Category: NHL

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

 123OTFINAL
EDMONTON011–2
TORONTO022–4

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)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
EDMONTON11 (11)10 (5)11 (10)–32 (26)
TORONTO12 (12)9 (7)8 (3)–29 (22)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
EDMONTON17 (17)18 (10)20 (19)–55 (46)
TORONTO20 (20)16 (12)18 (13)–54 (45)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home3-1-0 (4 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton  53-44-8-1 (106 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton at Home30-19-2-0 (51 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots4 (Engvall, Tavares)
Shot Attempts6 (Vesey)
Faceoff Wins12 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage71% (Spezza – 5 won, 2 lost)
Hits7 (Bogosian)
Blocked Shots4 (Brodie, Muzzin)
Takeaways3 (Marner)
TOI23:16 (Hyman)
Power Play TOI2:21 (Marner, Nylander, Rielly)
Shorthanded TOI2:19 (Holl)
Shifts27 (Muzzin)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage81.0% (Vesey – 17 for, 4 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first3-1-0
Tied after 12-1-0
Lead after 23-0-0
Score multiple power play goals3-1-0
Do not allow a power play goal3-0-0
Outshot by opponent1-1-0
Friday1-1-0

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.

Confidence isn’t an issue for 4-0 Golden Knights — Las Vegas Review-Journal

Late-game drama wasn’t needed Wednesday when the Golden Knights won a team record fourth straight game to open a season, this a 5-2 final against the Arizona Coyotes.

Confidence isn’t an issue for 4-0 Golden Knights — Las Vegas Review-Journal

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

 123OTFINAL
EDMONTON102–3
TORONTO001–1

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)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
EDMONTON3 (3)8 (5)11 (9)–23 (18)
TORONTO8 (6)12 (5)6 (4)–26 (15)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
EDMONTON6 (6)18 (11)13 (11)–37 (28)
TORONTO15 (12)20 (10)18 (14)–53 (36)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home2-1-0 (3 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton  52-44-8-1 (105 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Edmonton at Home29-19-2-0 (50 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots6 (Matthews)
Shot Attempts8 (Matthews)
Faceoff Wins14 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Kerfoot, Thornton)
Hits6 (Matthews)
Blocked Shots4 (Holl)
Takeaways1 (Hyman, Matthews)
TOI25:36 (Marner)
Power Play TOI1:15 (Matthews, Marner)
Shorthanded TOI2:48 (Spezza)
Shifts26 (Hyman)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage81.8% (Lehtonen, Mikheyev – 9 for, 2 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first2-1-0
Trail after 11-1-0
Trail after 20-2-0
Do not score a power play goal0-1-0
Do not allow a power play goal2-1-0
Outshoot opponent3-1-0
Wednesday1-1-0

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.

COVID-19 cases force Hurricanes to close training facility, postpone games through Saturday — WNCT

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The Carolina Hurricanes have closed their training facility and postponed games through at least Saturday due to COVID-19 cases within the program. The NHL announced the closure and postponement Wednesday afternoon due to five Carolina Hurricanes Players being on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absence List. The NHL is revising the […]

COVID-19 cases force Hurricanes to close training facility, postpone games through Saturday — WNCT

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)
2019-201-1-0
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

 TORONTOEDMONTON
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

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS3 (Marner, Tavares)
ASSISTS4 (Holl)
POINTS6 (Marner, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS4 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS21 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %67.1% (Vesey)
BLOCKED SHOTS7 (Holl)
TAKEAWAYS4 (Nylander)
HITS8 (Holl)
TOI PER GAME25:03 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME3:48 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME4:46 (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 MarnerGoals (3) and points (3-2-5) in two consecutive games.
Auston MatthewsAssists (2) and points (1-2-3) in two consecutive games.
  

