John Tavares loves playing with Mitch Marner on his wing, but if Sheldon Keefe sees fit to keep Marner with Auston Matthews, the Maple Leafs captain is cool with that. “He’s trying to do what’s best for the team and get us to play the best we can,” Tavares said of his coach. “We all […]
Maple Leafs captain Tavares lines up behind coach with plenty of confidence — Toronto Sun
Toronto centre John Tavares will likely be seeing lots of Connor McDavid Saturday, not in a true shutdown role but because he’s such a solid two-way player who’s a threat to score himself. Read More
Tavares and McDavid are part of mutual admiration society — Edmonton Sun
BUFFALO SABRES (12-10-5 – 29 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (13-11-4 – 30 Points)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2019
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | FINAL | |
| BUFFALO | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TORONTO | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY
ON THE SCORESHEET
SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| BUFFALO | 8 (8) | 11 (11) | 9 (9) | 2 (0) | 30 (28) |
| TORONTO | 11 (11) | 16 (12) | 13 (13) | 3 (0) | 43 (36) |
SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| BUFFALO | 21 (19) | 20 (19) | 17 (17) | 3 (0) | 61 (55) |
| TORONTO | 17 (17) | 26 (21) | 20 (20) | 3 (0) | 66 (58) |
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
| Record at Home | 7-3-4 (14 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. Buffalo | 82-105-18-11 (216 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. Buffalo at Home | 48-40-12-5 (107 Games) |
| Record vs. Eastern Conference | 7-8-4 (19 Games) |
| Record vs. Atlantic Division | 5-5-1 (11 Games) |
| Attendance | 19,250 |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| Shots | 6 (Nylander) |
| Shot Attempts | 7 (Nylander, Rielly) |
| Faceoff Wins | 9 (Matthews, Tavares) |
| Faceoff Win Percentage | 71% (Gauthier – 5 won, 2 lost) |
| Hits | 4 (Johnsson) |
| Blocked Shots | 1 (10 players tied) |
| Takeaways | 2 (Kapanen, Tavares) |
| TOI | 23:42 (Rielly) |
| Power Play TOI | 1:24 (Matthews, Nylander, Rielly) |
| Shorthanded TOI | 2:39 (Ceci) |
| Shifts | 28 (Rielly) |
| 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage | 82.4% (Gauthier – 14 for, 3 against) |
RECORD WHEN…
| Scoring first | 6-2-1 |
| Tied after 1 | 5-2-2 |
| Lead after 2 | 9-0-2 |
| Score 1 power play goal | 5-3-2 |
| Do not allow a power play goal | 8-3-0 |
| Outshoot opponent | 7-2-1 |
| Overtime | 4-4 |
| Saturday | 5-2-2 |
OF NOTE…
UPCOMING GAMES:
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
On tonight’s game:
I thought we played a good first, I thought we didn’t win any faceoffs in the second and spent more time in the D-zone. We had lots of chances. I was in here the other night and Fleury was real good the other night. I thought he was real good. We had some chances, hit some posts. I think Petan — I could be wrong, I haven’t seen the replay — I thought the net was empty there and Fleury made a great save. The bottom line is we’ve got to stick with it and just keep grinding. We had a chance on the power play at the end there and we didn’t execute on that. It’s disappointing but I’m always about the process and how hard guys play. We played way harder so I thought that was good. I thought Hyman was back, I thought Mikheyev really had a good step. That was positive for us.
On what needs to be changed on the penalty kill:
We’ve got to keep it out. I didn’t think we were that bad tonight on it, to tell you the truth, but they got two on it so that’s not good enough. We’ve just got to keep working at it, we’ll spend more time at it. Maybe early in the year when we didn’t skate as much in the pregame skates, we should have spent more time doing it. We did that because we were trying to keep our guys fresher and the science part of it, but, in the end, you’ve got to execute on those things so that’s on me.
On how deflating it is to give up a goal immediately after tying the game:
It’s disappointing, obviously. We turned the puck over and they came in and shot it in. I still thought we were resilient. We talked about it before the game, we have to show good mental toughness and just keep grinding every shift, shift after shift, whether it goes good or bad. We’ve been guilty of when it goes bad, when they score, we wilt. There’s no sense doing that, just keep playing. I’ve been around a long time, you’re in lots of situations where you don’t win for a while and you end up having a real good year. Just keep grinding.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (33 SAVES)
On the team’s play tonight:
The streak doesn’t really look too pretty, but I thought we made some steps in the right direction today. I definitely think we came ready to play and obviously a great hockey game, too. Fleury played really well down there and I think it could have gone either way. I thought we definitely had something to build on.
