5, Pittsburgh 0) Record in Last Five Games: 3-2-0 Record in Last 10 Games: 6-4-0
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Games Played: John Tavares (49), Jason Spezza (48), Wayne Simmonds (40) Goals: Jason Spezza (19), Wayne Simmonds (13), John Tavares (11) Assists: Jason Spezza (33), John Tavares (24), Wayne Simmonds (11) Points: Jason Spezza (52), John Tavares (35), Wayne Simmonds (24) Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (50), Jason Spezza (31), John Tavares (12)
Points % GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .500 2.20 2.40 18.8% 87.5% 36.2 28.6 60.7% NHL Rank 17th-T 24th-T 10th 17th-T 10th 5th 26th 1st Power Play: 3/16 (18.8%) Power Play Goal Leader: 1 (Engvall, Spezza, Nylander) Power Play Point Leader: 2 (Spezza, Nylander) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%) Penalty Kill: 14/16 (87.5%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: N/A Shorthanded Point Leader: N/A 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%) Saturday games 2 of 22 (10 home, 12 road) Back-to-Backs played 1 of 13 Record in first game of Back-to-Back 1-1-0 Record in second game of Back-to-Back 0-1-0 October games 6th of 9 (5 home, 4 road) RECENT MILESTONES
TRAVIS DERMOTT Skated in his 200th career NHL game on Apr. 24 at WPG. ALEXANDER KERFOOT Skated in his 100th game as a Maple Leaf on Mar. 29 vs. EDM. MITCH MARNER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 24 at WPG. AUSTON MATTHEWS Appeared in his 300th NHL game on Feb. 20 at MTL. AUSTON MATTHEWS Recorded his 300th NHL point with a goal on Feb. 8 vs. VAN, tying Charlie Conacher to become the second-fastest Maple Leaf to reach the mark at 294 games. JAKE MUZZIN Skated in his 600th NHL game on March 1 at EDM. WILLIAM NYLANDER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 18 at VAN. MORGAN RIELLY Recorded his 300th NHL point with an assist on Apr. 13 vs. CGY to become the sixth defenceman in franchise history to record 300 points with the club. WAYNE SIMMONDS Skated in his 950th career NHL games played, Oct. 16 vs. OTT JOHN TAVARES Skated in his 200th game as a Maple Leaf on May 12 at OTT. JOHN TAVARES Registered his 100th assist as a Maple Leaf on April 18 at VAN. JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 800th career NHL point on April 5 at CGY. JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs on Oct. 18 vs. NYR.
UPCOMING MILESTONES TJ BRODIE 5 games away from 700 career NHL games played TJ BRODIE 1 goal away from 50 career NHL goals JACK CAMPBELL 8 wins away from 50 career NHL wins TRAVIS DERMOTT Two points away from 50 career NHL points PIERRE ENGVALL 5 games away from 100 career NHL games played JUSTIN HOLL Nine points away from 50 career NHL points ONDREJ KAŠE Six goals away from 50 career NHL goals ONDREJ KAŠE Two points away from 100 career NHL points DAVID KÄMPF Nine assists away from 50 career NHL assists AUSTON MATTHEWS One goal away from 200 career NHL goals ILYA MIKHEYEV Seven games away from 100 career NHL games played MORGAN RIELLY One assist away from 250 career NHL assists
SAN JOSE – The NHL dropped the hammer on Evander Kane, suspending the Sharks forward for 21 games without pay for an established violation of — and lack of compliance with — the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 Protocol. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the forfeited pay goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Kane…
