TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (10-10-4 – 24 Points) vs.
COLORADO AVALANCHE (13-7-2 – 28 Points)
NOVEMBER 23, 2019 ▪ 7:00 PM EST
PEPSI CENTER (DENVER, CO) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET/HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA▪
RADIO: TSN 1050
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus COLORADO
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 31-39-9-3 (82 Games) |
| ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD: | 13-18-5-2 (38 Games) |
| 2018-19: | 1-1-0 |
| LAST FIVE: | 2-2-1 |
| LAST 10: | 5-3-2 |
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus COLORADO
| GAMES PLAYED: | Jason Spezza (31), Jake Muzzin (21), John Tavares (16) |
| GOALS: | Jason Spezza (6), Kasperi Kapanen (3), Auston Matthews (3), John Tavares (3) |
| ASSISTS: | Jason Spezza (10), Jake Muzzin (6), John Tavares (6) |
| POINTS: | Jason Spezza (16), John Tavares (9), Jake Muzzin (8) |
| PENALTY MINUTES: | Jake Muzzin (12), Martin Marincin (8), Nick Shore (6), Jason Spezza (6) |
MAPLE LEAFS – AVALANCHE TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | COLORADO | |
| GOALS FOR (Rank): | 75 (8th) | 78 (t-3rd) |
| GOALS AGAINST (Rank): | 80 (30th) | 64 (t-7th) |
| POWER PLAY [%] (Rank): | 13/74 [17.6%] (19th) | 17/88 [19.3%] (17th) |
| PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank): | 60/81 [74.1%] (25th) | 61/78 [78.2%] (22nd) |
| SHOTS (Rank): | 796 (2nd) | 699 (17th) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank): | 1233 (1st) | 931 (t-24th) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank): | 53.8% (2nd) | 49.0% (21st) |
| FACEOFF % (Rank): | 53.7% (1st) | 46.4% (30th) |
MAPLE LEAFS – AVALANCHE NOTES
| FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS: | Nov. 18, 1979 at QUE (Quebec 4, Toronto 2) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 31-39-9-3 (82 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME: | 18-21-4-1 (44 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD: | 13-18-5-2 (38 Games) |
| LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT ON THE ROAD: | Feb. 12, 2019 (Toronto 5, Colorado 2) |
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. AVALANCHE
| Frederik Andersen | First Maple Leaf shutout (Dec. 22, 2016 at COL) |
| Tyson Barrie | Selected by Colorado in the third round (64th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft. Franchise leader among defencemen in points (307), assists (232) and goals (75). |
| Cody Ceci | 300th NHL game (Nov. 11, 2017 (OTT) vs. COL) |
| Frederik Gauthier | First NHL goal (Dec. 22, 2016 at COL) |
| Kasperi Kapanen | 100th NHL game (Jan. 14, 2019 vs. COL) |
| Alexander Kerfoot | Played 157 games with Colorado (2017-19) |
| Martin Marincin | First NHL game (Dec. 5, 2013 (EDM) vs. COL) First NHL goal (March 25, 2014 (EDM) vs. COL) |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| CATEGORY | LEADER |
| GOALS | 15 (Matthews) |
| ASSISTS | 14 (Marner, Rielly) |
| POINTS | 28 (Matthews) |
| POWER PLAY POINTS | 7 (Marner, Matthews) |
| SHORTHANDED POINTS | 2 (Kapanen) |
| PIMs | 18 (Rielly) |
| SHOTS | 89 (Matthews) |
| FACEOFF WIN% | 59.2% (Matthews) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % | 62.9% (Petan) |
| BLOCKED SHOTS | 46 (Ceci) |
| TAKEAWAYS | 24 (Marner) |
| HITS | 51 (Muzzin) |
| TOI PER GAME | 25:02 (Rielly) |
| PP TOI PER GAME | 3:15 (Matthews) |
| SH TOI PER GAME | 3:27 (Ceci) |
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
| Frederik Andersen | – Is 4-2-0 on the road this season with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. – Has a 3-3-9 record with a .929 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average in six career games against Colorado.- Fifth in the NHL in saves (519) and sixth in even-strength saves (410). |
| Tyson Barrie | – Tied for eighth among NHL defencemen in shots on goal (61). – Skated in 484 games for the Avalanche from 2011-19 and is the franchise leader among defencemen in points (307), assists (232) and goals (75). |
| Cody Ceci | – Tied for 15th among NHL skaters in blocked shots (46).- One of 14 NHLers to have recorded at least 40 hits (41) and 40 blocked shots (46). |
