The Oakland A’s are one of two MLB teams in need of a manager and have begun the interview process with a handful of candidates internally and outside the organization. So far, the A’s have or plan to interview at least six candidates for the job to replace Bob Melvin. Internally, that includes quality control…
It’s personal policy that Tyronn Lue stay cool on the sideline. So much so that when the Clippers coach was asked Friday about his evident displeasure after a fruitless and particularly irksome sequence late in their victory over the Lakers, he balked, emotional about having been perceived as emotional: “I looked frustrated? Damn.” That strategic…
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (17-7-2 – 36 Points) at WINNIPEG JETS (12-8-4 – 28 Points) SUNDAY, DECEMER 5, 2021 1 2 3 FINAL TORONTO 1 2 0 3 WINNIPEG 1 4 1 6 GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACE-OFF SUMMARY ON THE SCORESHEET
Michael Bunting scored on a Toronto power play opportunity at 16:08 of the first period. Bunting scored his seventh goal of the season and the fifth power play goal of his NHL career.
Auston Matthews scored on a Toronto power play opportunity at 14:20 of the second period. Matthews scored his 15th goal of the season and has scored in six consecutive games (8G).
Ondřej Kaše scored for the Maple Leafs at 15:46 of the second period. Kaše recorded his sixth goal of the season.
Pierre Engvall recorded the primary assist on Bunting’s power play goal. Engvall posted his sixth assist of the season.
Nick Ritchie registered the secondary assist on Bunting’s power play goal. Ritchie recorded his seventh assist of the season. Ritchie has posted an assist in three consecutive games (3A).
John Tavares posted the primary assist on Matthews’ power play goal. Tavares recorded his 15th assist of the season.
William Nylander registered the secondary assist on Matthews’ power play goal. Nylander posted his 14th assist of the season.
Rasmus Sandin recorded the primary assist on Kaše’s goal. Sandin posted his eighth assist of the season.
Justin Holl registered the secondary assist on Kaše’s goal. Holl recorded his first assist of the season. SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 12 (10) 11 (8) 12 (6) 35 (24) WINNIPEG 13 (8) 12 (10) 16 (11) 41 (29) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 18 (15) 27 (19) 20 (10) 65 (44) WINNIPEG 16 (10) 20 (17) 22 (17) 58 (44) ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Maple Leafs are 7-4-1 on the road this season.
Toronto’s all-time record is 40-24-1-9 in 74 games against the Winnipeg Jets and 21-12-0-5 in 38 games played in Winnipeg.
Toronto is 8-3-1 against the Western Conference this season and 3-1-1 against the Central Division this season. MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 6 (Tavares) Shot Attempts 9 (Rielly, Nylander) Faceoff Wins 9 (Tavares) Faceoff Win Percentage 57% (Kämpf – 8 won, 6 lost) Hits 3 (Engvall) Blocked Shots 1 (Spezza, Ritchie, Sandin, Liljegren, Rielly, Kämpf, Brodie) Takeaways 2 (Nylander) TOI 24:55 (Rielly) Power Play TOI 6:01 (Spezza) Shorthanded TOI 3:35 (Holl) Shifts 28 (Rielly) 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 76.92% (Engvall – 10 for, 3 against) RECORD WHEN…
The Maple Leafs were 2-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-5 on the penalty kill tonight.
Toronto is 5-6-2 when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.
The Maple Leafs are 6-3-0 when tied after one period and 2-7-0 when trailing after two periods.
Toronto is 6-4-0 when outshot by their opponent.
The Maple Leafs are 2-1-0 in Sunday games and 2-3-0 in the second game of a back-to-back. OF NOTE…
Rasmus Sandin recorded his eighth assist of the season during tonight’s game, marking an NHL career season high.
Per NHL Stats, Auston Matthews extended his goal streak to six games, the longest in the NHL this season. This is the third time he has had a goal streak of six or more games (also 7 GP: Jan. 24 – Feb. 8, 2021 and 6 GP: Oct. 3-13, 2018).
Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly were on the ice for a team-high 20 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5- on-5.
