William Nylander – Page 2 – The view from left field

MAPLE LEAFS 4, WILD 1 — WHAT THE LEAFS SAID: “I don’t think we made as many plays as we’re capable of. But it was just one of those games where it felt like ping-pong, especially early, and we were just able to capitalize on some good opportunities and then played with the lead pretty well. We were able to do a pretty good job on special teams. So, just stuck with it and just made it difficult for them.” — JOHN TAVARES.

HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE

On the team’s defensive performance as efficient:

Yeah, I thought it was good — efficient is a good term to describe it. I didn’t think we gave up a lot defensively, for sure. We didn’t give up many shots or chances, especially in that third period when we expected them to push. I thought we took care of it pretty well there.

On if the way Nylander and Tavares play together is different from when Nylander and Matthews play together:

Yeah, there’s different dynamics at play there. I’ve liked it so far; the chemistry has been good. The nice thing I think that’s come out with the fact that we’ve moved things around here, since I’ve been here, is it’s giving me a pretty good taste of what different things look like. You never know what the season is going to bring and what each game is going to bring. It gives me a feel for different things. Obviously, we’ve used a number of different combinations so far and we like this one and we like a lot of others that have worked too.

FREDERIK ANDERSEN (26 SAVES)

On the team’s performance tonight:

I thought we made some good adjustments and definitely played a really solid game. I think we got off to a lead and they had to force some stuff to get back into it. So I think we did a better job of not playing into their hand and forcing too much and made them come to us. I thought we did a good job.

On the forwards and defence working in unison and creating quicker breakouts:

Of course I think any time you can help each other out and make it easier for each other, it’s important. That can make the game less hard. I think guys will take less hits if we play it quicker and help each other out like that.

ALEX KERFOOT (1 GOAL, 100TH NHL POINT)

On William Nylander’s play of late:

He’s been playing really well for a long period of time right now. It’s fun to play with him. He makes plays, he’s hard on pucks and protects the puck down low. So, he makes a lot of stuff happen out there. It’s obviously a pleasure to play with him.

On what has led to the chemistry between himself, Nylander and Tavares:

Well, those two guys are just good hockey players. I think you put anyone on their wing and they’re going to have success. They spend a lot of time in the offensive zone. So, it’s just trying to read off them and make plays and they find space, they make good things happen. So I’m just trying to do my job.

WILLIAM NYLANDER (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)

On his line getting the first goal of the game from Kerfoot early in the first:

Yeah, it was a great play by Johnny [Tavares] being hard on his stick. There’s kind of a lucky play there in the corner where he lost the puck, but we were able to get possession of it. It’s a great play and a nice goal by Kerf.

On what has allowed he and Tavares to develop chemistry quickly:

I think it’s just that with some players, you just click automatically from the beginning.

On his pass to set up Matthews’ goal on the power play:

I just saw him backdoor and I kind of knew he would be open, so I just tried to get it over there.

JOHN TAVARES (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)

On tonight’s win:

Yeah, it probably wasn’t the prettiest. I don’t think we made as many plays as we’re capable of. But it was just one of those games where it felt like ping pong, especially early, and we were just able to capitalize on some good opportunities and then played with the lead pretty well. We were able to do a pretty good job on special teams. So, just stuck with it and just made it difficult for them. Just tried to play five inside and really have to make them earn their opportunities and the ice there and then, obviously, try to generate offense ourselves, try to keep the puck and wear them out and make them have to defend.

On the team finding a way to win despite not making as many plays as it can:

You have to have that to win in this league. There are so many good teams, so many good players. Things aren’t going to always go your way. You’re not always going to make the perfect play and mistakes happen and it’s just the nature of our league, our game. So, just staying with it and doing a good job. We regrouped, I thought, pretty well off the timeouts and got back to our game, did some good things and were able to get the win.

MAPLE LEAFS 4, WILD 1 POSTGAME NOTES: William Nylander scored the second Toronto goal at 19:29 of the first period and registered the primary assist on Auston Matthews’ second-period goal. Nylander has goals (4) and points (4-4-8) in four consecutive games and assists (4) in three consecutive games. With goals in four consecutive games, Nylander has established a career-best goal streak (Previous: Mar. 20 to 23, 2017 (3G; 3GP)). Tonight’s game is Nylander’s eighth multi-point performance of 2019-20.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (22-14-5 – 49 Points) vs.

