KEY RUN Trailing 94-88 with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter, the Raptors ended the game on 13-2 run … Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam combined for Toronto’s final 10 points – scoring five points apiece.
KEY STAT The Sixers were held scoreless during the final four minutes of the fourth quarter … Philadelphia missed eight consecutive shots and committed three turnovers during this stretch.
RAPTORS NOTES: • With the victory, Toronto improves to 12-4 this season and a perfect 7-0 at home … The Raptors are one of just four teams in the NBA still without a loss at home … Toronto has tied the franchise record (set last season) with seven straight victories at home to open a season.
• The Raptors have now won 14 straight regular season meetings at home against the Sixers.
• Toronto has won 32 consecutive games at home vs. the Atlantic Division … The Raptors’ last loss at Scotiabank Arena against an Atlantic Division foe was Nov. 10, 2015 vs. New York.
• Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 25 points in 40 minutes – his 11th 20-point effort of the season.
• Fred VanVleet contributed 24 points and eight assists in 38 minutes … VanVleet has now scored 20 or more points in five of the last six games, averaging 23.0 points during this stretch.
• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson matched his season high with 16 points in 31 minutes off the bench … Hollis-Jefferson added a team-high 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
• The Raptors had six players score double figures – Siakam (25), Fred VanVleet (24), HollisJefferson (16), OG Anunoby (12), Terence Davis ll (11) and Norman Powell (10). • Toronto was missing six players due to injury.
SIXERS NOTES: • With the loss, Philadelphia falls to 11-6 on the season and 4-6 on the road … Tonight’s defeat ends the Sixers’ four-game winning streak.
• The Sixers outrebounded Toronto 51-40, including 14-8 on the offensive glass.
• Josh Richardson led the Sixers in scoring for the third time with 25 points in 35 minutes – his fourth 20-point game of the season and third in his last four games played.
• Ben Simmons recorded his seventh double-double with 10 points and a season-high 14 assists in 41 minutes … He finished one rebound shy of the triple-double.
• The Sixers had five players score in double digits – Richardson (25), Tobias Harris (18), Mike Scott (12), Al Horford (11) and Simmons (10) … Horford added 10 rebounds for his second double-double.
Joel Embiid was held scoreless in a game (0-11 FG, 0-4 3PT, 0-3 FT) for the first time in his career … Embiid grabbed 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Korkmaz, Furkan Available Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Sprain Had been listed as probable. O’Quinn, Kyle Out Injury/Illness – Left calf; Strain Had been questionable Pelle, Norvel Out G League – Two-Way Shayok, Marial Out Injury/Illness – Right quad; Contusion (G league 2 way)
Toronto Raptors
Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Thumb; Sprain
– Ibaka, Serge Doubtful Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain –
Johnson, Stanley Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Stress reaction
– Lowry, Kyle Out Injury/Illness – Left Thumb; Fracture – distal phalanx –
McCaw, Patrick Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Surgery
NBA Game #1: Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors We get a potential NBA playoff series preview with the 76ers and the Raptors on November 25. Both teams are solid Eastern Conference foes this season and have solid star players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for Philadelphia. For the Raptors, they are led by Pascal […]
Manitoba: J. Harkins (6) PP (A. Chibisov, K. Vesalainen) Goaltender: M. Berdin (25/28)
Toronto: K. Agostino (10) (J. Bracco, A. Brooks), T. MacMaster (4) (D. Archibald, P. Aberg), P. Aberg (9) PP (K. Agostino), T. Kivihalme (1) EN (Unassisted) Goaltender: J. Woll (31/32)
ON THE SCORESHEET
Kenny Agostino opened the scoring at 5:36 of the second period and later add the sole assist on Aberg’s third period goal. Agostino has nine points (6 goals, 3 assist) in six games. Agostino is tied for eighth overall in goals (10).
Tanner MacMaster scored Toronto’s second goal at 6:06 of the second period. MacMaster has picked up a point (2-4-6) in each of his last six games. He has matched a career high in points (11) through 17 games this season.
