Toronto Maple Leafs (11-11-6, 25th in NHL) vs. Arizona Coyotes (10-14-5, 29th in NHL)
Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. EST
Arena: Air Canada Centre
Watch: Sportsnet Ontario
Game Day Notes
– After today’s morning skate, Mike Babcock made sure to dispel any notion that the Leafs should feel they’ve got the advantage going in against a struggling Coyotes team. If the coach’s words weren’t enough, the fact that Mike Smith is starting in net for Arizona should be. Smith has been a long-time nemesis of the Leafs dating back to his days with the Lightning. He is 6-1-2 lifetime against Toronto and has won three straight against the Leafs, including his last two visits to the ACC. Smith is 2-1-0 in his last three starts and needed to stop 37 of 38 shots and 44 of 45 in those two wins. Currently ninth in the NHL in save percentage (.929), he’s capable of winning a game for the Coyotes on his own.
– The Leafs also have to be aware of Smith’s ability to handle the puck as well as any goalie in the league. He is highly effective as a sweeper, to borrow some soccer terminology, in the trapezoid area behind his net and the Leafs have to be cognizant of that when dumping pucks in. At a minimum, the Leafs forecheckers have to keep him on his backhand or he can kickstart the transition the other way in no time.
– The Coyotes are at or near the bottom of the league in nearly every major category: worst shot differential on a per game basis, 20th on the PK, 25th on the PP, 28th in goals against, 29th in goals for. They’re 4-9-3 on the road with 58 goals against in those 16 games (3.7/game). To state the obvious, the Leafs need to seize this opportunity and take care of business at home.
– You’ve probably all heard that Peter Holland is returning to the ACC as a member of the Arizona Coyotes tonight. Word is that force of habit made him miss the Coyotes dressing room and go straight up the press box elevator. Here’s your customary reminder that ex-Leafs tend to score at the ACC.
– Given that the Leafs are swarming in the defensive zone, it’s worth mentioning that the Coyotes have some threats offensively on their blueline. The likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski, and even rookies Jakub Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo, can all skate, join the attack, handle the puck, and make plays. The Leafs can’t be leaving the points wide open knowing that.
– This is a truly rare, or in fact the very first, occasion when we can say a Toronto Maple Leaf is playing against his hometown Arizona Coyotes. This is the first time in Auston Matthews’ NHL career that he’ll play against the team he grew up watching with his uncle and whose jersey he donned as a member of the Junior Coyotes. Pretty cool.
Matchup Stats
Statistics courtesy of SportingCharts.com
| Stat | Ari | Tor |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 28 |
| Record % | 0.431 | 0.5 |
| Home Winning % | 0.455 | 0.607 |
| Away Winning % | 0.344 | 0.393 |
| Shootout Winning % | 0.667 | 0 |
| Goal Differential Per Game | -0.9 | -0.07 |
| Shot Differential Per Game | -7.28 | 0.57 |
| Hits Per Game | 27.1 | 25.6 |
| PIM Per Game | 11.4 | 11 |
| Opponent PIM Per Game | 9.7 | 12.1 |
| Goals Per Game | 2.21 | 2.89 |
| Even Strength Goals Per Game | 1.69 | 2.29 |
| Power Play Goals Per Game | 0.41 | 0.57 |
| Shots Per Game | 28.2 | 32.9 |
| Shots Per Goal | 12.8 | 11.4 |
| Team Shooting % | 0.078 | 0.088 |
| Power Play % | 0.143 | 0.188 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 3.1 | 2.96 |
| ES Goals Against Per Game | 2.38 | 2.36 |
| PP Goals Against Per Game | 0.66 | 0.5 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 35.48 | 32.36 |
| Shots Against Per Goal | 11.43 | 10.92 |
| Opp. Team Shooting % | 0.088 | 0.092 |
| Penalty Kill % | 0.81 | 0.839 |
| Save % | 0.913 | 0.908 |
| Goals Against Average | 3.06 | 2.92 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Opponent Save % | 0.922 | 0.912 |
| Opponent Goals Against Average | 2.18 | 2.85 |
| Opponent Shutouts | 2 | 2 |
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
Leo Komarov – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown
van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Mitch Marner
Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
Matt Martin – Ben Smith – Nikita Soshnikov
Defencemen
Morgan Rielly – Nikita Zaitsev
Jake Gardiner – Connor Carrick
Matt Hunwick – Roman Polak
Scratched: Josh Leivo, Frank Corrado
Injured: Martin Marincin
Goaltenders
Starter: Frederik Andersen (Confirmed)
Backup: Antoine Bibeau
Arizona Coyotes Projected Lines
Forwards
Brendan Perlini – Martin Hanzal – Radim Vrbata
Tobias Rieder – Jordan Martinook – Shane Doan
Jamie McGinn – Peter Holland – Anthony Duclair
Lawson Crouse – Christian Dvorak – Josh Jooris
Defencemen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Luke Schenn
Alex Goligoski – Anthony DeAngelo
Jakob Chychrun – Michael Stone
Goaltenders
Starter: Mike Smith (Confirmed)
Backup: Louis Domingue
Morning Skate: Mike Babcock
Mike Babcock spoke to Hunwick-Polak’s terrible Corsi + more on Peter Holland, Nikita Soshnikovhttps://t.co/oXTcwCSWgv
— pic.twitter.com/GfS8OETPXd— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) December 15, 2016
