Toronto Maple Leafs (37-24-15, 14th in NHL) vs. Detroit Red Wings (31-34-12, 25th in NHL)
Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. EST
Arena: Joe Louis Arena
Watch: CBC
Game Day Quotes
Dylan Larkin:
“We know there are going to be a lot of Leafs fans here tonight, and they will be cocky because they are in right now and we’re not. It would be nice to give our fans something be happy about at the end of the night.”
Mike Babcock, on his last game at the Joe:
“You know, as much as the building makes it special, it’s the people that make it special. From Al Sobotka, who drives the Zamboni, to Leslie, who hands out the food, to Frankie, who brings the coaches the beer, to all the guys that did the cleaning, to the Illitch family and what they made so special. But the fans were fantastic and set a standard, expected a standard, expected a way to play, expected to be in the playoffs. It’s been an unbelievable building. Lots of fond memories, but it’s great what Mr. I is doing for the city of Detroit and rebuilding downtown.”
Jeff Blashill on playing his former boss:
“I love beating him. Then he has to buy the beers at the draft.”
More Mike Babcock on returning to the Joe for the last time:
“I’m excited to be back one more time, but I’m equally excited about where we are as an organization and everything we have a chance to accomplish this season.”
Matchup Stats
Statistics courtesy of SportingCharts.com
| Stat | Tor | Det |
|---|---|---|
| Season Series | 3-0-0 | 0-2-1 |
| Points | 89 | 74 |
| Record % | 0.586 | 0.481 |
| Home Winning % | 0.635 | 0.457 |
| Away Winning % | 0.526 | 0.382 |
| Shootout Winning % | 0.111 | 1 |
| Goal Differential Per Game | 0.24 | -0.58 |
| Shot Differential Per Game | -0.83 | -2.36 |
| Hits Per Game | 23.9 | 19.9 |
| PIM Per Game | 9.9 | 9 |
| Opponent PIM Per Game | 9.9 | 9.5 |
| Goals Per Game | 3.05 | 2.39 |
| Even Strength Goals Per Game | 2.26 | 1.91 |
| Power Play Goals Per Game | 0.71 | 0.45 |
| Shots Per Game | 31.9 | 28.2 |
| Shots Per Goal | 10.5 | 11.8 |
| Team Shooting % | 0.096 | 0.085 |
| Power Play % | 0.239 | 0.144 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 2.82 | 2.97 |
| ES Goals Against Per Game | 2.21 | 2.31 |
| PP Goals Against Per Game | 0.54 | 0.55 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 32.78 | 30.6 |
| Shots Against Per Goal | 11.64 | 10.29 |
| Opp. Team Shooting % | 0.086 | 0.097 |
| Penalty Kill % | 0.828 | 0.813 |
| Save % | 0.914 | 0.903 |
| Goals Against Average | 2.77 | 2.92 |
| Shutouts | 5 | 4 |
| Opponent Save % | 0.904 | 0.915 |
| Opponent Goals Against Average | 3.01 | 2.34 |
| Opponent Shutouts | 2 | 8 |
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
Leo Komarov – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown
Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Mitch Marner
Matt Martin – Brian Boyle – Kasperi Kapanen
Defencemen
Morgan Rielly – Connor Carrick
Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev
Matt Hunwick – Roman Polak
Goaltenders
Starter: Frederik Andersen (31-15-14, 2.64, 0.919)
Backup: Curtis McElhinney
Injured: Eric Fehr, Nikita Soshnikov, Josh Leivo
Scratched: Martin Marincin, Ben Smith
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lines
Forwards
Tomas Tatar – Henrik Zetterberg – Gustav Nyquist
Andreas Athanasiou – Dylan Larkin – Justin Abdelkader
Darren Helm – Frans Nielsen – Riley Sheahan
Tomas Nosek – Ben Street – Drew Miller
Defencemen
Danny DeKeyser – Nick Jensen
Mike Green – Niklas Kronwall
Robbie Russo – Xavier Ouellet
Goaltenders
Starter: Jimmy Howard
Backup: Petr Mrazek
Injured: Jonathan Ericsson (wrist), Ryan Sproul (knee), Anthony Mantha (finger), Luke Glendening (ankle)
Who’s Hot
- Auston Matthews: eight points (five goals, three assists) in last seven games
- William Nylander: 14 points (four goals, ten assists) in last 14 games
- Connor Brown: six points (three goals, three assists) in last six games
- Frederik Andersen: 7-1-1 with a .939 save percentage in last 10 starts
- Tomas Tatar: nine points (six goals, three assists) in last nine games
- Henrik Zetterberg: nine points (two goals, seven assists) in last nine games