Pontus Aberg scored Toronto’s third goal of the game at 17:11 of the third period on the power play and earlierhad the secondary assist on MacMaster’s second period goal. Aberg has points (2-5-7) through six games.
Teemu Kivihalme scored an empty net goal at 17:37 of the third period. This is Kivihalme’s first career AHL goal.
Jeremy Bracco recorded the primary assist on Agostino’s second period goal. Bracco is now fourth for the Marlies in all-time assists (96).
Adam Brooks registered the secondary assist on Agostino’s second period goal. Brooks has seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) through nine games this season.
Darren Archibald collected the primary assist on MacMaster’s second period goal. Archibald has four points (3 goals, 1 assist) through 11 games this season.
Joseph Woll stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced and was named first star of the game. Woll is now 4-1-1-1 on the season with a 0.902 Save Percentage and a 3.09 Goals Against Average.
OF NOTE…
Toronto is undefeated at home this season and set a franchise record with their ninth consecutive home win. Toronto has outscored their opponents 38-20.
The goals scored by Pontus Aberg and Teemu Kivihalme in the third period were 26 seconds apart, the fastest two goals scored by the Marlies this season. The previous record was set in the second period by Kenny Agostino and Tanner MacMaster whose goals were 30 seconds apart
Assistant coaches Rob Davison and A.J. MacLean assumed duties behind the bench for today’s game against the Manitoba Moose.
Toronto was 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and was 1-for-2 on the power play.
Manitoba had a 32-29 edge in shots in all situations. Pontus Aberg, Jeremy Bracco,Adam Brooks, Hudson Elynuik and Garrett Wilson led the Marlies with three shots on goal.
The Marlies are 7-2-0-0 against Central Division opponents and sweep their regular season series with four wins against the Moose. Toronto outscored Manitoba 15-5 through their four games.
REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
Goals: K. Agostino (10)
Assists: J. Bracco (13)
Points: P. Aberg (19)
PPG: E. Korshkov (4)
Shots: P. Aberg (57)
+/-: T. Kivihalme (+11)
PIMS: G. Wilson (43)
RECORD WHEN…
The Marlies are 4-1-0-0 when tied after the first period and 9-0-0-0 when leading after the second period.
Toronto is 7-2-1-1 when outshot by their opponent.
The Marlies are 3-0-1-0 in Sunday games and are 7-2-0-1 in November.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
Pontus Aberg has points (1-2-3) in consecutive games.
Kenny Agostino has points (2-2-4) in consecutive games.
Adam Brooks has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games.
Teemu Kivihalme has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games.
Tanner MacMaster has points (2-4-6) in six consecutive games.
MARLIES UPDATES.
Kevin Gravel (illness) did not dress for today’s game against Manitoba.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
November 18: Recalled forward Pierre Engvall from loan by Toronto (NHL).
POSTGAME QUOTES
ASSISTANT COACH A.J. MacLEAN
On whether he was happy with the team’s performance this weekend: I was very happy. I thought with everything that went on this week I thought the guys, for the most part, were very focused, were dedicated to the plan. Tonight for moments I think Manitoba got to their game plan for a lot longer stretches than us. But when we stuck to our play and we were very opportunistic, it ended up working out well in the end.
On Joseph Woll: Coming in I didn’t really know much about him. I knew he was a very good prospect for us but seeing him from day one at Leafs camp. He works incredible hard every day. His attitude is great. He smiles all the time. You literally have to drag him off the ice every day. He’s a true professional. I have no doubts in his game anytime he’s in the net.
NEXT GAME:
November 29 at Rochester – 7:05 p.m. ET November 30 vs Utica – 1:30 p.m. ET (Scotiabank Arena) December 1 vs Utica – 4:00 p.m. ET December 4 at Rochester – 7:05 p.m. ET December 7 vs San Antonio – 4:00 p.m. ET
CANADA EARNS A HISTORIC FINAL BERTH AT DAVIS CUP The Canadian squad overpowers Russia at the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals
Madrid, November 23, 2019 – On Saturday, Canada qualified for the Davis Cup Final for the very first time in its history when the squad posted a 2-1 win over Russia at the outcome of a fight to the bitter end.
