Now knowing they’ll have to stay away from San Jose for longer than they had first hoped, some Sharks players have been busy trying to find out what it will mean for them to be the home team in another city. Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Sunday that players have been reaching out to the…
The NHL announced, in accordance with the League’s COVID Protocols, that San Jose Sharks forward Maxim Letunov was unavailable to practice Wednesday. Letunov, who was not on the ice for at least early last week, is the only Sharks player on the list, which contains over 20 names. The Sharks just finished their training camp…
Following the San Francisco 49ers lead, the San Jose Sharks will open training camp and start the regular season in Arizona, a person with knowledge of discussions told The Associated Press.
Patrick Marleau will chase the NHL’s all-time games played record as a member of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks announced Tuesday the return of Marleau and fellow forward Matt Nieto, signing both to one-year contracts. Both deals are worth $700,000, according to a source. Marleau is the Sharks’ all-time franchise leader in points (1,102),…
Erik Karlsson is mindful of the playoff and Stanley Cup aspirations of other players around the NHL but doesn’t see much reason for the Sharks to come back and try to finish what’s left of the regular season. While commissioner Gary Bettman is optimistic the NHL can restart play at some point this summer, the…
They played really hard today. We just finished a stretch of games here where we played against some of the top teams in the League. For me, that was a harder game for us to play today, just the pace the puck moved, the pace that their feet moved, how competitive they were. Our inability to respond to that and find another level in our game causes a problem where we just — the ice tilted in that second period and we just couldn’t get it back. So that was really tough. The third period to me was pretty even, we just gave up some chances that ended up in our net, but the second period was where they really established their game and took it to us. Strange as it is, that’s the one that we win. We win that period of the three. So we’re in a good spot to try and play there in the third but we gave up too many chances and eventually cost us. You don’t win games when you score two goals.
On Jack Campbell’s play tonight:
I thought he battled all through that second period. There’s a lot of shots, a lot of pucks coming at him. He made some great saves for us there to keep us in the game and give us a chance to win that period and then set us up for the third. Some of the goals — when you look at the goals that go in, there’s some funny stuff happening behind the net, behind the goal line, stuff like that, but he battled and made saves for us. As I said, their goaltender made saves too. We had some real high-end chances that didn’t go in for us, but we’ve got to find a way to generate more than two goals if we want to have a chance to win, and then we can’t give up nearly what we gave up today. A lot of things that haven’t been issues for us in terms of odd-man rushes against and guys getting behind us — we’ve been talking about how we’ve cleaned that up pretty well, but It came back into our game today, I think, in part due to the pace of play, and we just didn’t respond well to it.
JACK CAMPBELL (33 SAVES)
On what San Jose did well in the second period:
I just know they got a lot better. I’m just disappointed. I thought we played, we battled and, you know, I just think Jones outplayed me, bottom line. So I’m not happy about that and I just feel responsible for this one.
On if San Jose is known for lively boards when pucks are shot into the zone:
I’ve played well here before and yeah, I don’t know what was going on there. They must have greased them up before the game. The pucks were coming off pretty strange angles, but no excuses. I’ve just got to find the puck and make the save.
On if he felt any rust after not playing the prior seven games:
No. I felt sharp and dialed in and no excuse for giving up four. It’s just not acceptable.
MITCH MARNER (1 GOAL)
On where the game got away from the team:
Most of that second period they dominated us. They did what they wanted to and we didn’t win enough puck battles. The only reason we really had a chance going into that third period was because of Jack. He played great tonight like usual for us and made it feel possible, got us through that second period and that third we just gave up too many chances. We weren’t stopping on pucks or being strong enough on pucks and it came back to haunt us.