On how the team is processing the current stretch:
We had a good talk yesterday to try and improve and I thought we answered pretty well today. It could have gone either way, I think. I got outplayed a little bit by Fleury down there. That happens. Again, I thought we had some good things to keep going.
ZACH HYMAN (1 GOAL)
On tonight’s game:
I think there’s a lot of positives to take away from today. I think when you’re losing, it’s hard to stay the course but I think we played really well today. We had our chances when the game was on the line there. It was a tight game; we just couldn’t finish it. We need to be better on the PK, better on special teams there. It was good to get a powerplay goal. I think we took a big step today even though we lost. The next game is going to be really important for us but I think that we can build some confidence from this game moving forward.
On what the team can take away from tonight’s game:
I think we didn’t quit. I think that we stuck with it. You go down 3-1, you can kind of pack it in, but I think we were strong throughout that third period and really pushed back. Fleury made a big save on [Petan] there, [Mikheyev] hit the crossbar. These aren’t excuses, this is just reality. They won the game but I think that we had a chance to win that game, we were in the game the whole way through and we didn’t quit so I think that’s really important and something to build off of moving forward.
JASON SPEZZA (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On if the team can take some positives out of tonight’s loss:
Yeah, definitely a much better effort. It was good hockey game. We lost the special teams battle and that ends up being the game. It’s something to build off of but it’s frustrating. We need to get a win here; it doesn’t matter how it is. If it’s ugly, we’ve got to find a way to get a win.
On what the team needs to do moving forward:
Just work. We can’t take a step back. We laid an egg of a game in Pittsburgh. A better effort tonight, but when you go through these losing streaks, it always seems like it’s harder to dig yourselves out of it, just like when you’re winning it’s easy to keep winning. We can’t take a step back next game. We’ve got to watch the tape and see what we can do better and keep moving forward.
JOHN TAVARES (20:05 TOI)
On tonight’s game:
I thought we were right there. We had a great opportunity in the third and we just didn’t maximize it so we’ve just got to regroup and find a way to get it done.
On his third period hooking penalty:
Yeah, I just got caught trying to lift his stick. Obviously, I’ve just got to try to be smarter and not get my stick caught up.
On Marc-Andre Fleury’s save late in the third period:
It was obviously a great save and a great opportunity. We had some really good looks in the third and we’ve got to find a way to put those in. Give him credit, he made it tough and made some good saves.
On the team’s mindset at the moment:
We want the results. We just want different results. We want to win. It’s obviously frustrating when you’re not getting them and I think we’ve talked about resolve and resiliency and trying to stay with it. It’s all we can do is continue to move forward and find ways to get better and get the job done when we have opportunities like this.
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
On tonight’s game:
Well, I don’t like that it was 5-4. I really liked our start, I thought we had an outstanding start and played really well. The period was over, we were down 2-0. I thought we crawled our way back and had a really good second period; gave up very, very little. In the end, we gave up the goal at the end of that and then I thought in the third period we weren’t as good as we needed to be in order to have success and crawl our way back. It’s a one-goal game at the end, but the way – I would have liked it better at 3-2, to be honest with you. We’ve got to do a better job. Tonight the special teams battle is 2-0 for them and, so, you can’t win enough games losing the special teams battle so we’ve got to do a better job in that area, for sure. I really liked the start of our game, I liked our energy, I liked our execution, I liked how much time we played in the O-zone. I thought Tavares’ line played in the O-zone more than they’ve played all year, that was good for us.
On Muzzin saying weird lapses led to goals:
When you go through it, the first one we had total control of the puck, managed to turn it over twice, it goes in our net. The third one – the penalty came after a turnover – and then the third one was one of those ones that, to me, it was a simple play for us and we didn’t make it. The bottom line is we’re through 20 games now and, when you evaluate what we’ve done in 20 games, we don’t like it as a group. We think we can be better and we’ll identify the areas again here tomorrow as we go through it and grind our way out of this. We got ourselves in the spot we’re in, we’ve got to grind our way out of it.
