Toronto Maple Leafs (25-35-11, 30th in NHL) vs. Calgary Flames (31-35-6, 24th in NHL)
Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. ET
Arena: Air Canada Centre
Watch: TSN4
Game Day Notes
– Leo Komarov‘s lower body injury is worse than initially thought, while Tyler Bozak and Brad Boyes are expected back on Thursday.
– With Bozak out another game, Frederik Gauthier will get at least one more NHL appearance tonight. Said Babcock of The Goat: He played real well last game. Just understanding how to get quicker is one of the things. Before I watched him and thought it was his skating; it’s nothing to do with his skating, he’s just got to get from defense to offense faster. He can do that for sure. I was impressed with him in the game, and I was real impressed with him yesterday in practice. He looks like a guy who is going to play here, and that’s positive for us because he’s a huge guy.
– Babcock on Connor Carrick, who scored his second goal as a Leaf vs. Buffalo: What I like about him is he’s gritty enough to command his share of the ice, he moves the puck pretty good, and he has a good shot. Can that all turn into something more as time goes on? We’ll all watch and find out.
– Babcock on Rinat Valiev, who played 14:48 vs. Buffalo, his highest TOI total since his callup: I think his skating ability has really come. I watched him with the Marlies, and kind of like The Goat, I didn’t think he could skate. I don’t see him skate in the games yet; I see him skate in practice. If I didn’t see him practice, I wouldn’t have known that. That’s got to transfer over with confidence and assertiveness and then show up in the game. But he looks like he has a real skillset, he’s got a good frame, he can shoot the puck, he can slide with it, he sees what’s going on. So he’s a kid that’s a work in progress and he’s got to spend some time in the minors.
– Nikita Soshnikov won’t play due to an upper body injury sustained in a hit from Jake McCabe late in the third period versus Buffalo.
Who’s Hot
- Jonathan Bernier 1.00 GAA, .968 save percentage over last 3 starts
- PA Parenteau 4 points (1g,3a) in last 4 games
- Jake Gardiner 2 points (1g,1a) in last 2 games
- Morgan Rielly 2 points (1g,1a) in last 2 games
Who’s Cold
- Nazem Kadri 0 points in last 5 games
- Brooks Laich 0 points in last 6 games
- Frank Corrado 0 points in last 8 games
Matchup Stats
| Stat | Cgy | Tor |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 66 | 61 |
| Record % | 0.465 | 0.43 |
| Home Winning % | 0.554 | 0.422 |
| Away Winning % | 0.328 | 0.333 |
| Shootout Winning % | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Goal Differential Per Game | -0.35 | -0.54 |
| Shot Differential Per Game | 0.04 | 1 |
| Hits Per Game | 20.5 | 27.1 |
| PIM Per Game | 8.4 | 9.3 |
| Opponent PIM Per Game | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| Goals Per Game | 2.73 | 2.3 |
| Even Strength Goals Per Game | 2.11 | 1.83 |
| Power Play Goals Per Game | 0.52 | 0.45 |
| Shots Per Game | 29.3 | 31.2 |
| Shots Per Goal | 10.7 | 13.6 |
| Team Shooting % | 9.30% | 7.40% |
| Power Play % | 15.80% | 14.60% |
| Goals Against Per Game | 3.08 | 2.83 |
| ES Goals Against Per Game | 2.3 | 2.13 |
| PP Goals Against Per Game | 0.69 | 0.62 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 29.24 | 30.2 |
| Shots Against Per Goal | 9.48 | 10.67 |
| Opp. Team Shooting % | 10.60% | 9.40% |
| Penalty Kill % | 74.90% | 81.00% |
| Save % | 0.895 | 0.906 |
| Goals Against Average | 3.05 | 2.78 |
| Shutouts | 2 | 4 |
| Opponent Save % | 0.907 | 0.926 |
| Opponent Goals Against Average | 2.7 | 2.26 |
| Opponent Shutouts | 2 | 8 |
Mike Babcock Game Day
Calgary Flames Projected Lines
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Josh Jooris
Lance Bouma – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik
Micheal Ferland – Sam Bennett – Joe Colborne
Brandon Bollig – Matt Stajan – Garnet Hathaway
Freddie Hamilton – Mark Giordano
TJ Brodie – Dougie Hamilton
Jyrki Jokipakka – Jakub Nakladal
Starting Goalie: Jonas Hiller
Niklas Backstrom
Injured: Karri Ramo (torn ACL), Ladislav Smid (upper body), Dennis Wideman (triceps)
Scratched: Deryk Engelland, Joni Ortio
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Michael Grabner – Nazem Kadri – Milan Michalek
Zach Hyman – William Nylander – PA Parenteau
Colin Greening – Brooks Laich – Ben Smith
Josh Leivo – Frederik Gauthier – Connor Brown
Morgan Rielly – Martin Marincin
Jake Gardiner – Connor Carrick
Rinat Valiev – Frank Corrado
Starting Goalie: Jonathan Bernier
Garret Sparks
Injured: Nikita Soshnikov (upper body), Leo Komarov (lower body), Stephane Robidas (lower body), James van Riemsdyk (fractured foot), Joffrey Lupul (sports hernia surgery), Byron Froese (lower body), Matt Hunwick (sports hernia), Tyler Bozak (concussion), Brad Boyes (shoulder), Viktor Loov (upper body), Peter Holland (upper body)