On if the team is still learning how to be more consistent when things go wrong:
I think it’s just the consistency of every shift. It’s just knowing that you want to watch guys go on before you and battle, get in lanes. Coming into this game we talked about how they have one of the best, if not the best guy, at getting pucks through. When that’s happening, we know their game plan is going to be trying to get pucks through on tips, high tips, low tips. We need guys to get in lanes, we need guys to sacrifice for each other and I think that’s something that we’re just missing. It’s just guys needing to buy in more and getting themselves ready.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On trying to play catch up tonight:
Yeah, they play fast. I think the momentum kind of tipped their way and I think we didn’t really do a very good job of getting it back. I think they just kept coming and coming and a lot of times, we just had no pushback. Tough to get stuff going that way.
On San Jose making a big push in the second period:
Yeah, for sure. I think we just got caught out there and they were able to just continue to play in our zone and kind of tire us out, tire our back end out and just kind of wear on us. So, like I said, they came with a good push there and we just really had no answer.
Auston Matthews put the Maple Leafs on the board at 2:48 of the second period before registering the primary assist on Mitch Marner’s second period goal. Matthews has goals (3) in three consecutive games and points (3-3-6) in four consecutive games. Tonight’s game is Matthews’ 25th multi-point performance of the season, which is tied for the sixth-most in the NHL. He ranks second among NHLers in goals (46) and ninth among NHLers in points (46-33-79). In seven career games against the Sharks, he has recorded 11 points (8-3-11).
Mitch Marner scored the second Maple Leafs goal of the night at 17:27 of the second period. Marner has points (1-3-4) in four consecutive games. He has recorded 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 25 games on the road this season, collecting 12 of his 17 goals away from home. He has recorded 10 points (2-8-10) in eight career games against San Jose.
Martin Marincin registered the lone assist on Matthews’ second period goal. Marincin has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games. He has recorded a goal and three assists in 24 games played this season. All three of his assists have come on the road in 2019-20.
Calle Rosen picked up the secondary assist on Marner’s second period goal. Rosen’s point is his first with Toronto since being re-acquired by the club on February 24. He has three assists in 11 games played between Colorado and Toronto this season.
The Maple Leafs went 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play tonight.
Kyle Clifford, Justin Holl and Kasperi Kapanen started 20 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Tyson Barrie was on the ice for a team-high 20 shot attempts at 5-on-5 tonight. Barrie finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 47.6 (20 for, 22 against).
John Tavares won 67 percent (4 won, 2 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Thursday, March 5, 10:30 p.m. at Los Angeles Kings (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050
Friday, March 6, 10:00 p.m. at Anaheim Ducks (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Thursday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. vs. Nashville Predators (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Saturday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. at Boston Bruins (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
“We wanted to get Jack involved,” Sheldon Keefe said. “He’s comfortable in California, he’s won a game here in San Jose here this season” Campbell stopped 22 of 24 shots in win at San Jose on Dec. 27. He last played on Feb. 15 in Ottawa
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (35-23-8 – 78 Points) vs.
SAN JOSE SHARKS (28-33-4 – 60 Points)
MARCH 3, 2020 ▪ 10:30 PM EST
SAP CENTER (SAN JOSE, CA) ▪ TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus SAN JOSE
ALL-TIME RECORD:
24-21-5-2 (52 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:
9-12-3-0 (24 Games)
2019-20:
1-0-0
LAST FIVE:
4-1-0
LAST 10:
4-4-2
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus SAN JOSE
GAMES PLAYED:
Kyle Clifford (41), Jake Muzzin (30), Jason Spezza (23)
GOALS:
Auston Matthews (7), John Tavares (7), Kyle Clifford (5)
ASSISTS:
Jason Spezza (15), John Tavares (12), Mitch Marner (8), Jake Muzzin (8)
POINTS:
John Tavares (19), Jason Spezza (18), Jake Muzzin (11)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Kyle Clifford (61), Jake Muzzin (24), Morgan Rielly (9)
MAPLE LEAFS – SHARKS TEAM STATS
TORONTO
SAN JOSE
GOALS FOR (Rank):
232 (1st)
167 (28th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
214 (28th)