It came as no surprise when captain Frank Dancevic called upon Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill, ON) and Vasek Pospisil (Vernon, BC) to play the singles matches for the fourth time this week. Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev selected Karen Khachanov (17) and Andrey Rublev (23).
The tie was the first between Canada and Russia since 1969. The teams had previously met on only one occasion from which Russia emerged victorious.
Pospisil headed out first with a perfect 3-0 Davis Cup Finals record with his three wins over Top 40 players. But the World No.150 couldn’t keep the momentum going and fell in two identical sets (6-4, 6-4). He got off to a slow start, dropping the first eight points and losing his serve. The 29-year-old then tried hard to turn things around but, on his sixth try, Rublev secured the first set. The second set was a lot like the first, and Pospisil was broken again early on. He managed to level the playing field at 3-3, but was broken in the next game and never recovered.
Shapovalov had the pressure of an entire nation on his shoulders in his match against Khachanov. The World No.15 and World No.17 collided for the first time in their careers, and Khachanov’s strong start quickly led him to a 4-1 lead. But Shapovalov found his rhythm, got fired up and won five consecutive games to claim the first set. Khachanov stayed in it and forced a third set with a lone break at 5-4. The Canadian then broke Khachanov at 3-3. Serving for the match at 5-4, the Shapovalov clawed his way back from a 0-40 deficit and nabbed the point for his country.
For a second consecutive tie, Pospisil and Shapovalov teamed up to clinch the nation’s winning point. They fought until the very end—a dramatic third-set tiebreak—to confirm their supremacy over Khachanov and Rublev (3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)). Both teams demonstrated a tremendously high level of play, but Canada was able to come back from 3-0 and 4-1 in the tiebreaker and take its rightful place in the Davis Cup Finals for the very first time in its history. Canada had come up short in two previous semifinals, the last being in 2013 against Serbia.
The ultimate showdown gets underway at 10:45 a.m. EST on Sunday and will be televised on Sportsnet One. Canada will try to topple the winner of the other semifinal between Spain and Great Britain.
With its semifinal appearance, Canada merited its place in the 2020 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals, which will also be presented in Madrid, and is therefore exempt from playing in the qualifying event next March.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Vasek Pospisil
“Today was an incredible match. The doubles, with the buildup, obviously; getting to this moment, the last five days took a lot of emotions, even to get to this match. It’s building, building, building in every match. It gets that much more emotional. It’s a huge success. To win that in the third set tiebreak made it that much more dramatic, that much more special. It’s pretty incredible to make the finals for the first time in history for Canada. And, to do it the way it happened, was very special to be a part of.”
“For me, I’ve been on the tour for 12 years now, and it’s an incredible moment to be a part of it. I was injured in the beginning of this year, had surgery, wasn’t sure how many moments like this I might have, but I got back at a really high level much faster than I expected, which was really nice. I worked really hard for that. Playing in the Davis Cup Final for Canada, it’s pretty incredible.”
Denis Shapovalov “In terms of what we’ve been doing this week, there is really no word for it. I don’t think any of us expected that we could get this far. We knew we had a great team, but you need a bit of luck on your side and to play some ridiculous tennis—play at a ridiculous level—and we played at a ridiculous level today. I’m super stoked to be in the finals. It’s one of my dreams to play in a Davis Cup Final. To bring the country to this position, it’s just a dream come true.”
Frank Dancevic
“It’s been an amazing ride so far as a captain. It’s quite new to me. I’ve been doing this for two and a half years. To be in this position, this early in my captain career, has been amazing. It’s a great team to back it up. These guys are world-class players, and, this week, they’ve played lights out. I’m really happy with everything that’s going on. I wasn’t expecting it. I knew we had a great team, knew we had great players, but to play in a Davis Cup Final is a really big deal. It’s sort of surreal. We have a shot at the title. It’s great.”