Pierre Engvall finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 76.92 percent (10 for, 3 against). UPCOMING GAMES: Dec. 7 Leafs vs. Columbus Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Dec. 9 Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Dec. 11 Leafs vs. Chicago Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET Dec. 14 Leafs at Edmonton Rogers Place 9:00 pm ET Dec. 16 Leafs at Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome 9:00 pm ET Dec. 18 Leafs at Vancouver Rogers Arena 7:00 pm ET 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. For Maple Leafs notes, transcripts, audio clips and media guides, please visit MapleLeafs.com/pressbox. POSTGAME QUOTES: JOHN TAVARES Q: On where the game got away from them: John Tavares: “We completely played into their game and allowed them to use their transition and they’re one of the best in the league in that area. We had two-on-ones and the opportunities that we gave up were disappointing. I think we really got away from out game today. We still battled to keep the door open going into the third and obviously we just weren’t able to generate enough… giving up those opportunities and the amount of goals, obviously you can’t win hockey games this late, yeah we just got away for whatever reason…” Q: On Joseph Woll’s play: John Tavares: Yeah, it could have been a lot worse. One hundred percent. It’s not good enough the way we defended tonight and the way we played through the neutral zone. Especially just allowed them to use their speed and their skill which they’re so good with… He did a good job making a bunch of saves keeping it what it was because of that we got it to 5-3 and gave ourselves a little bit of hope in the third and obviously you know what happened.” AUSTON MATTHEWS On the emotions of the game and where the game got away from them: Auston Matthews: “I’m not really sure to be honest, I think it was just kind of a snowball effect. It just kind of spiraled out of control. It wasn’t really hockey in that third period, it was a bit of a gong show. I don’t really know how else to put it.” MORGAN RIELLY Q: On an emotional game: Morgan Rielly: “Yeah I think it’s important to balance it. We want to try to win the game but you want to stick up for your teammates and try to stick together as a group. So, I think you have to find the balance and keep pushing all the way to the end.” TIMOTHY LILJEGREN Q: On getting back into the lineup: Timothy Liljegren: “It felt good. Obviously, it would have felt better if we had won but it felt good to get back out there.
2021-22 Matchups vs. Columbus: First of Three 2020-21 Record vs. Columbus: N/A Next Game vs. Columbus: Monday, December 27 at Columbus Toronto Season Record: 17-7-2 Toronto Home Record: 10-3-1 TV: TSN4 RADIO: Sportsnet 590
RECENT TRANSACTIONS December 7, 2021 Forward Joey Anderson has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) December 7, 2021 Defencemen Alex Biega and Kristins Rubns and forward Alex Steeves have been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) December 5, 2021 Goaltender Michael Hutchinson has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) December 3, 2021 Goaltender Petr Mrázek has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an LTIR conditioning loan
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 3 at Winnipeg 6 Date: Sunday, December 5, 2021 TOR Goals: Bunting, Matthews, Kaše WPG Goals: Dubois, Copp, Svechnikov, Connor, Ehlers, Scheifele TOR Goaltender: Woll, 35/41, .854 SV% WPG Goaltender: Hellebuyck, 32/35, .914 SV% TOR Power Play: 2-for-5 TOR Penalty Kill: 2-for-5 Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021
NEXT GAME Opponent: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Broadcast Information: TSN4 (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Travis Dermott (Shoulder) Rasmus Sandin (Knee) *On Injured Reserve Mitch Marner (Shoulder) *On Injured Reserve Ilya Mikheyev (Thumb) *On Injured Reserve Games Lost to Injury: 28
ALL-TIME VS. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: First Matchup between Clubs: February 14, 2001 (Toronto 2 vs. Columbus 2) All-Time Record: 14-11-1-4 (30 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 6-6-1-3 (16 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 8-5-0-1 (14 Games) Last Road Win vs. Opponent: November 19, 2018 (Toronto 4 vs. Columbus 2) Record in Last Five Games: 3-1-1 Record in Last 10 Games: 5-3-2
