A stiff test awaits the Maple Leafs in this all-Canadian matchup on Hockey Night in Canada.
Vancouver is off to a great start (fourth in the League) and their underlying numbers suggest their first-quarter success is far from luck based. The Canucks are 18-7-1 despite ranking 26th in save percentage at five on five as Ryan Miller has run hot and cold for them this season. They’re a top 5 team in shot generation and 9th in Fenwick For. Their shooting percentage at 5v5 is middle of the pack, giving them a PDO that ranks 26th in the League. Arguably the Canucks have been more dominant than their strong record shows. They’re coming off an impressive 3-0 shutout victory over one of the highest scoring teams in the League in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
[quote_box_right]“The Maple Leafs are real quick. They have four really good lines and they have lots of speed. They are hard to handle. When they had one that didn’t go their way [against New Jersey] they probably want to be a little better tonight, but even if they hadn’t lost to New Jersey they are still a very tough team.” Willie Desjardins[/quote_box_right]
The Sedin twins are sporting identical statlines of 6 goals, 18 and 24 points on the season, alongside new running mate Radim Vrbata, who has taken care of a big share of the finishing duties on that line with 11 goals through 24 games. That line is among the best in hockey and will require the special attention of the three forwards on the ice plus Cody Franson and Dion Phaneuf for the lion’s share of shifts. A second line of Nick Bonino, Chris Higgins and Alex Burrows and a third line of Shawn Matthias, Brad Richardson and Linden Vey have been interchangeably productive, scoring 18 goals apiece this season. With Jannik Hansen, who has eight goals this season, expected to play on the fourth line tonight, the Canucks threaten with good scoring depth throughout their 12 forwards; a departure from the three-line approach under John Tortorella.
The Leafs have made similar changes for the better in terms of their scoring depth and four-line approach. As for the Leafs‘ top line, while they’ve certainly outscored the Nucks’ top unit (34 goals to 23), it remains a rollercoaster ride, encapsulating what has come to define the Leafs 2014-15 season thus far. Nights like the one versus New Jersey have been all too common and are enough to suggest Randy Carlyle should, if not break them up permanently once and for all, at least attempt to shelter them more, but in saying that there’s been no shortage of instances where checking lines have hemmed in that trio as well.
Phil Kessel playing through an injury is not helping matters, to be sure. A tough fall as he scored a meaningless late powerplay goal versus New Jersey saw him get up gingerly and wince on the bench shortly after. He’s been missing practices here and there, skipping game day skates and appears to be slow off the mark right now, all certainly indicative of him battling a nagging ailment.
It’s not as though the Leafs haven’t laid eggs with Leo Komarov in the lineup, but a tepid mid week game against the Devils certainly could’ve been helped by his spark from the Leaf perspective. Unfortunately, his timeline for a return is still unknown and he’s expected to be sidelined again tonight.
The Maple Leafs will continue to roll with Jonathan Bernier despite five goals against on Thursday, while Ryan Miller is the probable starter for the Canucks.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vancouver Canucks - Head to Head
| Head to Head: | Maple Leafs | Canucks |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 13-9-3 (.508% - 15th) | 18-7-1 (.712-5th) |
| Goal Differential | +7 | +13 |
| PP | 21.3 (10th) | 20.7% (12th) |
| PK | 82.8 (11th) | 84.9% (7th) |
| GF/G | 3.36 (2nd) | 3.08 (6th) |
| GA/G | 3.04 (23rd) | 2.62 (15th) |
| SF/G | 30.5 (11th) | 31.3 (6th) |
| SA/G | 32.8 (26th) | 28.2 (9th) |
| 5v5 SF/G | 29.0 (20th) | 30.9 (5th) |
| 5v5 SA/G | 31.8 (26th) | 28.3 (13th) |
| 5v5 CF% | 47.3% (26th) | 50.5% (20th) |
| 5v5 FF% | 47.9% (23rd) | 51.7% (9th) |
| 5v5 Sh% | 9.40% (3rd) | 7.94% (14th) |
| 5v5 Sv% | 91.42% (21st) | 91.00% (26th) |
| FO% | 51.6% (8th) | 48.8% (20th) |
PK=Penalty Kill %
GF/G=Goals for per game
GA/G=Goals against per game
SF/G=Shots for per game
SA/G=Shots against per game
Sh%=Shooting %
Sv%=Save percentage
F0%=Faceoff percentage
CF%=Corsi for % (shot attempts: shots, blocked shots, missed shots)
FF%=Fenwick for% (shots+missed shots)
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel
(10g-11a-21pts) – (11g-12a-23pts) – (13g-14a-26pts) (34g TOT)
Joffrey Lupul – Nazem Kadri – Mike Santorelli
(5g-3a-8pts) – (7g-8a-16pts) – (4g-14a-18pts) (16g TOT)
Richard Panik – Peter Holland – David Clarkson
(4g-1a-5pts) – (5g-4a-9pts) – (7g-1a-8pts) (16gs TOT)
Daniel Winnik – Trevor Smith – David Booth
(1g-8a-8pts) – (0g-1a-1pts) – (0g-0a-0pts) (1g TOT)
Defence
Cody Franson – Dion Phaneuf
(4g-11a-15pts) – (1g-10a-11pts) (6g TOT)
Morgan Rielly – Stephane Robidas
(3g-6a-9pts) – (0g-4a-4pts) (3g TOT)
Jake Gardiner – Korbinian Holzer
(1g-5a-6pts) – (0g-0a-0pts) (1g TOT)
Goal
Jonathan Bernier
(9W-6L-3SO/OTL, 2.76GAA-.912sv.%)
Vancouver Canucks Projected Lines
Forwards
Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Radim Vrbata
(6g-18a-24pts) – (6g-18a-24pts) – (11g-9a-20pts) (23G TOT)
Chris Higgins – Nick Bonino – Alexandre Burrows
(5g-10a-15pts) – (7g-12a-9pts) – (6g-5a-11pts) (18G TOT)
Shawn Matthias – Brad Richardson – Linden Vey
(6g-5a-11pts) – (6g-7a-13pts) – (6g-6a-12pts) (18G TOT)
Derek Dorsett – Bo Horvat – Jannik Hansen
(3g-6a-9pts) – (1g-4a-5pts) – (8g-3a-11pts) (12G TOT)
Defence
Alexander Edler – Christopher Tanev
(3g-6a-9pts) – (0g-6a-6pts) (3G TOT)
Luca Sbisa – Kevin Bieksa
(2g-2a-4pts) – (1g-2a-3pts) (3G TOT)
Ryan Stanton – Yannick Weber
(0g-2a-2pts) – (1g-6a-7pts) (1G TOT)
Goal
Ryan Miller
(16-4-3, .910SV%, 2.45GAA)