On if the team seems frustrated through 20 games:
I don’t think that’s been the case at all. I thought we’ve had good energy and I think we’ve done lots of really good things. In saying that, tonight after the first period, after the second period, you feel you’ve played really well and should be ahead in the game. You’re not ahead in the game. Just stay the course, stay patient, take care of the puck and, if you do good things in life, good things happen.
On Hyman’s return to the lineup:
Like I said to you, I thought Tavares’ line played – I don’t know how many heavy shifts they had, but they had a lot. They spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. I didn’t – I said it yesterday, I had no idea what to expect, I really didn’t. I didn’t know he could be out that long and still come with that energy. Maybe there’s going to be a drop, I don’t know that, but I thought he did a good job in all areas of the game.
ZACH HYMAN (17:37 TOI)
On his first game back since off-season surgery:
Felt good, felt strong. I didn’t worry about my knee which was good. Thought I just went out there and tried to play my game and just kind of pick up where I left off, which was six months ago. It’s a long time but I felt good.
On how the team can improve the penalty kill:
We’ve just got to find confidence. We’ve got to string some kills together. The bounces just aren’t going our way right now. I think if we get back on track, we’ll string a run together. That’s what good PKs do, they get on a roll and they find their confidence and it feels like you don’t get scored on ever. So, we’ll get that fixed and come back strong.
JAKE MUZZIN (1 ASSIST)
On back-to-back one goal losses:
I think we have confidence in this group, in the team and in this room. We’re just having some weird lapses in the game and it’s costing us. I think we just have to be sharper throughout a full 60, shift-to-shift, more focus, better preparation I think and we’ll come out on top in these games.
On where the team can make improvements on the penalty kill:
I don’t know. I mean we’ve got to look at the stuff, I haven’t looked at it. I don’t even know how many penalties we took tonight, how many did we take tonight? [Three] So, that’s better, but we let two goals in, so that’s not good. We’ve got to look at some stuff and clean it up.
WILLIAM NYLANDER (1 GOAL)
On tonight’s performance:
I think we played a good game for the most part. We’ve just got to sharpen up on a few things to not let them score goals.
On what prevented the power play from having success:
I think the one where we had a faceoff in the D-zone and they jumped us, we’ve got to be ready there. I mean, we’ve got to be more determined like we were in the last couple of minutes of the game.
JOHN TAVARES (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On going down early and not being able to finish the comeback:
It feels like when we do make a mistake it seems to really hurt us. Because I thought, especially in the first period, we had a pretty good first period until they got their first goal and then they capitalize on the power play and got the momentum. We played really well again in the second, didn’t come out the greatest in the third and, you know, they got another power play goal so special teams really hurt us today. It just seems like when we do make a mistake we’re getting burned. I think parts of this game we did a lot of good things. We tried to stay patient, stayed with it, got ourselves back in it, but just too many mistakes leading to too many against.
On where he sees the team after 20 games into the season:
Well, I just think we’re not where we want to be. Obviously, we want to play a lot better, a lot more consistent. We’ve got to keep working to find a way. At times it feels like it’s going against us and that’s just the nature of it. Sometimes it’s the way hockey goes, the way the game goes and you’ve just got to mentally stick with it and keep playing and keep trying to find a way to turn the tide and consistently up your level and up your consistency and get things snow balling in the right direction. We’ve had that for points in the year but we haven’t really been able to sustain it as long as we’ve liked. Obviously, something we need to continue to do and the results are obviously critical. We’ve done good things but we know we’ve got to get the job done.
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
On the team improvising on the power play leading to Matthews’ goal:
Well, he just shot it. Obviously, we had some real good looks, we had some real good power plays, but didn’t score. Then, we had a couple that were hard to watch. If you look at both teams, the penalty killing was really good for both teams. They didn’t get much done on ours, we didn’t get much done on theirs. In the end, we were fortunate to win the special teams battle tonight and win. For us, an important shot obviously. We were able to tie it, Freddie made some big saves for us. It was good.
On if this game was beautiful like the LA game:
What I would say is the game is way higher end. Obviously, they’re a real good team. They’re heavy, they’re fast and they’ve got a great top six, I liked their back-end tonight, I thought Subban played well. I thought it was a good game. I thought we were better in the first, I thought they were better in the second and I didn’t think there was much to pick between the teams in the third.
