Toronto Maple Leafs (12-11-7, 24th in NHL) vs. Anaheim Ducks (16-11-5, 12th in NHL)
Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. EST
Arena: Air Canada Centre
Watch: Sportsnet Ontario
Game Day Notes
– With the holiday roster freeze taking effect tonight, the Maple Leafs have recalled centerman Frederik Gauthier from the Marlies. Ben Smith and Tyler Bozak did not partake in morning skate and both are day-to-day with injuries according to head coach Mike Babcock.
– More on the progress of Frederik Gauthier’s development here.
– The injury situations mean that William Nylander will shift to center — potentially in Tyler Bozak’s spot, which would provide an interesting look, to say the least. It would be Nylander’s first time playing center at the NHL level alongside players of that offensive calibre. It also means that Josh Leivo will draw in for his first game of the season having bided his time in practice for nearly three months.
– Jake Gardiner is a game-time decision with an illness. With Martin Marincin on the shelf, Frank Corrado would enter the lineup for his second game of the season if Gardiner can’t go.
– Randy Carlyle returns to Toronto at a time when his Ducks club is playing some pretty good hockey — 6-3-1 in their last 10 and now two points out of first in the Pacific. Since their 0-3-1 start to the year without Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm on the roster, the Ducks are 16-8-4. Rakell, who has 14 goals in 21 games this season, has been playing on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry of late and the trio has been highly productive. Getzlaf has five points in his last four, Rakell has 10 goals and 14 points in his last 14 on a points streak dating back to mid-November, while Perry has eight points in his last eight.
The duo of Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg has also been productive in the last couple of weeks, giving the Ducks two lines the Leafs will have to account for. Babcock has control of the matchups at home ice, so one would imagine that Nazem Kadri will take the brunt of the Getzlaf matchup and Matthews will see significant time against Ryan Kesler, leaving the JVR – Nylander – Marner line with more of a sheltered scoring deployment.
– Frederik Andersen’s first game against his old side also comes at a good time, with Andersen undefeated in regulation in his last four having allowed two or fewer in each. Andesen is sporting a .940 save percentage in the month of December.
Matchup Stats
Statistics courtesy of SportingCharts.com
| Stat | Anh | Tor |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 37 | 31 |
| Record % | 0.578 | 0.517 |
| Home Winning % | 0.679 | 0.625 |
| Away Winning % | 0.471 | 0.393 |
| Shootout Winning % | 0.5 | 0 |
| Goal Differential Per Game | 0.03 | -0.03 |
| Shot Differential Per Game | 1.06 | 1.57 |
| Hits Per Game | 25.3 | 26.1 |
| PIM Per Game | 12 | 10.8 |
| Opponent PIM Per Game | 12.2 | 11.8 |
| Goals Per Game | 2.81 | 2.83 |
| Even Strength Goals Per Game | 1.94 | 2.23 |
| Power Play Goals Per Game | 0.78 | 0.57 |
| Shots Per Game | 30 | 33.9 |
| Shots Per Goal | 10.7 | 12 |
| Team Shooting % | 0.094 | 0.084 |
| Power Play % | 0.243 | 0.183 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 2.78 | 2.87 |
| ES Goals Against Per Game | 2.03 | 2.23 |
| PP Goals Against Per Game | 0.66 | 0.53 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 28.94 | 32.33 |
| Shots Against Per Goal | 10.4 | 11.28 |
| Opp. Team Shooting % | 0.096 | 0.089 |
| Penalty Kill % | 0.809 | 0.832 |
| Save % | 0.904 | 0.911 |
| Goals Against Average | 2.76 | 2.82 |
| Shutouts | 1 | 0 |
| Opponent Save % | 0.906 | 0.916 |
| Opponent Goals Against Average | 2.79 | 2.79 |
| Opponent Shutouts | 2 | 2 |
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
Leo Komarov – Nazem Kadri – Nikita Soshnikov
van Riemsdyk – William Nylander – Mitch Marner
Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – Connor Brown
Matt Martin – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo
Defencemen
Morgan Rielly – Nikita Zaitsev
Jake Gardiner – Connor Carrick
Matt Hunwick – Roman Polak
Scratched: Frank Corrado
Injured: Martin Marincin, Ben Smith, Tyler Bozak
Goaltenders
Starter: Frederik Andersen (Confirmed)
Backup: Jhonas Enroth
Anaheim Ducks Projected Lines
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie – Antoine Vermette – Ondrej Kase
Joseph Cramarossa – Stefan Noesen – Logan Shaw
Defencemen
Cam Fowler – Sami Vatanen
Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson
Shea Theodore – Kevin Bieksa
Starter: John Gibson (Confirmed)
Backup: Jonathan Bernier