About Davis Cup Davis Cup by Rakuten is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 133 nations entered in 2019. The competition is 119 years old, having been founded in 1900. In 2019, the all-new Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals will be hosted at the iconic La Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. Twenty-four nations will contest the Qualifiers on 1-2 February, competing in 12 locations around the world on a home-and-away basis. The 12 winning teams will join the 2018 semifinalists plus two wild card teams in an 18-nation Davis Cup season finale.
About Tennis Canada Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events and one professional ITF sanctioned event. Tennis Canada also owns and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebookand Twitter.
On the difference between tonight’s game and Thursday’s game: Very different, of course. The opponent is different, the challenge is different, the whole of the game is different, I thought our energy level was different. We just looked like a tired team out there for a lot of the game, but I liked the fact that we got scored on in the first shift and, while it took us a couple of shifts there to find our way back, I thought we took over the game after that. That was really positive. Obviously, we built ourselves a very nice lead. That’s a good team, they’re going to push, they’re going to make it hard on us and we battled to find a way to finish it off.
On if the team was as excited for Barrie’s second goal: I think it’s a little more old hat, but certainly we felt good for him. Just the way that it went in and, obviously, we made the switch on the power play and it’s our first power play with that group together and it works out that way. It’s pretty nice.
On the importance of the team grinding out an ugly win: Wins, in general, are important. I thought, while it was ugly, what it did require was us to really to battle and especially down the stretch to the end of that game. We had some guys out there really competing, really making it hard on the other team in getting sticks on pucks and blocking shots and denying lanes. Being tired, having to fight through that – I’ve only been here a few days, but these guys have been on the road a long time, grinding, they’ve been through a lot. I like how we persevered, how Freddie [Andersen] battled real hard in net. It was a good win, we’ll get out of here with another two points, get home and get a couple of practice days and get back out on the road.
On upcoming practice days as a good opportunity for him to work with the group: It is. It’s nice, it’s important. Things will settle down from here. Today was really a nice, kind of normal day. It was a little slower, no morning skate given it was a 5 o’clock start so we got to spend a little more time together as a staff in a little more relaxed environment. It’s not going to be like that when we get back home. We’ll work on some things and continue to grow the group, I’ll get a chance to continue to grow my relationship with individual players and, for me, that’s the priority right now. The other stuff will come together in time.
On calling a timeout on a third period power play to leave the first power play group on the ice: In particular, with our team and the way it is, we have elite talent, so the more we can utilize them when their energy level is good, we’re going to do it. We’re going to take advantage of that. That was sort of the method to the madness of calling the timeout at that point in time. I just thought it was a key point in the game and if we could find a way to score it would be really good for us. We wanted to make sure those guys were fresh.
On if he knew why Andersen was speaking to the officials following his equipment issue after Colorado’s third goal: I had no idea. I didn’t know what was going on. We were searching trying to figure out if there was goalie interference that we had missed, whether we could challenge something. It was really loud in the building at the time so we couldn’t really communicate with Freddie. I didn’t know the rule and whether he was allowed to leave his net like that. I think that he’s not so they could have called a penalty for leaving the net. I didn’t quite know what happened there.
On the toughest part of his system for players to grasp: The toughest thing to grasp is just when to hang onto the puck for a little bit longer than you normally would and when to move it quickly. When to utilize speed and just look at things on the ice. That’s the difficult part, is that decision making. I think we have players with really good hockey sense, really good skill and, in time, they’ll recognize the patterns, recognize the pressures that are coming at them. Also recognize the time of the game, the time of the period and what’s happening in the shift. All of those types of things I think we’ll be able to talk them through until they recognize it. I thought one of the nice things that I talked about at the end of the second period – obviously the second wasn’t great for us – but I just thought, this is us as a team, a new system, a new kind of philosophy here, trying to figure out how to play with a lead. That’s a challenge for us and we’re fortunate that we got the win. At the same time, we’ll have lots of good clips and lots of good teaching points to get better this week.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (34 SAVES)
On what the team did to enable him to secure the win: Just battle. I think everyone was out there battling. I thought we were happy being in the middle, taking away the cross-ice seams as much as possible, eating a few pucks and blocking some shots when it came to it. I thought it was great.