On the too many men penalty at the end of the third:
We had a guy on the ice and the other guy wasn’t off. Now, that’ll be our third one. The one was just at the end of the game the one night there just for padding the penalty kill stats, but this one tonight could have been a big deal. A guy going on can’t go on before the other guy. It’s just simple. We didn’t touch the puck or anything, I haven’t seen any overhead or anything to see whether it was or wasn’t. I’m sure it was.
On Andersen’s recent play:
I think we’re 4-1-1 in our last six. Is that right? So, he’s been playing and he’s been gotten better just like each year. He kind of gets through October and seems to kick it into gear and gets feeling good. He’s an important player for us, a good leader for us. We need him to make big saves.
On he sees the team loosening up:
That’s what we said before the power play there, ‘Come on, lighten up here fellas. Let’s just go out there and breathe a little bit and do what we’re supposed to do.’ You know, I think the biggest thing is we’re getting to know each other. I’ve said this a number of times, I don’t know if anyone believes it. It’s easier to play with people you know and over a period of time you get to know each other. I think this road trip we have coming up will be real good for us as well. It appears that the guys are starting to have more fun, interacting more. I see more abuse, which is — I think that’s a great thing, once you have fun having fun together. That’s once you get to know each other.
On if Hyman will return this weekend:
I don’t think Zach is coming until next week. I don’t know all the details, but he’ll give me a heads up. I don’t think he’s around until next week and I don’t know why.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (37 SAVES)
On a strong performance in goal:
It definitely felt like the puck was following me a little bit around so it’s a good feeling. There’s different nights where the puck seems to bounce your way and it felt good.
On his save in overtime and Rielly’s blocked shot:
Yeah, [Rielly] blocked a shot and obviously, it hit a tough spot and bounced right back to [Marchessault]. I just tried to stay with it and tried to make the save.
On the important of the penalty kill when the power play is struggling.
I think penalty killers just focus on what they can control and just try to eliminate their scoring chances when we take a penalty. Obviously, we just keep believing that we’re going to find one eventually and we did. Huge goal by [Matthews] and unbelievable shot.
MITCH MARNER (1 ASSIST)
On a big penalty kill in overtime to give the team a chance to win it:
Yeah, it was nice finally getting some 3-on-3 time in there but, I mean, something we’ve always talked about is staying out of the box, we’ve got to do a better job of that. It’s hard to get even-strength going, but I thought our team stayed patient with it. It’s a big win.
On if team was getting frustrated on the power play:
No, I think you saw we went through a little drought there. It was tough throughout the middle but I thought we were getting our entries there well and that’s a big goal there by [Matthews]. I think that was our last power play we had and we needed a goal and we did it.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL)
On tonight’s win:
Yeah, I think in the first period we played well, the second I think they kind of ran that and the third was a toss-up. So, obviously, some big saves from Freddie there, probably by far our best player on the ice tonight. He just kept us in it with the penalty kill obviously at the end of the game. So, just stuck with it. Like you said just stayed patient and a big two points.
On the power play changing its look ahead of his goal:
I thought as we went along through the first two periods, we were a bit stagnant. In the third, we pretty much said, ‘what do you have to lose?’ Let’s move around, let’s get the penalty kill thinking more. I thought we did a really good job of that with different guys going to different areas and reacting, playing off our instincts. Not just drawn up plays, but reacting off one another, using each other and making plays. We spread them out a little bit and were able to score.
JOHN TAVARES (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s overtime winner:
I think Mitch [Marner] did a great job reading their entry and causing a turnover and as soon as I read what he was seeing got good anticipation that he was going to be able to get the puck. After that I’m just trying to get available and make the lane as easy as I can if he wants to move it over and that’s what he does best. So, just tried to reward a good play that he made.