| Travis Dermott | – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 53.4 percent in 11 games since returning from injury. |
| Pierre Engvall | – Became the fourth Maple Leaf in franchise history and the first since Wally Boyer (Dec. 11, 1965 vs. Boston) to score his first career NHL goal while shorthanded. |
| Frederik Gauthier | – Has won 59.4 percent (79 won, 54 lost) of his defensive zone faceoffs. |
| Justin Holl | – Has a 5-on-5 unblocked shot attempt percentage of 54.7, which is the highest among Maple Leafs. |
| Zach Hyman | – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 59.5 percent, which ranks second among Toronto skaters. – Averaging 17:59 per game in ice time through five games since returning from injury. |
| Kasperi Kapanen | – Leads the Maple Leafs in points on the road this season with nine (4-5-9) in 11 road games.- Had three goals in two games against Colorado last season. |
| Alex Kerfoot | – Returned to the lineup from injury on November 21 at Arizona.- Had 85 points (34 goals, 51 assists) over 157 games with Colorado from 2017-19 after signing a two-year entry-level contract on August 23, 2017. |
| Auston Matthews | – Tied for fourth among NHL skaters in goals (15).- Tied for third among NHL skaters in even-strength goals (11).- Sixth in the NHL in shots on goal (89).- Has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in six career games against Colorado. |
| Ilya Mikheyev | – Leads the NHL in shorthanded shots on goal (10).- Leads all NHL rookies in shots on goal (58).- Has a team-high 13 shots on goal over the last week. |
| Jake Muzzin | – Ranks third among Maple Leafs in time on ice per game (21:47).- One of six NHL defencemen to have registered at least 45 hits (51) and at least 45 shots on goal (48). |
| William Nylander | – Had three goals in three games against Central Division opposition this season.- Averaging 3.1 shots per game in eight games against Western Conference teams. |
| Nic Petan | – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 62.9 percent (129 for, 76 against) through 10 games, which is the highest percentage among NHLers who have appeared in at least 10 games. |
| Morgan Rielly | – Tied for ninth among NHL defencemen in points (3-14-17).- Tied for sixth among NHL defencemen in even-strength points (3-9-12).- Tied for sixth among NHL skaters in TOI per game (25:02).- 10th among NHL skaters in shifts per game (29.0). |
| John Tavares | – Had a pair of assists in two games against the Avalanche last season.- Has recorded eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in eight road games thus far in 2019-20.- Leads the Maple Leafs in power play faceoffs won (58.8% – 40 won, 28 lost). |
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
| Tyson Barrie | Has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games. |
| Ilya Mikheyev | Has assists (3) in two consecutive games. |
UPCOMING MILESTONES
| John Tavares | Two assists from 400 career NHL assists.One game from 100 games as a Maple Leaf. |
RECENT MILESTONES
| Pierre Engvall | First NHL game (November 19 at VGK) |
| Kasimir Kaskisuo | First NHL game (November 16 at PIT) |
INJURY REPORT
| Mitch Marner (Ankle) | On injured reserve. |
| Trevor Moore (Shoulder) | On injured reserve. |
| Man Games Lost: 51 |
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
| November 18 | Recalled forward Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).Placed forward Trevor Moore on injured reserve. |
AVALANCHE NOTES
Nazem Kadri was Toronto’s first-round pick (seventh overall) in 2009 and spent parts of 10 seasons with the Leafs, tallying 357 points (161g/196a) in 561 games … Tyson Barrie was a third-round selection (64th overall) of the Avalanche in 2009 and holds the franchise record for points (307), goals (75) and assists (232) by a defenseman during his eight years (484 games) with the club … Alexander Kerfoot played his first two NHL seasons with Colorado (2017-19) … Philipp Grubauer is 3-0-0 with a 1.87 GAA and .929 Sv% in four career games (two starts) against the Leafs.
