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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (31-21-8 – 70 Points) vs.

BUFFALO SABRES (27-24-8 – 62 Points)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
TORONTO	0	1	1	–	2
BUFFALO	0	2	3	–	5

GAME SUMMARY         |           EVENT SUMMARY        |           FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Egor Korshkov put the Maple Leafs on the board at 11:29 of the second period. Korshkov’s goal is his first career NHL goal and first career NHL point. Tonight’s game is Korshkov’s first career NHL game. Prior to being recalled earlier today, he had registered 21 points (14 goals, 7 assists) in 35 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
• Zach Hyman scored the second Toronto goal of the night at 2:11 of the third period. Hyman has points (4-3-7) in six consecutive games. He has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 11 games against Atlantic Division opposition.
• Jason Spezza registered the primary assist on Korshkov’s second-period goal. Spezza has recorded 14 (5-9-14) of his 22 points on the road this season. He has two assists in three games against the Sabres in 2019-20.
• Kyle Clifford picked up the secondary assist on Korshkov’s second period goal. Clifford’s assist is his first point as a Maple Leaf. He has 15 points (6-9-15) in 58 games played between Los Angeles and Toronto this season. 
• Jake Muzzin registered the primary assist on Hyman’s third period goal. Muzzin has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. He has recorded six (2-4-6) of his 16 points against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Mitch Marner picked up the secondary assist on Hyman’s third period goal. Marner points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games. He has recorded 15 points (3-12-15) in 14 games against Atlantic Division opponents this season. He has nine points (1 goal, 8 assists) in eight games during the month of February.
• Frederik Andersen stopped 31 shots in the loss.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	6 (6)	6 (6)	10 (9)	–	22 (21)
BUFFALO	16 (16)	12 (9)	8 (6)	–	36 (31)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	14 (14)	14 (14)	16 (11)	–	44 (39)
BUFFALO	30 (30)	25 (18)	13 (11)	–	68 (59)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road	16-13-1 (30 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Buffalo	83-106-18-11 (218 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Buffalo on the Road	32-66-6-6 (110 Games)
Record vs. Eastern Conference	16-13-6 (35 Games)
Record vs. Atlantic Division	9-8-2 (19 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	6 (Hyman)
Shot Attempts	7 (Matthews)
Faceoff Wins	9 (Matthews)
Faceoff Win Percentage	100% (Marchment – 1 won, 0 lost)
Hits	3 (Marner)
Blocked Shots	3 (Muzzin)
Takeaways	1 (Hyman, Korshkov, Marner)
TOI	24:57 (Holl)
Power Play TOI	1:10 (Five players tied)
Shorthanded TOI	4:40 (Holl)
Shifts	25 (Dermott)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	52.6% (Korshkov, Spezza – 10 for, 9 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Opponent scores first	10-17-6
Tied after 1	13-6-4
Trail after 2	3-14-4
Do not score a power play goal	13-12-4
Allow one power play goal	13-11-3
Outshot by opponent	13-12-4
Sunday	0-3-0

OF NOTE…

• The Maple Leafs went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-1 on the power play tonight.
• At 17:50 of the first period, video review was initiated to see whether the puck had fully crossed Toronto’s goal line. Video review confirmed the puck did not completely cross the Toronto goal line and the call on the ice was upheld – No Goal Buffalo.
• Toronto’s forward Egor Korshkov and Jason Spezza were the lone Maple Leafs to not start a 5-on-5 shift in the offensive zone.
• Tyson Barrie was on the ice for a team-high 22 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Barrie had a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 44.0 percent (22 for, 28 against).
• Auston Matthews won 100 percent (4 won, 0 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
• John Tavares was 6-for-6 (100%) in the faceoff circle against Buffalo forward Johan Larsson.

UPCOMING GAMES:

• Tuesday, February 18, 7:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh Penguins (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
• Thursday, February 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (TSN4, TSN 1050)
• Saturday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
• Tuesday, February 25, 7:00 p.m. at Tampa Bay Lightning (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
• Thursday, February 27, 7:00 p.m. at Florida Panthers (TSN4, FAN 590)

It might be a little bit before we get to see Alex Verdugo in game action. The Red Sox outfielder, who was the centerpiece of Boston’s trade with the Dodgers that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles, missed the end of last season due to an oblique issue and later a back injury. It turns…

Alex Verdugo Injury: OF Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day Due To Stress Fracture — NESN.com

FINAL SCORE: 101-91 DATE: February 12, 2020 – Game #53 (Home Game #28)

FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS

Toronto 91 40-15 Ibaka – 28 Lowry – 11 Lowry – 12

Brooklyn 101 25-28 LeVert – 20 Allen – 13 Dinwiddie – 9

TEAM NOTABLES

 The Nets improved to 25-28 with their victory this evening, while the Raptors fell to 40-15 this season following tonight’s loss. o Tonight’s game marked both Brooklyn and Toronto’s last game before the NBA All-Star break. Joe Harris, the 2019 3-Point Contest champion, and Spencer Dinwiddie, the 2018 Skills Contest champion, will represent the Nets during State Farm All-Star Saturday night this year. The event will be held on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET at United Center in Chicago and will be broadcast on TNT and ESPN Radio.

o Up next for Brooklyn: Following the All-Star break, the Nets will travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers on Thursday, 2/20, at 8 p.m. ET.

o Up next for Toronto: The Raptors will host Phoenix on Friday, 2/21, at 7:30 p.m. ET in their first game following the festivities.