208 (26th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
43/181 [23.8%] (5th)
27/174 [15.5%] (27th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
140/182 [76.9%] (t-24th)
183/212 [86.3%] (1st)
SHOTS (Rank):
2172 (5th)
1928 (28th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
3286 (3rd)
2841 (21st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
52.1% (6th)
50.6% (14th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):
52.7% (3rd)
49.1% (22nd)
MAPLE LEAFS – SHARKS NOTES
First Matchup between Clubs:
November 4, 1991 (Toronto 4, San Jose 1)
All-Time Record:
24-21-5-2 (52 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:
15-9-2-2 (28 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:
9-12-3-0 (24 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:
November 15, 2018 (Toronto 5, San Jose 3)
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. SHARKS
Frederik Andersen:
100th game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 4, 2018 vs. SJS)
Cody Ceci:
100th NHL point (Dec. 1, 2018 (OTT) vs. SJS)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
45 (Matthews)
ASSISTS
49 (Marner)
POINTS
77 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS
24 (Matthews)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
2 (Engvall, Kapanen)
PIMs
40 (Muzzin)
SHOTS
270 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
55.5% (Gauthier)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
54.7% (Nylander)
BLOCKED SHOTS
110 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS
73 (Matthews)
HITS
109 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME
24:15 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
3:08 (Marner)
SH TOI PER GAME
2:50 (Ceci)
MAPLE LEAFS SNAPSHOTS
Faceoffs
– The Maple Leafs rank third among NHL teams in faceoff win percentage (52.7%) and are second among NHL teams in offensive zone faceoff win percentage (54.1%).
Goals by Strength
– The Maple Leafs hold the NHL lead in goals scored at 5-on-5 (157).
Goals by Period
– Toronto is tied for second in the NHL in goals scored in the second period (84) and are fifth in the NHL in goals scored in the third period (77).
Power Play
– The Maple Leafs have the fewest power play opportunities (181) among NHL teams that have scored at least 40 power play goals (43).
Penalty Kill
– Toronto has been shorthanded 182 times this season, which is the eighth-fewest times shorthanded in the NHL.
Scoring First
– Toronto has a .767 win percentage when scoring first, which is tied for the third-highest in the NHL.
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
Frederik Andersen
– Third among NHL goaltenders in wins (28).- Ranks third in the NHL in saves (1,372).- Is 6-8-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 16 career games against San Jose.
Tyson Barrie
– Has eight multi-assist games, which is tied for the fourth-most among NHL defencemen.- Tied for third among NHL defencemen in multi-point games (12). – Averages 14.38 shot attempts per game at 5-on-5, which is the fifth-highest average among NHL defencemen who have played in at least 50 games.- Ranks 17th among NHL defencemen in 5-on-5 time on ice per game (18:16).
Jack Campbell
– Has a 3-0-1 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average since being acquired by the Maple Leafs.- Is 1-1-0 in two career appearances against the Sharks with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
Kyle Clifford
– Tied for seventh among NHL left wingers who have appeared in 50 games in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (54.3%). – Averages 14.93 shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks 18th among left wingers.- Ranks 9.79 hits per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks 32nd among NHL skaters.
Pierre Engvall
– Ninth among NHL rookie forwards who have appeared in 30 games in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (51.6%). – Has an on-ice goals-for percentage of 54.0 percent at 5-on-5, which is the sixth highest among NHL rookie forwards who have appeared in 30 games.- Ranks sixth among rookie forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempts per 60 minutes (13.73).
Justin Holl
– Has started the eighth-lowest percentage of his 5-on-5 shifts (42.4%) in the offensive zone among right-handed defencemen.- Ranks second in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (52.0%) among NHL defencemen who have started less than 45 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone (42.4%).- Has the highest unblocked shot attempt percentage at 5-on-5 (52.6%) among NHL defencemen to have started fewer than 45 percent (42.4%) of their shifts in the offensive zone.
Zach Hyman
– Ranks fifth among Maple Leafs skaters in points per game (0.79).- Fourth among Toronto forwards in even-strength time on ice per game (16:05).- Ranks second among Toronto forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (1:47).