EAST SIDE STORY The Avs are 5-0-2 against the Eastern Conference, the only NHL team without a regulation loss to the East so far.
SEEING DOUBLE Colorado has gotten a multi-goal effort from one of its players in each of the last SEVEN games, matching a franchise record set by the Nordiques from Nov 24 to Dec 10, 1983.
Nov 7 vs. NSH — Donskoi (3) Nov. 9 vs. CBJ — Makar (2)
Nov. 12 at WPG — MacKinnon (2)
Nov. 14 at EDM — Burakovsky (2)
Nov. 16 at VAN — MacKinnon (2)
\Nov. 19 at CGY — Burakovsky (2)
Nov. 21 at MIN — Makar (2)
NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER Cale Makar has 15 points (6g/9a) in 10 games this month, setting an Avalanche/Nordiques franchise record for scoring by a rookie defenseman in a single month. His 15 points are the third most by a rookie blueliner in November behind Larry Murphy (18 in 1980) and Nicklas Lidstrom (17 in 1991). It’s the most points by a rookie defenseman in ANY month since Alexei Zhitnik (19) in March 1993 with Los Angeles.
MOST POINTS IN A MONTH BY ROOKIE DEFENSEMAN, FRANCHISE HISTORY 15 Cale Makar Nov. 2019 12 Pierre Lacroix Mar. 1980 11 (4) players tied
MOST POINTS IN NOVEMBER BY A ROOKIE DEFENSEMAN 18 Larry Murphy (LAK) 1980 17 Nicklas Lidstrom (DET) 1991 15 Cale Makar (COL) 2019
ALL HAIL CALE Cale Makar leads all NHL rookies with 25 points (7g/18a) in 22 games. He also leads all rookies in assists and is tied for first in goals. Makar’s 25 points are the second most by a defenseman in his first 22 career games in NHL history.
MOST POINTS BY DEFENSEMAN IN FIRST 22 CAREER GAMES 26 Larry Murphy (LAK) 1980-81 25 Cale Makar (COL) 2019-20 23 Hap Day (TSP) 1924-25 20 Nicklas Lidstrom (DET) 1991-92
Makar’s 25 points are the most by a rookie defenseman in his team’s first 22 games of a season since Murphy (26) in 1980-81. It’s the highest total by an Avalanche blueliner through the team’s first 22 contests of a season, and the second-most by a franchise defender through 22 team contests behind Steve Duchesne (26) in 1992-93.
MORE MAKAR On Nov. 16, Makar became the fourth defensemen in NHL history to be the first rookie to reach 20 points. He joined Nicklas Lidstrom (22 GP with Detroit in 1991-92), Bobby Orr (33 GP with Boston in 1966-67) and Hap Day (18 GP with Toronto St. Pats in 1924-25). Makar was just the fourth defenseman in NHL history to record 20 points in his first 20 career games.
20 POINTS BY DEFENSEMAN IN FIRST 20 NHL GAMES Harry Cameron 1917-18 Toronto Arenas (27) Hap Day 1924-25 Toronto St. Pats (23) Larry Murphy 1980-81 Los Angeles (24) Cale Makar 2019-20 Colorado (22)
He was the first rookie defenseman to have 20 or more points through his team’s first 20 games of a season since Brian Leetch (22) in 1988-89 with the New York Rangers.
