Home Leafs News Game Day Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes – Game #35 Preview, Projected Lines...

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes – Game #35 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info

Dec 19, 2017

Puck Drop: 2:00 p.m. EST | Arena: Air Canada Centre | TV: SN Ontario | Radio: SN 590

Game Day Quotes

Bill Peters on balancing his lines with Auston Matthews out for the Leafs:

Well, we like our lines the way they’re balanced off right now. We think we’re going to have energy, too. We we were running on fumes a little bit in Buffalo and then at home the other night. We think we’re going to have a little bit more jump to us and what we’re going to do is give everyone a chance to get started and see what lines are playing well. The thing that was real nice to see in the video was the quality of chances that the Kruger line generated. They generated a lot of offence.

Peters on taking what happened in the two teams’ previous meetings into today’s game:

Oh yeah, all our head to head clips will be used [today] for sure. We played twice. This is our last game against them. There’s been a lot of goals both ways. I think there’s been 9 and then 18 goals, so 9 each night. That’s a good number. We’d like to get a healthy number, but we don’t want to give up much. I know they’ve been off here for a while so they’re going to be rested and chompin’ at the bit.

Mike Babcock on their break before today’s game:

Yeah obviously time get to refreshed physically and mentally and then, let’s get to work here. We’ve been in every game we’ve played here in the last three, we haven’t found a way to win. We’ve been ahead, we’ve been behind in all scenarios. We’ve got to do a better job finding ways to get points, that’s it.

Babcock on the Marleau-Nylander combination:

Well, I think it’s like any line you put together. You’re just hoping there’s some chemistry and that they’re going to play well and spend more time in the offensive zone than they are in their own zone. We’ve played Willie in the middle at home before when we control the matchup. We control the matchup here, so we’re going to try to do the same. Patty’s another guy that can play down low and look after him if he needs to as well. Hyman, Brown, and [Marleau] are a real good line as well though, so we can always have that option.

Babcock on preparing his club for the Hurricanes style of play:

Well, that’s what we try to do, obviously. They’re trying to get ready for us, we’re trying to get ready for them. We know exactly what we’re getting. it’s going to be tight, there’s going to be no room. It’s going to be one of those games where it looks like there’s hardly any plays taking place whatsoever. That’s the new NHL. There’s not a lot of space and so we’ve got to find ways to make plays and play in the Ozone.

Babcock on getting Nazem Kadri to where he is now:

What part’s Naz coming of age? What part’s Naz growing up? What part’s he’s been through enough struggle that it was just time to dig in? You know I think sometimes as a coach, you get way more buy in when the guy’s ready or when the players arrive and you have a culture established already and there’s no wiggle room. That’s what we’re trying to do here now is not so much worried about Naz – it’s the new guys coming in, if they don’t turn into good pros, then it’s on us. So that’s having a great culture here, and that’s why Marleau’s, here, that’s why Hainsey’s here. That’s why we tried to make the organization better, so that’s there’s no wiggle room for these guys. Most people follow the path of least resistance, sometimes that’s to the weight room.

Matchup Stats

	TOR	CAR
Record	20-13-1	14-11-7
GF/g	3.15 (8th)	2.72 (23rd)
GA/g	2.82 (11th)	2.97 (20th)
PP%	20.6% (9th)	14.7% (28th)
PK%	81.9% (14th)	78.5% (26th)
Shots/g	30.1 (24th)	34.8 (3rd)
Shots Against/g	34.0 (29th)	29.5 (2nd)
5v5 CF%	49.6% (17th)	54.2% (1st)
5v5 SV%	.930 (8th)	.918 (20th)
5v5 SH%	9.42% (3rd)	7.0% (23rd)