Toronto Maple Leafs 2021-22 Matchups vs. New York: First of Three 2020-21 Record vs. New York N/A Next Game vs. New York: Thursday, Nov. 18 vs. New York Toronto Season Record: 2-1-0 Toronto Home Record: 2-0-0 TV: Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050 October 17, 2021 Goaltender Michael Hutchinson recalled on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) October 16, 2021 Alex Bishop signed to a one-game amateur tryout October 11, 2021 Adam Brooks claimed off waivers by the Montréal Canadiens. October 10, 2021 Defenceman Alex Biega and forward Kurtis Gabriel have been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). October 9, 2021 Forward Kirill Semyonov has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). Score: Maple Leafs 3, Ottawa 1 Date: Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 TOR Goals: Simmonds, Kerfoot, Bunting OTT Goals: Norris TOR Goaltender: Campbell, 20-21, .952% OTT Goaltender: Forsberg, 26-29, .897% TOR Power Play: 1/2 OTT Power Play: 0/3 Date: Friday, Oct. 22, 6:00 p.m. Opponent: vs. San Jose Sharks Broadcast Information: TSN4 (TV); Sportsnet 590 (Radio) INJURIES Petr Mrázek Groin Ilya Mikheyev Thumb Man Games Lost: 4 FAST FACTS First Matchup between Clubs: Nov. 20, 1926 (Toronto 1 vs. New York 5) All-Time Record: 288-223-95-11 (617 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 168-94-39-6 (307 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 120-129-56-5 (310 Games) Last Win vs. Opponent at Home: December 22, 2018 (Toronto 5, New York 3) Record in Last Five Games: 1-2-2 Record in Last 10 Games: 5-2-3 Games Played: John Tavares (49), Jason Spezza (45), Wayne Simmonds (42) Goals: John Tavares (15), Jason Spezza (13), Wayne Simmonds (13) Assists: John Tavares (29), Jason Spezza (22), Wayne Simmonds (11) Points: John Tavares (44), Jason Spezza (35), Wayne Simmonds (24) Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (76), John Tavares (46), Jason Spezza (24) Points % GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO% Toronto .667 2.33 1.67 27.3% 80.0% 35.7 29.7 59.0% NHL Rank 14th-T 22nd-T 7th 15th 12th-T 8th 19th 2nd Power Play: 3/11 (27.3%) Power Play Goal Leader: 1 (Engvall, Spezza, Nylander) Power Play Point Leader: 2 (Spezza, Nylander) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%) Penalty Kill: 8/10 (80.0%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: N/A Shorthanded Point Leader: N/A 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 31/144 (78.5%) Monday games 1 of 7 (3 home, 4 road) Back-to-Backs played 1 of 13 Record in first game of Back-to-Back 1-0-0 Record in second game of Back-to-Back 0-1-0 October games 4th of 9 (5 home, 4 road) RECENT MILESTONES
TRAVIS DERMOTT Skated in his 200th career NHL game on Apr. 24 at WPG. ALEXANDER KERFOOT Skated in his 100th game as a Maple Leaf on Mar. 29 vs. EDM. MITCH MARNER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 24 at WPG. AUSTON MATTHEWS Appeared in his 300th NHL game on Feb. 20 at MTL. AUSTON MATTHEWS Recorded his 300th NHL point with a goal on Feb. 8 vs. VAN, tying Charlie Conacher to become the second-fastest Maple Leaf to reach the mark at 294 games. JAKE MUZZIN Skated in his 600th NHL game on March 1 at EDM.INJURIE WILLIAM NYLANDER Scored his 100th career NHL goal on Apr. 18 at VAN. MORGAN RIELLY Recorded his 300th NHL point with an assist on Apr. 13 vs. CGY to become the sixth defenceman in franchise history to record 300 points with the club. WAYNE SIMMONDS Skated in his 950th career NHL games played, Oct. 16 vs. OTT JOHN TAVARES Skated in his 200th game as a Maple Leaf on May 12 at OTT. JOHN TAVARES Registered his 100th assist as a Maple Leaf on April 18 at VAN. JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 800th career NHL point on April 5 at CGY.