AND MORE… • Makar registered his second two-goal game on Thursday in Minnesota. He is just the second Avalanche/Nordiques rookie defenseman to record two multi-goal games in a season (Pierre Lacroix 1979-80) • Recorded a career-high four assists on Nov. 16 in Vancouver, setting a single-game franchise rookie record in assists and matching the record in points (Jeff Brown with Quebec on Oct. 13, 1986 vs. Vancouver). • Was the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to score a goal in three straight games, Nov. 7-12. In fact, he was just the 11th rookie blueliner to have a three-game goal streak over the last 30 years (1989-80). • Potted the game-winning goal in two straight contests, Nov. 9-12, the eighth rookie defenseman in NHL history to score the winning tally in consecutive games. • NHL’s Third Star for the week of Nov. 4-10. Second Avalanche rookie to be named one of the three weekly stars, joining Matt Duchene (Third Star, Nov. 30–Dec. 6, 2009), and just the third defenseman, joining Liles (Second Star, Nov. 15-21, 2010) and Barrie (Third, Jan. 4-10, 2016). • Was just the second rookie defensemen in Avalanche/Nordiques history to post consecutive multi-point outings, Nov. 7-9, joining David Pichette (Dec. 7-10, 1980).
STAR STRUCK Nathan MacKinnon was named the NHL’s Second Star of the week for Nov. 11-17. This was the second straight weekly honor for an Avalanche player, as Cale Makar was the league’s Third Star for Nov. 4-10.
JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MONTH Nathan MacKinnon has 15 points (6g/9a) in 10 games so far this month. MacKinnon, who was the NHL’s Second Star of the Month last November (2018) after he was the league’s First Star in November of 2017, has now combined for 58 points (20g/38a) in 36 November games since 2017, the most of any player (Connor McDavid has 57 in 40 GP).
EVERYBODY’S TALKIN ‘BOUT THE NEW KID(S) IN TOWN Offseason additions Andre Burakovsky (10 goals), Joonas Donskoi (9) and Nazem Kadri (7) rank 2-3-4 on the team in goal scoring, combining for 26 (or 33.3%) of the club’s 78 total markers. All three forwards rank among the Avalanche’s top-five point producers as well, as they’ve picked up 50 points (26g/24a) between them in 22 games.
THE MORE THE MERRIER Four different Colorado goaltenders have earned a win in 2019-20, making this just the second Avalanche team to feature four different goaltenders with a victory in a single season (also 2005-06). All three wins on this last road trip came from a different netminder: Adam Werner (at Edmonton), Antoine Bibeau (at Vancouver) and Philipp Grubauer (at Calgary). In fact, four netminders have won a game for the Avs in this month alone.
LIGHTING THE LAMP The Avs are averaging 3.55 goals-per-game, tied for fourth in the NHL, while their +14 goal differential leads all Western Conference teams. Colorado has scored 29 goals during this current 5-2-0 run. The Avs began this stretch with a 9-4 victory over the Predators on Nov. 7, the club’s most goals since Dec. 9, 2007 (9-5 vs. St. Louis).
YOU HAD TO BE A BIG SHOT Nathan MacKinnon ranks second in the NHL with 106 shots. He recorded a career-high 12 shots on Nov. 1 vs. Dallas, tying the single-game franchise record set by Gabriel Landeskog on Jan. 9, 2019 at Calgary. It is the most shots by an NHL player in a game this year. MacKinnon, who led the NHL with a franchise-record 366 shots last season, has a shot in 173 consecutive games, the second longest active streak (Dougie Hamilton 269).
WORKING OVERTIME Nathan MacKinnon has two OT winners this season and eight in his career, one behind Milan Hejduk for the most in franchise history. The single-season franchise record is three, a mark already tied by MacKinnon in 2017-18.
LAST MAN STANDING The Avs were the NHL’s last undefeated team (5-0-0) and the last team without a regulation loss (7-0-1). Colorado’s 7-0-1 start was its best through eight games in franchise history, and the eight-game point streak was its second-longest to start a season (9-0-2 in 200001). It was the longest by any team to open a campaign since the Canadiens began 2016-17 with a 9-0-1 run.
THIS DAY IN AVS HISTORY Nov. 23, 2018 – J.T. Compher scored two shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill in a 5-1 victory at Arizona. He tied franchise records for shorthanded goals in a game and a period and set a new franchise mark for the fastest two shorthanded tallies (1:25).
CURRENT INJURIES Calvert (head) Landeskog (lower body) Rantanen (lower body) Wilson (lower body) Man-Games Lost: 58.
The view from left field 