 Tonight’s victory snapped Toronto’s franchise-record 15-game win streak, which marked the longest win streak the Nets have snapped in franchise history (previously the Nets had snapped Seattle’s 12-game win streak to start the 1982-83 season with a 111-91 Nets victory on 11/21/82).

o Brooklyn’s win also snapped the team’s six-game losing skid vs. Toronto (their last win prior to tonight: 106-105 in OT on 12/7/18).

 The Nets’ victory tonight extended Brooklyn’s season-best home winning streak to five games. o Brooklyn has now won each of its last five home games by 10+ points, matching a franchise record for consecutive double-digit home victories. The Nets had won five straight home games by double digits six times previously (most recently from 1/25 – 2/10/04).

 Brooklyn outrebounded Toronto 55-42 (+13) this evening, including a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass, and edged the Raptors 27-21 in assists.

 The Nets also outscored the Raptors 50-38 (+12) in points in the paint tonight.

 Brooklyn led Toronto 75-65 through three quarters tonight.

o The Nets had trailed through three quarters in each of their three previous meetings with Toronto this season (by a total of 22 points).

 The Nets led the Raptors 52-40 at halftime this evening.

o Toronto’s 40 points marked the second-fewest Brooklyn has allowed in a first half this season (behind a season-low 35 points on 12/17 at New Orleans).

 Brooklyn led Toronto 23-19 at the end of the first quarter tonight, extending Brooklyn’s streak of leads at the end of first quarters to eight straight games. Tonight marked the fourth time this season that Brooklyn held its opponent under 20 points in an opening quarter.

PLAYER NOTABLES

 Caris LeVert recorded 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a season-high four steals and a block in 36 minutes tonight.

o LeVert reached the 20-point mark for the fourth time in the last five games tonight, including each of the Nets’ last two games against Toronto (tonight and his career-high 37 points on Saturday night at Toronto).

o LeVert’s four steals this evening also matched a Nets season high (done four times previously this season).

o In his last five games, LeVert has averaged 24.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.2 apg and 1.8 spg in 32.3 mpg

 Joe Harris scored 19 points (7-of-12 FG) this evening with six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 35 minutes against the Raptors. o Harris has now tallied 15+ points in five of his last six contests.

 Spencer Dinwiddie posted 17 points, six boards and a team-high nine assists in 34 minutes vs. Toronto.

o In his last three games, Dinwiddie has averaged 19.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 10.3 apg in 35.0 mpg. He’s posted nine or more assists in all three contests.

 Jarrett Allen totaled 10 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a block in 20 minutes. o Allen recorded his team-leading 23rd double-double of the season tonight. He recorded 24 double-doubles all of last season (80 games).

 Garrett Temple also scored in double figures for Brooklyn this evening with 10 points in 25 minutes.

o Temple has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine games and in 27 total games this season.
2019

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — That Raptors winning streak didn’t quite make it to the all-star break. Read More

Raptors win streak ends at 15 as Nets exact a little revenge — Toronto Sun
By MIKE GANTER

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — That Raptors winning streak didn’t quite make it to the all-star break.

It was snapped at 15 courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets who almost snapped it, and probably should have snapped it, two games earlier in Toronto.

In that one the Raptors had a 12-point lead to start the fourth and gave it all back but then rallied late to keep the streak alive.

This time around they were trailing for most of the game, leading briefly in the early going but never by more than two points. They were down by a dozen at the half and rarely got the deficit below that in an eventual 101-91 loss.

It’s the first loss by the Raptors since the San Antonio Spurs took them out on Jan 12.

It’s also probably their least effective game from an offensive standpoint since a Jan. 2 loss at Miami.

In that game the Raptors couldn’t buy a bucket and this felt the same. 

For the night against a tough Brooklyn team that was clearly still thinking about that should-have-been-win five nights earlier, the Raps shot just 38% as a team which was still better than the 32% they shot in Miami.

Contributing to this one, and Nick Nurse would probably say it a little more strongly than that if given a freebie from the league office, was a huge disparity in trips to the free throw line.

The Nets got there 25 times and converted for 20 points. The Raptors got there 13 times and made 10.

HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE

On what he sees in Campbell’s game:

I see that he battles. As I said this morning, he’s a confident guy, battles, finds ways to keep the puck out, kept them at two here tonight. Gives us a chance to win the hockey game, did his job in Montreal, this was the same. It’s worked out really well, obviously we’ve been able to get him three starts coming in here, so he’s been able to get comfortable and find his footing and find his place on the team and obviously, he’s responded very well.