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Games Played: Wayne Simmonds (40), John Tavares (27), Jason Spezza (22) Goals: John Tavares (14), Wayne Simmonds (10), Mitch Marner (5) Assists: John Tavares (19), Morgan Rielly (9), Jason Spezza (8) Points: John Tavares (33), Wayne Simmonds (17), Jason Spezza (12), Mitch Marner (12) Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (40), Kyle Clifford (23), John Tavares (16)
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22 Power Play: 19/74 (25.7%) Power Play Goal Leader: 6 – Matthews Power Play Point Leader: 10 – Matthews (6G, 4A) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
FAST FACTS Tuesday games 3rd of 14 (8 home, 6 road) Back-to-Backs played 5 of 13 Record in first game of back-to-back 2-2-1 Record in second game of back-to-back 2-3-0 December games 4th of 13 (6 home, 7 road) RECENT MILESTONES
TJ BRODIE Appeared in his 700th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK JACK CAMPBELL Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 16 vs. NSH JACK CAMPBELL Recorded his 50th career NHL win, Nov. 18 vs. NYR PIERRE ENGVALL Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 2 vs. VGK ONDREJ KAŠE Recorded his 100th career NHL point, Nov. 10 at PHI ALEXANDER KERFOOT Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26 at SJS AUSTON MATTHEWS Recorded his 200th career NHL goal, Oct. 25 at CAR. Per NHL Stats, Matthews required the second-fewest games to reach 200 goals in Maple Leafs history among players who debuted with the team, trailing only Charlie Conacher (317 games) MORGAN RIELLY Recorded his 250th career NHL assist, Oct. 27 at CHI WAYNE SIMMONDS Skated in his 950th career NHL game, Oct. 16 vs. OTT JASON SPEZZA Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28 at ANA JOHN TAVARES Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs, Oct. 18 vs. NYR JOHN TAVARES Scored his 100th goal with the Maple Leafs, Nov. 13 at BUF
UPCOMING MILESTONES TJ BRODIE One goal away from 50 career NHL goals TRAVIS DERMOTT One point away from 50 career NHL points JUSTIN HOLL Nine points away from 50 career NHL points ONDREJ KAŠE One goal away from 50 career NHL goals DAVID KÄMPF Five assists away from 50 career NHL assists ILYA MIKHEYEV Seven games away from 100 career NHL games played MORGAN RIELLY Two games away from 600 career NHL games played JOHN TAVARES Five games away from 900 career NHL games played
2021-22 TEAM LEADERS
CATEGORY LEADER CATEGORY LEADER GOALS 15 – Matthews BLOCKED SHOTS 37 – Holl ASSISTS 15 – Marner, Rielly, Tavares TAKEAWAYS 27 – Marner POINTS 26 – Tavares (11G, 15A) HITS 61 – Ritchie POWER PLAY POINTS 10 – Matthews (6G, 4A) TOI PER GAME 24:12 – Rielly SHORTHANDED POINTS 1 – Marner (1G), Muzzin (1A) PP TOI PER GAME 3:12 – Matthews PIMs 38 – Simmonds SH TOI PER GAME 2:36 – Muzzin SHOTS 104 – Matthews WINS 13 – Campbell FACEOFF% 60.0% – Marner GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE 1.78 – Campbell SHOT ATTEMPTS% 58.98% – Matthews SAVE PERCENTAGE .942 – Campbell
BLUE JACKETS
THE LAST GAME: DEC. 5, 2021 – CBJ 6 vs. SJS 4 CBJ Goal Scorers: Boqvist, Kuraly, Sillinger, Roslovic, Boqvist, EN – Texier SJS Goal Scorers: Bonino, Karlsson, Burns, Hertl Goalies: CBJ – Merzlikins (30/34, 60:00); SJS – Hill (24/29, 58:59) CBJ PP: 0/1; PK: 0/0 | Shots: CBJ: 30 / SJS: 34 3 Stars: 1. Boqvist, CBJ; 2. Peeke, CBJ; 3. Sillinger, CBJ Noteworthy: CBJ snapped season-long 4-game losing streak… CBJ picked up 4th-straight home win… The club was not whistled for a penalty for 1st time this season… Boqvist notched 2nd 2-goal game of the season/career… Danforth tallied assist for 2nd-straight game… Peeke notched 1st career multi-point game (0-2-2)… Texier recorded his 1st multi-point game of the season (1-1-2). OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT Kukan (wrist fracture); Placed on Injured Reserve (10/26); 8 weeks (17 games) Laine (oblique strain); Placed on Injured Reserve (11/5); 4-to-6 weeks (14 games) Korpisalo (non-COVID illness); Placed