Kasperi Kapanen
– Has drawn 20 penalties this season and taken eight, which gives him the highest net penalties among Toronto skaters (+12) and ranks tied for 11th among NHL forwards.- Ranks fourth among Maple Leafs and tied for 12th among NHL right wingers who have appeared in 50 games in assists per 60 minutes of ice time (1.26) at 5-on-5.- Has recorded 21 (9-12-21) of his 36 points on the road this season.
Alex Kerfoot
– Ranks second among Toronto skaters who have appeared in 50 games in assists per 60 minutes of ice time (1.29) at 5-on-5.- Eighth among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (8-17-25).- Tied for second among Maple Leafs in primary assists at 5-on-5 (11).
Mitch Marner
– Tied for ninth among NHL skaters in assists (49).- Has 12 multi-assist games, which is tied for the seventh-most among NHL skaters.- Averaging 1.16 points per game, which is tied for the 15th-highest average in the NHL.- Averaging 1.81 assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is eighth among NHLers who have appeared in at least 50 games.- Eighth in the NHL in primary assists (31).- Ranks fifth among NHL forwards in time on ice per game (21:29)
Auston Matthews
– Tied for second among NHL skaters in goals (45).- Leads the NHL with 34 even-strength goals.- Leads the NHL in goals scored at 5-on-5 (29).- Tied for first in the NHL in wrist shot goals (27).- Second in the NHL in multi-goal games (10).- Seventh in the NHL in multi-point games (24).- Tied for ninth among NHL skaters in points (45-32-77).- Fourth in the NHL with 270 shots on goal.
William Nylander
– Leads the Maple Leafs and is tied for fifth among NHLers in game-winning goals (7).- Tied for ninth in the NHL in goals scored at 5-on-5 (19).- One of 10 NHLers to average at least 14:00 minutes per game at 5-on-5 (14:30) while maintaining a goal per 60-minute rate of at least 1.20 (1.23).- Ranks seventh among NHL forwards who average 14:00 per game (14:30) in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (54.7%).
Rasmus Sandin
– Ranks seventh among rookie defencemen who have appeared in at least 10 games in points per 60 minutes of ice time (1.07) at 5-on-5. – Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 54.1 percent, which ranks fifth among rookie defencemen who have skated in at least 10 games.
Jason Spezza
– Averaging 2.09 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which is the fourth-highest average among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least 50 games.- Averaging 0.81 goals per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which ranks fifth among Maple Leafs who have appeared in at least 50 games.- Averaging 1.28 assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which is the third-highest average among Toronto skaters.
John Tavares
– Tied for 20th among NHL skaters in multi-point games (17).- Had 17 points (8-9-17) in 15 games during the month of February.- Tied for 15th in the NHL in faceoff wins (579)- Has recorded 13 points (6-7-13) in 12 games against Pacific Division teams.- Has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in 30 games on the road.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
Zach Hyman
Has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games.
Martin Marincin
Has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.
Mitch Marner
Has assists (3) in three consecutive games.
Auston Matthews
Has goals (2) in two consecutive games and points (2-2-4) in three consecutive games.
John Tavares
Has assists (2) in two consecutive games and points (3-4-7) in five consecutive games.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Zach Hyman
Two games from 300 NHL games
Kasperi Kapanen
Two games from 200 NHL games
Mitch Marner
Four games from 300 NHL games
Jason Spezza
One assist from 600 assists
RECENT MILESTONES
William Nylander
300th NHL game (February 22 vs. Carolina)
INJURY REPORT
Cody Ceci (Ankle)
On injured reserve.
Andreas Johnsson (Knee)
On injured reserve.
Ilya Mikheyev (Wrist Laceration)
On injured reserve.
Jake Muzzin (Hand)
Sustained a broken hand on February 25 at Tampa Bay.
Morgan Rielly (Foot)
On injured reserve.
Man Games Lost: 182
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 26
Recalled defenceman Calle Rosen from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).