On the decision to try Nylander-Matthews-Marner on a line together:

It was a combination of a little bit of curiosity and how that might play out and, also, I was happy with the line of Kerfoot, Tavares and Hyman so I thought the timing was right to try such a thing. In terms of how it went, I didn’t think it went very well, but I don’t know that it’s fair to judge on it on a night like this — Willy wasn’t himself tonight. It’s a tough night to judge such a thing. The good news is the Tavares line was going tonight.

On Nylander not being himself as a result of his prior illness:

I think he’s probably way over that, but he didn’t do anything for four days. He didn’t do anything at all. Willy is a guy that loves to be on the ice, loves routine, loves to touch the puck. It’ll take him a little bit to get back.

On what Hyman is doing differently to produce more this season:

It’s hard to say in terms of him not having it before, but just in terms in what I know of him now. He continues to be a force, a driver, he’s all around the net. He’s also been making plays and playing with lots of confidence with the puck as well. He’s been more than just a forechecker and a guy who stands at the net, he’s been doing a lot of other things on the rush and putting himself in good. When you work the way that he does and have the confidence that he does and as much as we’re using him, he’ll find a way for great things to happen.

On challenging the overtime goal:

I didn’t challenge that, that’s automatic from the NHL in that case just given that in the last minute and overtime, the NHL handles that. We certainly would have if we needed to.

On if he was confident while the play was under review:

I don’t have a lot of experience in this area, but I saw and – we have monitors on the bench, of course, so the players are watching it and the rest of our staff is watching it as are our video guys back in the room. They feel pretty confident; I think Jack Campbell felt pretty confident – he left the net. I think when you look at it, it’s pretty straightforward as it’s going to get for those calls.

On Campbell’s ability to play the puck:

Still trying to get a feel for that in terms of its impact, but I like his confidence to go out and get it. I think it was one of the games – maybe the Anaheim game – where it got away from him a little bit there. He’s got some confidence to go out and move it and that’s a very positive thing for the team to have. I know when we face goalies that can handle the puck well like that out of the net and they’re helping the breakouts and forechecks, it’s challenging.

On the Nylander-Matthews-Marner line combination tonight:

I think it could be very creative, overwhelming in terms of their skill set and also the fact that one of the reasons I became very confident to try is just the way that Auston and Mitch have been playing, skating, tracking, defending and all those types of things. I’m not overly concerned with about anything defensively, it’s just more offensively, making sure that they don’t overdo it or not overcompensate trying to find each other, especially trying to attack the middle. I expect there to be a bit of a feeling out process in that. Also I didn’t think any of the three were at their best today so it’s tough for me to judge that and whether we’ll stick with it or not. As I said, we have been curious about trying something like that, so the timing was right.

JACK CAMPBELL (35 SAVES)

On starting his Maple Leaf career with five of a possible six points:

The boys have played great. I was hoping it would be six out of six, but think we’ll take the five out of six and get ready for a big game against Dallas here at home Thursday. Good battle tonight, it felt like a playoff game out there. Both teams didn’t give each other much, but Kappy made a great play to seal the deal for us and we needed that. He stepped up and made a great play. We’ll take it.

On the video review in overtime:

I usually don’t get too emotional in the game, but the guy bumped me pretty good and the guy shot it five holes so I knew I would have saved that if he didn’t bump me. You never know how it’s going to be called but I tried to state my case a little bit and thankfully it got overturned and we won the game. It was good.

ZACH HYMAN (2 GOALS)

On if he got an explanation on his penalty call late in the third period:

I did get one. I wouldn’t ask for one. He’s doing his job, so it’s okay. We killed it — a big, huge kill and then we got a bounce there. [Campbell] played great, we got the win.

On what made the difference tonight in getting the two points:

I think we battled. Down 2-1 going into the third, we battled back and tie it up and then got a huge goal from Kappy in OT. They’re a good team, they were on a back-to-back, so we knew we had to try to outpace them at the end there and got one back and then one in OT so it’s a huge win for us.

On what has led to his production increase this season:

I’m doing the same thing I’ve been in years past, I think I’m just being more patient and more confident with the puck, I guess. Just going to spots where you can score in front of the net. I think most of my goals are around that area. Just being open and trying to create space for myself and get open and when you get it, put it in.

KASPERI KAPANEN (OVERTIME GOAL)

On what led to his overtime-winning goal:

Well, I think everyone here knows that’s my go-to move. That’s been working for me and I decided to try it and hopefully it’d go in. It did.

On the mood on the bench prior to Arizona’s goal being disallowed in overtime:

We need these points; we need these extra points. Obviously, we didn’t want that goal to go in. We saw that there was a little something going on there. Lucky enough, they called it back and we were able to win. At this point in the season, in the standings, these are big points for us.

JOHN TAVARES (1 ASSIST)

On Arizona’s ability to take away offensive opportunity tonight:

Yeah, they play a well-structured game, I think. That’s the kind of hockey they play and they’re very comfortable in those situations. I think knowing their circumstances as well — playing last night and whatnot — that they’re going to be on the right side of things. Just stuck with it and great job by the PK, [Campbell] coming up big and great to see Kappy get rewarded. I thought he had the puck a lot and skated well. Good to see him get the winner.