on Injured Reserve (12/1); (3 games) TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 69 RECENT TRANSACTIONS Dec. 3 Placed Korpisalo on IR retroactive to Dec. 1 (non-COVID illness) Dec. 2 Activated Bemstrom off IR and assigned to Cleveland (AHL) and added Tarasov to the roster on emergency recall from Cleveland (AHL) Nov. 20 Activated Domi off COVID-19 list AGAINST THE MAPLE LEAFS 2021-22 Series: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 at TOR) 2020-21 Series: Did Not Play 2019-20 Series: 1-1-0 (1-0-0 at TOR) All-Time Series: 15-14-1-0 (9-6-1-0 at TOR) Last 10 (Overall | Away): 5-5-0 | 7-3-0 All-Time GF/GA: 86/91 All-Time SF/SA: 939/896 All-Time PP: 17-of-98 All-Time PK: 74-of-90 THE LAST GAME VS. TOR (REG. SEASON): Oct. 21, 2019 – CBJ (4) at TOR (3) OT CBJ Goal Scorers: SH – Nash, Dubois, PP – Wennberg, PS – Nyquist TOR Goal Scorers: SH – Kapanen, Matthews, Nylander Goalies: CBJ – Korpisalo (28/31, 61:57); TOR – Andersen (34/38, 61:57) CBJ PP: 1/5; PK: 0/2 | Shots: CBJ: 38 / TOR: 31 3 Stars: 1. Nyquist, CBJ; 2. Matthews, TOR; 3. Foligno, CBJ Noteworthy: Nyquist scored 1st penalty shot OT winner in CBJ history… 2nd time in CBJ history club scored a PPG, SHG and PSG (12/17/05 at NSH)… 18 blocked shots were a season-high for CBJ… Wennberg tied it with 9:51 remaining before Nyquist won the game 1:57 into OT. SEASON SERIES LEFT: Dec. 27 at CBJ… Mar. 7 at CBJ CBJ/TOR CONNECTIONS CBJ: McRae (Beaverton), who played in four games for TOR (1983-85), served as GM of London Knights from 2014-16)… Harrington, born in Kingston, had 0-1-1 in 15 games (2015-16)… Legace (Toronto), Danforth (Oshawa) and Jenner (Dorchester) were all born in Ontario. NOTED (Team Highlights vs. TOR) The teams most recently met in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifying Round with the Blue Jackets winning the series 3-2… CBJ have won 12-8-0 in the past 20 games of the series… CBJ are 9-3-0 in last 12 games at TOR… Winning team has scored 3+ goals in 28-of-30 victories and 17-straight… CBJ have both shutouts (MR: Bobrovsky, 4/8/15) in all-time series… Most goals scored at TOR: 6 (11/25/13)… Most goals allowed at TOR: 6 (2/14/18). Columbus Blue Jackets: Media Notes NOTED (Player Highlights vs. TOR) Carlsson notched his 1st NHL point (assist) on 4/9/17 at TOR… Domi tallied his 100th NHL career assist on 10/3/18 at TOR… Voracek played his 500th NHL game on 1/31/15 vs. TOR. HOW THE JACKETS WERE BUILT (Active: 23, Injured: 3) Drafted (12): Bjorkstrand, Carlsson, Chinakhov, Gavrikov, Jenner, Korpisalo (IR), Merzlikins, Peeke, Sillinger, Tarasov, Texier, Werenski Trade (8): Bean, Boqvist, Domi, Harrington, Hofmann, Laine (IR), Roslovic, Voracek Free Agent (6): Bayreuther, Danforth, Kukan (IR), Kuraly, Nyquist, Robinson BLUE JACKETS NOTES PUTTING PUCKS IN THE NET The Blue Jackets have been able to fill the back of the net this season, ranking 11th in the NHL in goals-per-game through the first 23 contests (3.22). The club has scored three-plus goals in 15 of their contests and four-plus goals in ten of them, including posting six on Sunday vs. the Sharks. The team has averaged almost a goal-a-game more compared to last season (2.39). CBJ have twice finished a campaign averaging better than three goals a game (club record 3.12 avg. in 2018-19 and 3.01 avg. in 2016-17). COMEBACK JACKETS The Blue Jackets have earned their victories this season with the club coming back at some point in the game in nine of their 13 wins. The club leads the NHL in wins when allowing the first goal of the game (7, tied) and when trailing heading into the second period (4). Columbus has come back from multiple goal deficits in two of its contests (Nov. 3 at COL and Nov. 15 vs. DET). The club has also had the flair for the dramatics this season, scoring the game-winning goal with less than 1:30 left in regulation twice (Nov. 6 vs. COL; Nov. 15 vs. DET). STAYING STRONG WHILE PLAYING SHORT CBJ’s penalty kill units have come up big over the past five weeks. The team has killed off all opponent power play attempts in 13 of the last 16 games since Oct. 31. The club is second in the NHL in penalty kill pct. over that span (PIT, 90.7), killing off 35-of-39 attempts (89.7). THE ROAD WELL TRAVELED Columbus