On his equipment issue prior to the third Colorado goal: Yeah, I don’t know if you could see it but the cage had a huge dent in it. I was trying to get it blown down so I could get a new one on. I don’t know if the ref didn’t see it, I was trying to get his attention.
TYSON BARRIE (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s win: I think we had a bit of slow start and then responded well in the first and then they were kind of all over in the last two periods there. It was a great game by Freddie [Andersen] and we showed a lot of character gutting that one out in the end.
On the crowd reaction to his video tribute in the first period: That’s amazing. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel coming back here and whatnot, but it’s been an amazing place to call home the last few years. That really topped it off. It’ll always be special to me and these fans are great. It’s a great hockey club over there so it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch these guys for a lot of years.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s win: I think it just took us a couple of shifts to get our legs going. Obviously, that first shift they were buzzing around and I thought we had a good response with a couple of big goals and just tried to put our foot on the gas. It kind of got away from us a little bit in the second and third. I think that’s just going through the process of changing things up on the fly, so I think it’ll be good to get a couple of practice days in before we get on the road again, and kind of dial some things in.
On scoring early into the team’s first power play: Yeah, it was good for us – good for [Barrie], too – a big goal coming back here in a place that he spent a lot of time. That gave us some jump as well. Like I said, a couple big goals to get us back in the lead.
JOHN TAVARES (22:31 TOI)
On tonight’s win: I think as we continue to make some changes there’ll be some growing pains. We had a lot of good things, especially a lot of the first period, I think through many stretches tonight. Just gutting out some wins, especially against a very goos team here today. I think a hell of a job by everyone to get the result we needed. We’ll get some valuable practice time to continue to progress in another big week next week.
On the biggest change head coach Sheldon Keefe is asking for: Well, I think we talked about controlling the play and I think a lot of that is just us trying to value when we have it and trying to create odd-man situations all over the ice and finding the open areas. Understanding that doesn’t mean taking risk and not being smart about it. I think we have to play a smart game but we also want to be patient and try to control the play.
Manitoba: K. Vesalainen (4) (C. Maier, J. Lipon), S. McKenzie (2) (C. Suess, C. Schilling) Goaltender: M. Berdin (18/22)
Toronto: A. Brooks (2) (B. Harpur, K. Agostino), M. Read (3) (T. Gaudet, T. Kivihalme), T. Liljegren (2) (T. MacMaster, E. Korshkov), G. Wilson (5) (T. Gaudet, P. Aberg) Goaltender: M. Hutchinson (32/34)
ON THE SCORESHEET
Adam Brooks opened the scoring at 1:57 of the second period. Brooks has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) through eight games this season.
Matt Read scored at 15:32 of the second period. Read has two goals in three games and five points (3 goals, 2 assists) through 14 games this season.
Timothy Liljegren scored his second career game-winning goal 58 seconds into the third period. Liljegren has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games. Liljegren has 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) through 14 games.
Garrett Wilson scored at 1:58 of the third period. Wilson has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) through 15 games with Toronto.
Ben Harpur recorded the primary assist on Brooks’ second period goal. Harpur has five assists through 14 games this season.
Kenny Agostino registered the secondary assist on Brooks’ second period goal. Agostino has seven points (5 goals, 2 assist) in five games.
Tyler Gaudet picked up the primary assists on Read’s second period goal and Wilson’s third period goal. Gaudet now has 75 career AHL assists. He has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) through 16 games with Toronto.
Teemu Kivihalme had the secondary assist on Read’s second period goal. Kivihalme has three assists through 15 games.