UPCOMING MILESTONES

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

RECENT MILESTONES

TJ BrodieFirst point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Mikko LehtonenFirst NHL game (Jan. 18 vs. WPG)
Joe ThorntonFirst point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
TJ BrodieFirst 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. 19Loaned forward Travis Boyd to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Jan. 18Recalled defenceman Mikko Lehtonen from the club’s taxi squad. Added goaltender Michael Hutchinson to the club’s taxi squad. Goaltender Aaron Dell claimed off waivers by New Jersey.
Jan. 17Added forward Pierre Engvall to the club’s taxi squad.
Jan. 16Recalled forward Nick Robertson from the club’s taxi squad. Loaned forward Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad.

Leafs 3, 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

 123OTFINAL
WINNIPEG010–1
TORONTO021–3

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)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG10 (6)6 (4)12 (8)–28 (18)
TORONTO10 (10)22 (11)6 (5)–38 (26)
      

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

 1st2nd3rdOTTOTAL
WINNIPEG14 (9)11 (9)23 (14)–48 (32)
TORONTO16 (16)36 (22)13 (11)–65 (49)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home2-0-0 (2 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg  35-19-1-9 (64 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Winnipeg at Home18-9-1-4 (32 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots10 (Hyman)
Shot Attempts10 (Hyman, Matthews, Tavares)
Faceoff Wins10 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage100% (Nylander, Simmonds)
Hits3 (Five players tied)
Blocked Shots2 (Dermott, Holl)
Takeaways2 (Matthews, Nylander)
TOI24:38 (Marner)
Power Play TOI1:15 (Five players tied)
Shorthanded TOI4:20 (Bogosian)
Shifts31 (Marner)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage93.3% (Vesey – 14 for, 1 against)
  

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first3-0-0
Tied after 12-1-0
Lead after 22-0-0
Score 1 power play goal2-0-0
Do not allow a power play goal2-0-0
Outshoot opponent3-0-0
Monday1-0-0

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)
2019-201-0-1
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

 TORONTOWINNIPEG
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

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS2 (Nylander, Tavares)
ASSISTS3 (Marner, Tavares)
POINTS5 (Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS3 (Tavares)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs15 (Simmonds)
SHOTS16 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%100% (Marner, Mikheyev)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %67.5% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS5 (Holl, Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS2 (Four players tied)
HITS5 (Holl, Tavares)
TOI PER GAME25:33 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME4:39 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME5:11 (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 BogosianFour points from 200 NHL points
Mitch MarnerFive points from 300 NHL points
Wayne SimmondsOne point from 500 NHL points
  

RECENT MILESTONES

Alexander BarabanovFirst NHL game (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Zach BogosianFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
TJ BrodieFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Nick RobertsonFirst NHL regular season game (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Wayne SimmondsFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Jason Spezza600th NHL assist (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
Joe ThorntonFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 16 at OTT)
Jimmy VeseyFirst game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First goal as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
First point as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 13 vs. MTL)
  

INJURY REPORT

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

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 16Recalled forward Nick Robertson from the club’s taxi squad. Loaned forward Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad.

Maple Leafs-Senators pregame notes.

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

OTTAWA SENATORS (0-0-0 – 0 Points)

JANUARY 15, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

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

 TORONTOOTTAWA
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

CATEGORYLEADER
GOALS2 (Nylander)
ASSISTS2 (Tavares)
POINTS3 (Nylander, Tavares)
POWER PLAY POINTS1 (Five players tied)
SHORTHANDED POINTSN/A
PIMs5 (Simmonds)
SHOTS7 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%100% (Nylander, Simmonds)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %66.7% (Matthews)
BLOCKED SHOTS5 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS1 (Five players tied)
HITS3 (Simmonds)
TOI PER GAME28:35 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME4:43 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME3:51 (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 BogosianFour points from 200 NHL points
Wayne SimmondsOne point from 500 NHL points
  

RECENT MILESTONES

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

INJURY REPORT

None 
 Man Games Lost: 0

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

None 

LEAFS 5, HABS 4 (OT): QUOTES.

SHELDON KEEFE

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. 

Shea Theodore emerges as top defenseman for Golden Knights — Las Vegas Review-Journal

Defenseman Shea Theodore took his play to another level in the NHL playoffs last season, when he had 19 points in 20 games, and plans to build on that this season.

Shea Theodore emerges as top defenseman for Golden Knights — Las Vegas Review-Journal