On the mindset when the team goes to the power play
Just that we’ve got another opportunity and we’re down a goal so we want to make the most of it. Whatever has happened up until that point, we’ve got an opportunity then and now to give ourselves a chance to get back in the game. Obviously, at times I think our execution wasn’t great but I think we also had a lot of looks on net, we put a lot of pucks there and sometimes it’s just getting those second and third opportunities. I think on that last power play that was what happened. We got some pucks to the net, got some looks and we kept retrieving them, retrieving them and finally were able to wear them down. You get [Matthews] inside the dots and there is no better shooter you want in that spot.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (9-5-2 – 20 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (8-5-3 – 19 Points)
NOVEMBER 7, 2019 ▪ 7:00 PM EST
SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus VEGAS
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 3-1-0-0 (4 Games) |
| ALL-TIME AT HOME: | 2-0-0-0 (2 Games) |
| 2018-19: | 2-0-0 |
| LAST FOUR: | 3-1-0 |
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus VEGAS
| GAMES PLAYED: | Jake Muzzin (9), Tyson Barrie (6), Alex Kerfoot (6), Jason Spezza (6) |
| GOALS: | Auston Matthews (4), Mitch Marner (2), John Tavares (2) |
| ASSISTS: | Jake Muzzin (4), William Nylander (3), Morgan Rielly (3) |
| POINTS: | Auston Matthews (6), Four players tied (4) |
| PENALTY MINUTES: | Alex Kerfoot (4), Jake Muzzin (4), Seven players tied (2) |
MAPLE LEAFS – GOLDEN KNIGHTS TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | VEGAS | |
| GOALS FOR (Rank): | 55 (t-4th) | 49 (t-11th) |
| GOALS AGAINST (Rank): | 52 (t-26th) | 46 (16th) |
| POWER PLAY [%] (Rank): | 9/52 [17.3%] (20th) | 13/55 [23.6%] (7th) |
| PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank): | 43/57 [75.4%] (26th) | 53/59 [89.8%] (2nd) |
| SHOTS (Rank): | 505 (t-9th) | 545 (t-2nd) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank): | 679 (2nd) | 667 (3rd) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank): | 51.2% (7th) | 50.8% (13th) |
| FACEOFF % (Rank): | 52.9% (3rd) | 49.5% (17th) |
MAPLE LEAFS – GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES
| FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS: | Nov. 6, 2017 vs. VGK (Toronto 4, Vegas 3 SO) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD: | 3-1-0-0 (4 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME: | 2-0-0-0 (2 Games) |
| ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD: | 1-1-0-0 (2 Games) |
| LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT AT HOME: | Nov. 6, 2018 (Toronto 3, Vegas 1) |
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. GOLDEN KNIGHTS
| Tyson Barrie | 400th career NHL game (Mar. 26, 2017 (COL) at VGK) |
| Auston Matthews | 100th career NHL point (Dec. 31, 2017 at VGK) 100th career NHL goal (Feb. 14, 2019 at VGK) |
| Jake Muzzin | 200th career NHL assist (Dec. 8, 2018 vs. VGK) |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| CATEGORY | LEADER |
| GOALS | 12 (Matthews) |
| ASSISTS | 13 (Marner) |
| POINTS | 18 (Matthews) |
| POWER PLAY POINTS | 7 (Marner) |
| SHORTHANDED POINTS | 2 (Kapanen) |
| PIMs | 16 (Kerfoot) |
| SHOTS | 60 (Matthews) |
| FACEOFF WIN% | 60.8% (Shore) |
| 5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % | 56.6% (Nylander) |
| BLOCKED SHOTS | 31 (Ceci) |
| TAKEAWAYS | 22 (Marner) |
| HITS | 35 (Moore) |
| TOI PER GAME | 25:38 (Rielly) |
| PP TOI PER GAME | 3:20 (Matthews, Rielly) |
| SH TOI PER GAME | 3:41 (Ceci) |
MAPLE LEAFS NOTABLES
– Frederik Andersen has made four career appearances against Vegas and has posted a 3-1-0 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He is 38-15-7 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 61 career games during the month of November.
– Tyson Barrie has been on the ice for 271 Toronto shot attempts this season, which ranks second among all NHL skaters in on-ice shot attempts for. He had three points (1-2-3) in three games against the Golden Knights last season.
– Cody Ceci is tied for 14th among NHL skaters in blocked shots (31). He ranks seventh among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time (58:52).
– Andreas Johnsson has nine points (3-6-9) in 10 games on home ice this season. He has been on the ice for 22 Toronto goals, which is tied for fifth among NHL left wingers in on-ice goals-for.
– Kasperi Kapanen has a pair of assists in two career games against Vegas. He is one of five Maple Leafs to have recorded multiple shorthanded takeaways.