is in the middle of a stretch dominated in road games. Prior to Sunday’s home game, the club had completed a four-game road trip. Following Thursday’s contest vs. Anaheim at Nationwide Arena, the team will head out on a five-game road trip to face Seattle, western Canadian teams (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary) before finishing at Buffalo from Dec. 11-20. CBJ play 7-of-9 games from Nov. 18-Dec. 4 and 13-of-17 from Nov. 18- Dec. 20 away from Nationwide Arena. THE KIDS ARE MORE THAN ALRIGHT The Blue Jackets kicked off the season as the youngest team in the NHL (avg. age 25.71) and many of the club’s youngest players have already made a big impact just 23 games into the season. Alexandre Texier (22), has already surpassed his career high in goals (8) and has recorded 6-4-10 in the past 14 games. Cole Sillinger (18), a 2021 first round pick, is the NHL’s youngest player and has 5-5-10 in 23 GP. Adam Boqvist (21) has racked up 5-3-8 and 2 multi-goal/point contests in the last 7 games and ranks 4th-T among NHL defensemen in goals this season with 6-3-9 in 16 GP . SUCCESS IN NET Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (10-4-0 in 14 GP) made franchise history in requiring the fewest games to reach 10 wins in a season with the victory on Sunday vs. San Jose. Sergei Bobrovsky previously held the record at 10 wins in the first 15 contests (2016-17 and 2017-18). Merzlikins ranks first-T in the NHL in wins and second in SV% at home this season (min. 8 home GP), going 9-1-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .935 SV% in 10 contests. Merzlikins notched his 1st shutout of the season on Nov. 24 vs. Winnipeg (8th of NHL career) and has a 2.72 GAA and .920 SV% in 14 GP. UPCOMING MILESTONES •Bjorkstrand is 4 points from 200 for his CBJ/NHL career •Boqvist is 8 games from 100 for his NHL career •Domi is 7 goals from 100 for his NHL career and 8 assists from 200 for his NHL career •Kuraly is 7 games from 300 for his NHL career •Nyquist is 7 games from 600 for his NHL career and 7 games from his 100 for his CBJ career •Voracek is 9 games from 1,000 for his NHL career 2021-22 TEAM QUICK HITS •CBJ had the most diverse roster to open the season with 10 countries represented •CBJ’s 9 wins and 18 points are the most through the 1st 12 home games of a season in club history •CBJ are 5-0-0 in OT/SO this season; marking the 2nd time the club has started a campaign with wins in their 1st 5 games that were decided after regulation (2005-06, finished 14-1-3) •CBJ rank 13th-T in the NHL on the power play at 20.0 percent (12-of-60), which would represent the 2nd-best PP pct. in club history (21.7 pct., 2014- 15) •CBJ rank 3rd in goals with 18 (COL-25, ANA-20) and 7th in the NHL in points (61) by defensemen •CBJ are in the middle of a stretch of 13-of-16 games played against Western Conference teams from 11/18-12/18 •CBJ rank 5th in the NHL in goals scored in the 3rd period (31) •CBJ, in partnership with WBNS-10TV, are holding a toy collection on 12/9 vs. ANA with the toys donated to The Salvation Army of Central Ohio’s Christmas Cheer program 2021-22 PLAYER QUICK HITS •CBJ have had 20 different players record goals this season, while 22-of-24 skaters have recorded at least 1 point •Domi has 2-4-6 in the last 8 GP •Gavrikov leads CBJ in +/- rating (+9), CBJ D-men in assists-T (11) and has 2-8-10 in his last 14 GP •Jenner scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season on 12/2 at DAL and has 7-4-11 in his last 14 GP •Kuraly leads CBJ in hits (60) and has a hit in 21-of-23 games •Peeke (44) and Gavrikov (40) lead the club in blocked shots •Peeke, who notched his 1st career multi-point game (0-2-2) and played a career-high 23:16 on Sun. vs. SJS, has played 20+ minutes in 6 of last 7 games •Tarasov set the CBJ record for most saves in his NHL debut after stopping 34-of-37 shots on 12/2 at DAL •Voracek ranks 2nd in the NHL with 15 primary assists and 4th-T in PP assists (9) and 17th in assists overall (18) •Werenski became the 2nd blueliner in CBJ history (Jones, 223) to record 200 career points with his 1st of 2 assists on 11/18 at Vegas and ranks 3rd-T in the NHL in TOI/GP (26:10) CBJ 2021-22 TEAM GAME HIGHS GOALS: 8 (10/14 vs ARI)… GOALS AGAINST: 6 – 2x (MR: 11/30 at NSH)… PPG: 2 – 3x (MR: 11/27 at STL)… PPGA: 3 (10/23 vs CAR)… SHOTS: 46 (11/18 at ARI)… SHOTS AGAINST: 45 (10/19 at DET)… PIM: 22 (10/14 vs ARI)… HITS: 29 – 2x (MR: 11/6 vs COL)… FOW: 40 (11/20 at VGK)… BKS: 21 (11/3 at COL) CBJ 2021-22 PLAYER SEASON HIGHS GOALS: 2 – 9x, MR: Boqvist (12/5 vs SJS)… ASSISTS: 3, Bjorkstrand (10/21 vs NYI)… POINTS: 4, Bjorkstrand (10/14 vs ARI)… HITS: 9, Kuraly (10/16 vs SEA)… PLUS/MINUS RATING: +4 – 2x, MR: Werenski, Domi (11/22 at BUF)… SOG: 10, Werenski (11/6 vs COL)… TOI: 33:03 – Werenski (10/31 at NJD)… SAVES: 41, Korpisalo (10/19 at DET, 43 shots