MINNESOTA WILD (19-17-5 – 43 Points)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
TORONTO	2	1	1	–	4
MINNESOTA	0	1	0	–	1

GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY

ON THE SCORESHEET

Alex Kerfoot put the Maple Leafs on the board at 5:55 of the first period. Kerfoot’s goal is his 100th career NHL point. He has three points (1-2-3) over his last four games played. He recorded seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 13 games during the month of December.
William Nylander scored the second Toronto goal of the game at 19:29 of the first period and registered the primary assist on Auston Matthews’ second period goal. Nylander has goals (4) and points (4-4-8) in four consecutive games and assists (4) in three consecutive games. With goals in four consecutive games, Nylander has established a career-long goal streak (Previous: Mar. 20 to 23, 2017 (3G; 3GP)). Tonight’s game is Nylander’s eighth multi-point performance of 2019-20.
Auston Matthews registered the primary assist on Nylander’s first period goal and later scored the third Maple Leafs goal of the night on the power play at 8:34 of the second period. Tonight’s game is Matthews’ 16th multi-point performance of the season, which is tied for the fifth-most multi-point games in the NHL. He has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in seven games against Central Division teams in 2019-20.
John Tavares registered the primary assist on Kerfoot’s first period goal and later scored the fourth Toronto goal of the game into an empty net at 19:35 of the third period. Tavares has assists (7) and points (3-7-10) in five consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his 12th multi-point performance of 2019-20. He has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 19 road games this season. He has 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) in 17 career games against the Wild.
Travis Dermott had the secondary assist on Kerfoot’s first period goal. He has recorded six (2-4-6) of his seven points on the road this season. He has three assists in three career games against Minnesota.
Tyson Barrie collected the secondary assist on Nylander’s first period goal. Barrie has assists (5) and points (1-5-6) in four consecutive games. He has eight points (1-7-8) in 15 career games at Xcel Energy Center. In 13 games during the month of December, Barrie recorded nine points (1 goal, 8 assists).
Mitch Marner had the secondary assist on Matthews’ second period goal. Marner has assists (2) in two consecutive games. He recorded 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 12 games during the month of December. His 56 career points (17 goals, 39 assists) in 50 career games during the month of December marks his highest career point total in a single month.
Frederik Andersen stopped 26 shots to earn the victory. He is the first goaltender in the NHL to reach the 20-win mark in 2019-20.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	8 (7)	15 (13)	6 (5)	–	29 (25)
MINNESOTA	7 (2)	14 (13)	6 (5)	–	27 (20)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	TOTAL
TORONTO	14 (13)	30 (27)	8 (7)	–	52 (47)
MINNESOTA	16 (9)	21 (19)	15 (11)	–	52 (39)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Record on the Road	12-10-0 (22 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Minnesota	12-11-0-1 (23 Games)
All-Time Record vs. Minnesota on the Road	4-6-0-1 (11 Games)
Record vs. Western Conference	10-5-0 (15 Games)
Record vs. Central Division	4-3-0 (7 Games)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

Shots	5 (Tavares)
Shot Attempts	8 (Tavares)
Faceoff Wins	11 (Tavares)
Faceoff Win Percentage	75% (Kerfoot – 3 won, 1 lost)
Hits	2 (Ceci)
Blocked Shots	3 (Ceci, Rielly)
Takeaways	3 (Matthews)
TOI	23:52 (Rielly)
Power Play TOI	4:09 (Five players tied)
Shorthanded TOI	3:21 (Ceci, Marincin)
Shifts	27 (Rielly)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage	66.7% (Hyman – 12 for, 6 against)

RECORD WHEN…

Scoring first	14-3-1
Lead after 1	11-2-1
Lead after 2	15-1-2
Score one power play goal	8-3-3
Allow one power play goal	10-6-3
Outshoot opponent	11-4-2
Tuesday	5-3-1

OF NOTE…

The Maple Leafs went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and went 1-for-3 on the power play tonight.
Justin Holl started 28.6 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Morgan Rielly was on the ice for a team-high 20 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Rielly finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 50 percent (20 for, 20 against).
Jason Spezza went 5-for-6 (83%) in the faceoff circle when matched up with Minnesota centre Eric Staal.
John Tavares won 63 percent (5 won, 3 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Thursday, January 2, 8:00 p.m. at Winnipeg Jets (TSN4, FAN 590)
Saturday, January 4, 7:00 p.m. vs. New York Islanders (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Monday, January 6, 7:00 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Wednesday, January 8, 7:30 p.m. vs. Winnipeg Jets (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Sunday, January 12, 7:00 p.m. at Florida Panthers (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)

MAPLE LEAFS POSTGAME NOTES: “Auston Matthews scored the second Toronto goal of the night at 12:36 of the third period and later had the lone assist on William Nylander’s third period goal. Matthews’ third period assist is the 100th assist of his NHL career. He has seven points (4-3-7) over his past five games.”

LOS ANGELES KINGS (5-10-0 – 10 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (8-5-3 – 19 Points)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

	1	2	3	OT	FINAL
LOS ANGELES	0	1	0	–	1
TORONTO	0	1	2	–	3