UPCOMING MILESTONES TJ BRODIE 7 games away from 700 career NHL games played TJ BRODIE 1 goal away from 50 career NHL goals JACK CAMPBELL 8 wins away from 50 career NHL wins TRAVIS DERMOTT Two points away from 50 career NHL points PIERRE ENGVALL 7 games away from 100 career NHL games played JUSTIN HOLL Nine points away from 50 career NHL points ONDREJ KAŠE Seven goals away from 50 career NHL goals ONDREJ KAŠE Three points away from 100 career NHL points DAVID KÄMPF Nine assists away from 50 career NHL assists AUSTON MATTHEWS One goal away from 200 career NHL goals ILYA MIKHEYEV Seven games away from 100 career NHL games played MORGAN RIELLY Two assists away from 250 career NHL assists
The Bruins kick off their 2021-22 season Saturday at TD Garden against the Dallas Stars and, as the NHL season begins in earnest, it’s a good bet that what you read below will soon be blown to smithereens. A perceived contender will suffer a major injury and fizzle. A middle-of-the-packer will get an unexpected contribution…
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (1-0-0) vs. MONTRÉAL CANADIENS (0-1-0) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 1 2 3 FINAL TORONTO 1 0 1 2 MONTRÉAL 1 0 0 1 GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY ON THE SCORESHEET
Pierre Engvall scored on the power play for Toronto at 10:12 of the first period. The tally marked Engvall’s first power play goal of his NHL career.
Michael Bunting recorded the primary assist on Engvall’s goal, notching his first point as a Maple Leaf. Bunting’s assist marked the first of his NHL recorded career against the Canadiens.
Rasmus Sandin collected the secondary assist on Engvall’s tally. Sandin has posted an assist during his first game of the season through three-consecutive campaigns, also including Oct. 2/19 vs. OTT (1A) and Feb. 8/21 vs. VAN (1A).
William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs at 1:06 of the third period. The goal marked Nylander’s 11th career NHL goal against the Canadiens.
Morgan Rielly posted the primary assist on Nylander’s goal. Rielly has recorded 247 career NHL assists.
Mitch Marner collected the secondary assist on Nylander’s tally. Marner has marked 20 assists against the Canadiens through his NHL career, which currently ranks third among active Maple Leafs skaters.
Jack Campbell stopped 31-of-32 shots in tonight’s win. Campbell earned his sixth career victory against the Canadiens. SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 9 (5) 14 (14) 7 (5) 30 (24) MONTRÉAL 9 (9) 11 (10) 12 (6) 32 (25) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 25 (18) 23 (23) 14 (11) 62 (52) MONTRÉAL 16 (16) 18 (17) 23 (11) 57 (44) Home Sweet Home Home Record 1-0-0 (1 Game) All-Time Record vs. Montreal 308-344-88-18 (758 Games) All-Time Record vs. Montreal at Home 195-129-45-10 (379 Games) MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 6 (Ondřej Kaše) Shot Attempts 6 (Nick Ritchie) Faceoff Wins 16 (John Tavares) Faceoff Win Percentage 100% (Pierre Engvall, 1-for-1) Hits 2 (Jason Spezza, Nick Ritchie, Michael Bunting, Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie) Blocked Shots 4 (Justin Holl) Takeaways 4 (William Nylander) TOI 22:40 (Morgan Rielly) Power Play TOI 3:27 (Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares) Shorthanded TOI 3:51 (David Kämpf) Shifts 31 (Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie) 2020-21 RECORD WHEN… Opponent scored first 10-8-4 Tied after 1 11-4-1 Tied after 2 9-3-1 Outshot by opponent 15-3-2 OF NOTE…
Ondřej Kaše led the Maple Leafs with six shots during the game. Kaše tied his second best singlegame career high in shots (6) which he has marked on 10 other occasions.