DETROIT (AP) — Shea Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 13 assists, Luguentz Dort scored 28 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied past the Detroit Pistons 114-103 Monday night in a battle of teams that entered with eight-game losing streaks.
Both teams needed this one. The Clippers got it. A pair of teams playing at less than full strength and, largely because of that, less than optimally of late, met Monday night hoping the matchup against the other might help them get on track. Neither side led by more than seven points until the Clippers…
SAN FRANCISCO — A sluggish Saturday loss called for a re-invigorating, comfortable win for the Golden State Warriors on Monday. A 126-95 win on Saturday at Chase Center over an Orlando Magic team flirting with last place in the Eastern Conference gave Stephen Curry and the Warriors a little breather following a tough 1-2 skid…
FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 102, WASHINGTON WIZARDS 90
DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2021 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
FINAL SCORE
RECORD
HIGH POINTS
HIGH REBOUNDS
HIGH ASSISTS
Washington
90
14-10
Caldwell-Pope – 26
Harrell – 14
Beal – 7
Toronto
102
11-13
Siakam – 31
Achiuwa – 14
Banton – 6
KEY RUN
The Raptors went on a 17-6 run to start the second quarter to extend their lead to 22 points with 7:47 left in the frame … Toronto scored a season-high 40 points in the second quarter, led by Pascal Siakam who had 17 points in the frame … The Raptors led by double-digits for the rest of the game.
KEY STAT
Toronto has held opponents to fewer than 100 points in three consecutive games (Nov. 30 – Dec. 5) for the first time since a four-game streak Dec. 28, 2019 – Jan. 2, 2020.
RAPTORS NOTES:
With the win, Toronto improves to 11-13 this season and 4-8 at home … The Raptors lead the season-series 2-1 with Washington … Toronto continues a season-long seven-game homestand (Nov. 28 – Dec. 13) Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Pascal Siakam finished with a team-high 31 points (10-21 FG, 1-1 3PT, 10-12 FT) and six rebounds … Siakam has now scored 20+ points in three consecutive games (Nov. 30 – Dec. 5), shooting .482 (28-for-58) from the field during this stretch … Tonight marks the second time this season he has scored 30+ points.
Precious Achiuwa recorded 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds in 31 minutes for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season … Achiuwa recorded three double-doubles in 61 games as a rookie with Miami last season … He has led (or tied) the Raptors in rebounding in three of the last four games.
Chris Boucher tallied 14 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes … Boucher led the Raptors bench in scoring for the fifth game this year, the first time since Nov. 26 at Indiana.
Dalano Banton recorded five points and a career-high six assists in 15 minutes.
Toronto outscored Washington 46-34 in the paint in the win … The Wizards entered tonight ranked third in the NBA in points in the paint (50.0 points per game).
WIZARDS NOTES:
With the loss, Washington falls to 14-10, including 6-7 on the road … The Wizards will continue their three-game road trip tomorrow night against the Indiana Pacers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recorded a season-high 26 points (8-9 FG, 4-4 3PT, 6-6 FT) and added two rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes … Caldwell-Pope has now scored 20+ points three times this season … Tonight’s game marked just the second time he has led the Wizards in scoring.