– Alex Kerfoot has won 52.2 percent (24 won, 22 lost) of his faceoffs when the Maple Leafs are leading in games. He is tied for second on the team in even-strength goals (4).
– Mitch Marner is tied for 13th among NHLers in points (4-13-17) and tied for eighth among NHL skaters in assists (13). He is tied for seventh among all NHL skaters in primary assists (9). He leads the NHL in takeaways (22).
– Auston Matthews is third in the NHL in goals (12) and is tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (9). He ranks sixth in the NHL in shots on goal (60) and is tied for second in the NHL in wrist shots (44). He is fourth in the NHL in goals per 60 minutes (2.29) among skaters who have appeared in at least 10 games.
– Ilya Mikheyev is tied for the lead among all NHL skaters in shots on goal while shorthanded (8). He is the only rookie forward in the NHL to have recorded multiple shorthanded takeaways.
– Trevor Moore is the only NHL rookie to average at least 1:00 per game in power play ice time (1:29) and 1:00 per game in shorthanded ice time (2:00).
– Jake Muzzin ranks second among Maple Leafs skaters in shifts per game (28.4). He is the only Maple Leafs defenceman to registered at least 25 hits (30) and 25 shots on goal (27). He leads Maple Leafs defencemen in takeaways (8).
– William Nylander has taken his shots from an average distance of 26.5 feet from goal, which is the second-closest distance among Toronto skaters who have taken at least 20 shots this season. He ranks fourth among Maple Leafs in faceoff win percentage (54.9% – 56 won, 46 lost).
– Morgan Rielly is tied for fourth among NHL defencemen in points (3-12-15). His 25:38 TOI per game average is the fourth-highest mark in the NHL and is tied for fourth in shifts per game (29.8). He ranks fifth among NHL defencemen in wrist shots on goal (27).
– John Tavares has won 60 percent (21 won, 14 lost) of his faceoffs when the Maple Leafs are on the power play and 52.6 percent (61 won, 55 lost) of his faceoffs at even-strength. He is averaging 15:22 per game in time on ice, which ranks second among Toronto forwards.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
| None |
UPCOMING MILESTONES
| Michael Hutchinson | Four wins from 50 career NHL wins. |
| Andreas Johnsson | Two games from 100 career NHL games played. |
RECENT MILESTONES
| Tyson Barrie | 500th career NHL game (Nov. 5 vs. LAK) |
| Auston Matthews | 100th career NHL assist (Nov. 5 vs. LAK) |
INJURY REPORT
| Zach Hyman (Knee) | On injured reserve. |
| Man Games Lost: 36 |
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
| November 5 | Recalled forward Nic Petan from the Toronto Marlies (AHL). |
| November 1 | Loaned forward Nic Petan to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). |
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK On tonight’s game: We knew as a coaching staff – obviously, we did the pre-scout – we knew what we were in for. We knew it was going to be a grind. After the first period, the teams were on pace for 21-21 in shots. They did a real good job in the neutral zone; they did a real good job in their own zone blocking shots and staying on the inside. They just stayed with it. That’s what they’ve been doing. They’ve got good leadership there. If you look at it, they’ve got stars in three positions in Kopitar, Doughty and then in net [Quick]. So, they’ve got some leadership for the group as they try to build it. Obviously, their coach and their staff did a real good job. They made it hard, there was no free space. It was hard, but I thought it was a really good game for our team to just stay the course, this is where we are, do things right, don’t cheat and you’ll be rewarded in the end.
On Tavares’ return to the lineup: We were just talking about it. It doesn’t matter what you do, how hard you train, what work. He was fine but you’re not playing NHL games. I imagine Hyman is going to go through a stretch too. It’s hard when you’re sitting out and everyone else is practicing no matter who you work with and how good the development team is and all that stuff, it’s still not NHL hockey.
On if Dermott is rounding into his usual form: Yeah, the offensive side. You’ve still got to – you can’t have chances, that’s the key. Chances – you’ve got to be safe. Do all the other stuff and be safe and then you’re like the old guy.
On Petan’s performance tonight: I thought it was good for Petey. He went to work. He went down, went to work, came back and, obviously, there’s a guy for that spot so there’s not going to be a lot of opportunity. [Moore] is a real good hockey player too. It was an opportunity and we wanted to see Pete. Good for him.