David Kämpf went 13-for-24 in the face-off dot. His 13 face-off wins tied his single-game career high which he has marked on four other occasions. UPCOMING GAMES: Oct. 14 – Leafs at Ottawa Canadian Tire Centre 7:00 pm Oct. 16 – Leafs vs. Ottawa Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm Oct. 18 – Leafs vs. N.Y. Rangers Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm Oct. 22 – Leafs vs. San Jose Scotiabank Arena 6:00 pm Oct. 23 – Leafs at Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 7:00 pm Oct. 25 – Leafs at Carolina PNC Arena 7:00 pm
HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE Q. Kristen Shilton: Sheldon what did you think of the team’s overall effort tonight? Sheldon Keefe: I thought obviously the first 10 minutes we were not good; it took us a while to get comfortable in the game but from then on I thought the effort was really strong. Guys worked and competed; it was a tight game right till the end. Happy that we found our way to be on the right side of it of course. Joshua Clipperton: What was it like having a full building here tonight? Sheldon Keefe: Outstanding. Right from the time that I walked out onto the bench for the introductions it was different. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the place full like that. I thought the crowd was engaged right from the start. We needed Soupy to hold us in early and they were engaged all the way through. That five-on-three penalty kill they were outstanding. I thought they were a real factor in the game today and you could feel it on the bench, the energy was there in game like this where it’s so close it was really great to see all our fans back. Q. Chris Johnston, Toronto Star: How important is it for you to have a skill set like Kampfs when you face that long three-on-five? Sheldon Keefe: It’s a great tool for us, that’s why we were really happy to be able to add him. He’s a unique player for us. He’s got a different skill set than a lot of our guys, he’s really strong in faceoffs, especially on his left side and his penalty killing is really good but his line five-on-five was really good as well, they got chances and spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. I thought Kampf was really good and so were Kase and Engvall. JUSTIN HOLL (4 BLOCKED SHOTS) Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun: How big was the five-on-three? Yours and David Kampf’ s shot block and all those little things? Justin Holl: For sure I think the penalty kill was a huge factor tonight and anytime you can win or tie a special teams battle we’re pretty confident in our ability at five-on-five. The block I think I should have had that seam in the first place so its probability shouldn’t have happened in the first place but always feels good to make a big play for the team. Q. Mark Masters, TSN: What did you think of the atmosphere here tonight? Justin Holl: It was awesome. You really take for granted playing in front of fans when you have a year like last year where weren’t able to, so it was really terrific and it powered us no question about it. PIERRE ENGVALL (1 GOAL) Q. Mark Masters: How did you feel about your game tonight? Pierre Engvall: Felt pretty good, I got to play with Kampf and Kase and I felt like we had chemistry right away. We let in one goal there in the first period but otherwise I think we played hard and got a lot of ozone shifts and I’m happy with the game. Q. Chris Johnston, Toronto Star: When you play with those two guys, what is the focus of the line? What are your trying to do? Pierre Engvall: I think we’re starting in the d-zone and trying to play them tough there and not give them much and then use our skill and speed to create offense and I think we showed that today. We played hard down there but always got a lot of offensive shifts. JACK CAMPBELL (31 SAVES) Q. Marty Klinkenberg, Globe and Mail: What was that first 5 to 10 minutes like for you? Jack Campbell: It was fun, I mean to have everyone back in the building it was electric. I thought the boys did a great job of responding after they scored, and we really executed the game plan and I think the crowd gave us the advantage tonight to give us the advantage and a huge two points. Q. Lance Hornby, Toronto: The electricity really came into play during the third period five-on-three, it got really loud and you were getting support with some shot blocks. Jack Campbell: It was amazing, Justin Holl single handedly had the game saver there. Everybody was blocking shots the whole night on the PK. They were moving it around pretty good but anytime they got a look we were blocking it, so the boys played amazing in front of me tonight. WILLIAM NYLANDER (1 GOAL) Q. Mark Masters, TSN: On your goal, why did you delay it the way you did? William Nylander: I don’t know, it just happened. It’s just what happened out there. I didn’t really plan on doing anything It’s just the way it unfolded. Q. Joshua Clipperton, Canadian Press: What does it say about Jacks play, especially early where Montreal didn’t give up much?
SAN JOSE — NHL teams must get their rosters down to 23 players by Monday afternoon and there remains no indication from the Sharks as to how they’ll proceed with Evander Kane. By mutual agreement with the Sharks, Kane, who is being investigated by the NHL on two matters, has stayed away from the team…
The view from left field 