Bradley Beal finished with 14 points and a team-high seven assists … Beal has tallied 7+ assists in four of the last five games, and has led the Wizards in assists in four of the last six games.
Montrezl Harrell contributed six points a team-best 14 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench … Harrell recorded his fifth career games with 14+ rebounds, three of them coming this season (Oct. 30 vs. Boston, Nov. 22 vs. Charlotte, Dec. 5 vs. Toronto).
Laval: D. Martel (4) (B. Gignac, K. Roy), J. Dea (7) (T. Amorosa, J. Ylonen), B. Gignac (3) (D. Martel, T. Paquette-Bisson), A. Belzile (2) PP (Unassisted), J. Dea (8) EN (Unassisted) Goaltender: C. Primeau (34/35)
Toronto: B. Seney (9) (S. Der-Arguchintsev, A. Biega) Goaltender: P. Mrázek (22/26)
ON THE SCORESHEET
Brett Seney put the Marlies on the board at 8:20 of the second period. This was Seney’s eighth goal at home. He has 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 17 games this season.
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev recorded the primary assist on Seney’s second period goal. He has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 17 games this season.
Alex Biega had the secondary assist on Seney’s second period goal. This was Biega’s fourth assist in 15 games this season.
Petr Mrázek stopped 22 of 26 shots he faced.
OF NOTE
Toronto went 3-for-4 on the penalty kill and 0-for-5 on the power play.
Toronto had a 35-27 edge in shots in all situations. Alex Biega, Curtis Douglas and Alex Steevesled the Marlies with five shots on goal.
The Marlies are 5-5-1-1 against North Division opponents and 0-2-0-1 against the Laval Rocket.
RECORD WHEN Trailing after 1 3-5-0-0 Trailing after 2 1-5-0-0 Not scoring on the power play 4-5-0-1 Allowing a goal on the power play 4-5-1-1 Outshooting opponent 3-2-0-0 Sunday 2-2-0-0
MARLIES LEADERS Goals 9 (J. Ho-Sang, B. Seney) Assists 14 (J. Duszak) Points 14 (J. Duszak, B. Seney) PPG 3 (J. Ho-Sang) Shots 39 (B. Seney, A. Steeves) +/-+4 (A. Biega, K. Rubīns) PIMS 38 (R. Clune)
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
On Toronto’s performance:
Inconsistent. The last time we played them, we had a better start, we had a better first 40 minutes. It wasn’t until the 10-minute mark, the shots were 5-1 them and then we got our game. We found it in the second half, the last 10 minutes of the first period, we outshot them nine to nothing. Came out in the second period, started to get rolling again and then they score a couple and it felt like there was lack of passion, lack of response, lack of energy on the bench.
On what Laval does well against Toronto:
They’re an aggressive team, they pressure hard. So, if we’re not finding our way on our retrievals and our breakouts they make it hard for us and the way they crash the net, we talked about it before the game of how much we’ve got to protect the crease and in-and-around our goalie and it was too easy for them to get there tonight. They had a couple tap-ins there where we just weren’t strong enough and having numbers at our net.
On Mrázek’s performance: Petr played well. He looked good, didn’t look like he was hesitant. I thought he gave us a great effort and kept us in the game and a lot of mistakes and reasons for the pucks going in the net were on us.
PETR MRÁZEK
On how it felt to return to play following his injury:
It felt great. I haven’t played for a while and it’s good to get the action going and see the plays from the ice and how the game goes. So, happy to be back and happy to see the action.
On what he was looking to accomplish:
To make sure I settled in and see the play, be patient in the D zone and be aware of everything. Those things I’ve worked on in practice in more detail, but you know how it is, the game is always different.
TRANSACTIONS
December 5: Returned goaltender Michael Hutchinson on loan from Toronto (NHL). December 3: Placed goaltender Petr Mrázek on conditioning loan from Toronto (NHL). December 1: Recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson from loan by Toronto (NHL). November 30: Recalled forward Joey Anderson from loan by Toronto (NHL).
UPCOMING GAMES: *All times Eastern Standard Time
December 10 at Springfield – 7:05 p.m. December 11 at Bridgeport – 7:00 p.m. December 12 at Providence – 3:05 p.m. December 15 vs. Syracuse – 7:00 p.m. December 18 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.