Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. EST | Arena: PPG Paints Arena | TV: CBC | Radio: TSN 1050
Game Day Quotes
Coach Mike Sullivan on the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ speed:
It just seems like every year teams get faster and speed becomes the ultimate competitive advantage. Toronto’s got a young team, they can skate, they have good team speed, they move the puck well. They’re one of those teams that I think is trying to play a similar style that we’ve been playing.
Sullivan on his team’s ability to draw penalties and get their high-powered power play unit (second in the NHL) on the ice:
Well, I think when we draw penalties that usually suggests to me that we’re getting inside and we’re forcing teams to have to defend us, and we’re not staying on the perimeter. I think it goes hand in hand. It helps our overall game. It’s hard to score goals in this league unless you get inside, and so usually that’s where the infractions are occurring. You’re forcing you opponent to have to defend that area. We can use our speed once again to try to challenge defensemen with wide speed or taking pucks below the goal line and forcing them to have to defend us.
Mike Babcock on the Penguins’ recent play:
I was real impressed with their game. One thing is how skilled they are, but I like how they played coming back out. I like how they played in the neutral zone. I like how fast they were on defence so they had the puck all the time. So there’s lots of lessons there for us, but it should be a fun game.
Mike Babcock on Nazem Kadri’s work in improving his diet and overall fitness:
Well, I just think in general he’s just getting in better shape. I still think of Naz as a young player even though he’s 27 because he really got dug in here the last couple of years and he’s got work to do in those areas as he gets stronger. To me, if you want to be able to play against the best players every night and then through rounds in the playoffs, you got to be in peak peak condition and you got to live right. He’s in the process of working towards that.
Mike Babcock on the increase in speed in the NHL over his coaching career:
I’ve been in the league 15 years. It’s got faster every year since I’ve been in it and it’ll continue to do that. That’s just the reality. Is it the fitness? Is it the skating of the young guys that arrive? Is it the rules? I mean, I think it’s all those things, but guys arrive ready and the game’s very quick to say the least.
Matchup Stats
| TOR | PIT | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 18-10-1 | 16-11-3 |
| GF/g | 3.41 (4th) | 3.00 (14th) |
| GA/g | 2.89 (13th) | 3.23 (24th) |
| PP% | 22.0% (5th) | 27.0% (2nd) |
| PK% | 81.3% (14th) | 79.5% (17th) |
| Shots/g | 31.6 (20th) | 35.2 (2nd) |
| Shots Against/g | 33.96 (29th) | 31.4 (12th) |
| 5v5 CF% | 50.2% (14th) | 51.0% (12th) |
| 5v5 SV% | .926 (12th) | .905 (31st) |
| 5v5 SH% | 9.9% (2nd) | 5.6% (31st) |
Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs Projected Lineup
Forwards
Hyman – Matthews – Brown
Marleau – Kadri – Komarov
Van Riemsdyk – Bozak – Marner
Martin – Moore – Nylander
Defencemen
Rielly – Hainsey
Gardiner – Zaitsev
Borgman – Polak
Goaltenders
Andersen
McElhinney
Scratched: Carrick, Soshnikov, Leivo
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup
Forwards
Sheary – Crosby – Rust
Guentzel – Malkin – Kessel
Hagelin – Sheahan – Hornqvist
Kuhnhackl – Rowney– Reaves
Defencemen
Dumoulin– Letang
Maatta – Hunwick
Cole – Ruhwedel
Goaltenders
Jarry
DeSmith
Injured: Murray, Schultz