Tanner MacMaster recorded the primary assist on Liljegren’s third period goal. MacMaster has picked up a point (1-4-5) in each of his last five games.
Egor Korshkov registered the secondary assist on Liljegren’s third period goal.
Pontus Aberg had the secondary assist on Wilson’s third period goal. Aberg has points (1-4-5) through five games.
Michael Hutchinson stopped 32 of 34 shots he faced. Hutchinson is now 3-0-0-0 on the season with a 0.942 save percentage and a 1.95 goals against average.
OF NOTE…
Toronto is undefeated at home this season and set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive home win. Toronto has outscored their opponents 34-19.
Assistant coaches Rob Davison and A.J. MacLean assumed duties behind the bench for today’s game against the Manitoba Moose.
Toronto was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and was 0-for-2 on the power play.
Manitoba had a 34-22 edge in shots in all situations. Adam Brooks and Garrett Wilson led the Marlies with three shots on goal.
The Marlies are 6-2-0-0 against Central Division opponents and are 3-0-0-0 against the Moose. This is the third of four games this season against Manitoba this season.
REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
Goals: K. Agostino (9)
Assists: J. Bracco (12)
Points: P. Aberg 17)
PPG: E. Korshkov (4)
Shots: P. Aberg (54)
+/-: B. Harpur (+10)
PIMS: G. Wilson (43)
RECORD WHEN…
The Marlies are 3-1-0-0 when tied after the first period and 8-0-0-0 when leading after the second period.
Toronto is 6-2-1-1 when outshot by their opponent.
The Marlies are 6-0-1-1 in Sunday games and are 6-2-0-1 in November.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
Kenny Agostino has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games.
Ben Harpur has assists (2) in consecutive games.
Timothy Liljegren has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games.
Tanner MacMaster has points (1-4-5) in five consecutive games.
MARLIES UPDATES.
Darren Archibald (forearm strain) did not dress for today’s game against Manitoba. He has not dressed since November 6 against Rockford.
Kevin Gravel (illness) did not dress for today’s game against Manitoba.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
November 18: Recalled forward Pierre Engvall from loan by Toronto (NHL).
POSTGAME QUOTES
ASSISTANT COACH A.J. MacLEAN
On today’s game: I think the guys were very focused. We talked about it coming in that they were the hottest team in the league and it was going to be a challenge. And I thought everybody, to a man, was up for it.
On Michael Hutchinson’s performance through three games (92/98 saves): Your goalie’s always important. Hutchy’s done a good job since he’s been here of just staying focused and any time we have any type of breakdowns he’s been standing strong for us.
On breaking down Manitoba’s transition play: They’re a dangerous team. They can break the puck out well and if you turn it over, they have a lot of speed. With any team that’s a dangerous way to play is if you turn pucks over. Guys were really focused on the plan we wanted to have and they executed it well.
GARRETT WILSON (1 GOAL)
On a physical performance from his line with Tyler Gaudet and Matt Read: We just try to play good defense and usually that leads to offense. Gaudet and Read have been around the game a lot. They know how to be responsible with the puck and when the right time to make plays are. We’re kind of feeding off of each other, building some chemistry, so it’s a lot of fun playing with those guys.
NEXT GAME:
November 24 vs Manitoba – 4:00 p.m. ET November 29 at Rochester – 7:05 p.m. ET November 30 vs Utica – 1:30 p.m. ET (Scotiabank Arena) December 1 vs Utica – 4:00 p.m. ET December 4 at Rochester – 7:05 p.m. ET
Doctors implanted an epidural stimulator in Ryan Straschnitzki’s spine earlier this month and a week later injected stem cells above and below the injury in the hope that will help reverse some of the damage.
Excuses aside, the Detroit Pistons have been bad, really bad. The Pistons are 4-10. They have losses to the Hawks, Hornets, Pacers, and two to the Bulls. They are tied for the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and third-worst in the entire association, with just one more win than the Warriors and one less […]
Tyson Barrie opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 19:14 of the first period. Barrie’s first period goal was his first goal as a Maple Leaf. He has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games. He has eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 24 games this season.