On the Matthews line scoring a pair of goals despite few chances: I thought it was a tough night for every line. I thought Kerfoot’s line was real good, but there wasn’t a whole lot. From their end, they didn’t generate anything either. They had to throw it in, couldn’t get it through from the point, the blocked shots. Some people would think it was ugly, I thought it was beautiful.
On what Kerfoot brings to the team: I think Kerf is a good hockey player. A real smart, smart person, a good person, he works hard. He’s greasy, he’s competitive, he knows how to play, he’s just going to get better and better. I think we can have an unbelievable line there with [Mikheyev] and [Kapanen] once we get it organized and they get to know each other and feel good.
On Marner taking shorthanded faceoffs: I forget what happened, it’s just the way it was. Hyman will take those right-handed faceoffs when he’s back. Hyms is good at it, he’ll work at it. [Shore] has done a heck of a job for us there, really good job.
On why he thinks tonight was a beautiful game: We need to go through that. We need to figure out who we are and the harder the game is the better it is for the team. Now, would you like to win by a touchdown and everyone relax and all that? Yeah, but we’re not getting anywhere like that. This is important to do. You give up one goal, you play well without the puck, the goalie makes some saves, we didn’t win it on special teams, we had to grind. It’s good for us.
On the Kings being a different style of team than McLellan’s previous teams: That’s what I said this morning — every team you coach is different. The reason it’s different is you have a different group of guys. That’s how he has to coach to have success with this team. I talked to him for a long time this morning, did the pre-scout, have a pretty good handle on what the program is there. He’s going to do a real nice job
. On if Hyman will be available next game: I don’t know.
ALEX KERFOOT (1 GOAL)
On the hit he received by Jeff Carter in the first period: It was a pretty big hit. He made a good play; I had my head down a little bit and saw him at the last second but couldn’t get out of the way.
On his second period goal: It was good. It was kind of a broken play. There was a good line change by [Moore] and they turned the puck over right at the blue line and I was fortunate enough to be in a good spot and tried to put it on net and it went in.
On what the Kings did well tonight: They play well defensively. They lock it down pretty good, they don’t give up a lot off the rush, they kind of stay back and they’re tough to play against. We played them pretty good, stuck with our game plan and were able to get a couple there at the end.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On the team’s performance tonight: I think we just stayed patient throughout the whole game. Not really much going on, I guess, in the first two periods, but we tried to stay patient and tried to play as little in our zone as we could, just tried to break out fast. Obviously, a tight game there and couple of big goals in the third.
On the challenge of staying patient when the opponent tries to slow the team down: It’s tough, but, I mean, that’s what a lot of teams tend to do, especially against us. We can do a better job of getting through the neutral zone and keeping it a bit more simple so we can get in the offensive zone and play in there. At times, games are going to be like that. Just try to stay patient, work with one another and continue to push through.
JAKE MUZZIN (22:19 TOI)
On playing his former team: It was weird. It was weird. A couple of chirps, a couple of laughs, but, at the end, of the day, you’re still trying to do your job and play hard. I don’t know, some funny moments and some serious ones. It was fun.
On if Kopitar told him to go to the penalty box in the second period: Yeah, I was complaining. It was a penalty, though.
On if he had any fun moments during the game with Doughty: He tripped me one time. I tripped him. A couple of subtle jokes back and forth, nothing crazy. I didn’t get him too fired up
. WILLIAM NYLANDER (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On what he liked about the team’s effort: I thought we were patient. We didn’t try to force much. We grinded through the game.
On if it’s good to be able to win a tight game like this: Yeah, of course. When it’s 1-1 going into the third, we’ve got to be able to win those games. We’ve been tied going into a lot of third periods and this was a good start in the right direction
JOHN TAVARES (18:00 TOI)
On how it felt to get back into game action: Not bad. Obviously, probably a little bit of rust and just getting back into the rhythm of things. Overall, I think physically I felt pretty good. Certainly, I can play a lot better, but good to get back in it. It was a tight hockey game and just great we came through at the end. Big couple of goals by [Matthews’] line. On missing an open net in the first period: Obviously, I’d love to have it back. I think I had way more time than I thought and knowing the type of goalie Quick is I got underneath it. It is what it is. You just move on and get ready for the next opportunity. Just glad that at the end of the day the result was still two points.
The view from left field 