Pierre Engvall scored the second Toronto goal of the game while shorthanded at 16:49 of the second period. Engvall’s goal is his first career NHL goal and first career NHL point. He is the first Maple Leaf since Wally Boyer (Dec. 11, 1965 vs. Boston) to score his first career goal while shorthanded and the fourth player to do so in franchise history.
Auston Matthews scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night at 0:48 of the third period. Matthews has five points (4-1-5) in five games against Pacific Division opposition this season. He has 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 10 games during the month of November. He is tied for third in the NHL in even-strength goals (11).
Ilya Mikheyev registered the primary assist on Barrie’s first period goal and later had the secondary assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Mikheyev has assists (3) in two consecutive games. He has five points (1-4-5) in five games against Pacific Division opponents this season. Tonight’s game is his first career multi-assist game. He has four multi-point games this season.
Jake Muzzin collected the secondary assist on Barrie’s first period goal. Muzzin has six points (2-4-6) in 10 road games this season. He has 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 30 career games against the Coyotes.
William Nylander recorded the primary assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Nylander has three points (1-2-3) over his last five games. He has seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in eight games against Western Conference opponents this season.
Frederik Andersen stopped 30 shots in the victory.
The Maple Leafs went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and did not have a power play opportunity tonight.
Sheldon Keefe coached his first NHL game and first game as head coach of the Maple Leafs. Tonight’s win is his first as an NHL head coach.
Justin Holl and Jake Muzzin were on the ice for a team-high 34 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Holl finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 70.8 percent (34 for, 14 against), while Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 68 percent (34 for, 16 against).
Auston Matthews was 5-for-8 (63%) when taking offensive zone faceoffs.
John Tavares won 89 percent (8 won, 1 lost) of his offensive zone draws.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saturday, November 23, 7:00 p.m. at Colorado Avalanche (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Wednesday, November 27, 7:00 p.m. at Detroit Red Wings (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Friday, November 29, 4:00 p.m. at Buffalo Sabres (TSN4, FAN 590)
Saturday, November 30, 7:00 p.m. vs. Buffalo Sabres (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Tuesday, December 3, 7:00 p.m. at Philadelphia Flyers (TSN4, TSN 1050)
TORONTO FC ANNOUNCES OFF-SEASON ROSTER MOVES 23 players currently set to return next season
Toronto FC announced today the following roster moves:
Toronto FC has exercised the contract options on defenders Auro Jr., Julian Dunn, Richie Laryea, Chris Mavinga and Justin Morrow. Midfielders Marky Delgado, Liam Fraser, Tsubasa Endoh and forward and Patrick Mullins.
Toronto FC has not exercised options on goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell, defender Ashtone Morgan, midfielders Aidan Daniels, Ryan Telfer and forward Jon Bakero.
Defender Drew Moor will be out of contract at the end of the year. In addition, the loan deal for forward Nicolas Benezet will expire at the end of the year.
Captain and midfielder Michael Bradley’s contract will expire at the end of the year, however, the club is in discussions with Bradley and his representation regarding a potential new contract for 2020 and beyond.
Fourteen players are contractually guaranteed for the 2020 season: goalkeepers Alex Bono and Quentin Westberg; defenders Laurent Ciman, Omar Gonzalez, Eriq Zavaleta; midfielders Nick DeLeon, Griffin Dorsey, Erickson Gallardo, Noble Okello, Jonathan Osorio, Alejandro Pozuelo, Jacob Shaffelburg and forwards Ayo Akinola and Jozy Altidore.
“We’re excited to have consistency and bring back most of the team that helped us win the Eastern Conference Championship,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “While we have had positive discussions with Michael and his representation, we also remain in contact with Nico and Ashtone regarding a potential return to the team for 2020. We have a strong group, and we hope to improve upon our 2019 campaign.”
The view from left field 