Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. EST | Arena: Air Canada Centre | TV: TSN4 | Radio: SN 590
Game Day Quotes
Mike Babcock on if starting the game well is more important when facing a team on their second game of a back-to-back:
Well, I think it’s always important. But against teams that [played the day before], I don’t know what the stats are this year, but they’re real high for the team that didn’t play. You should have a better opportunity, and yet you got to do something with that opportunity. Now, back-to-backs when you get in at two in the morning are different than back-to-backs when you get in at noon and back-to-backs when you get in at five. I just think they slapped us around last time we were in their building, so we’ve got to be ready to play.
Babcock on the difference between Mitch Marner now and the beginning of the season:
I mean, last game didn’t count. He was sick. I think, early in the season, he just lost his confidence, and when you lose your confidence, you get thinking too much and trying too hard. Things don’t go good. It’s so important you get prepared in the summer, you arrive at training camp, you get ready to go, you get off to a good start, and you just keep her going. The great thing about work ethic and preparation and doing extra stuff is your lows are usually a lot shorter than your highs
Babcock on the decision to play Travis Dermott on his off side tonight:
Well, I didn’t even think about that. I just thought, “Who’s going to play that side?” He’s up, here’s his opportunity, you want to play or not? Real simple. I didn’t ask him. I didn’t think about it like that. We think he’s a good player. Let’s get him in and let him play. We’re going to find out whether he can play or not over time. So let’s keep watching him and see what happens. You know, in an ideal world, he’d be a right-hand shot and he would’ve been on the team all year.
[Hainsey]’s played the offside a ton in his career, so I don’t think it’ll be a big deal for him. But Ron Hainsey would tell you it’s easier for him to play the left side. So, the puck comes up to the point and the guy’s screaming, what do you do with that thing? You don’t do anything, you bang it down and you start all over again. I was watching the pre-scout of Columbus and [Brad Shaw] was working with Jack Johnson getting it off the wall. He’s still better at getting it off the wall on the other side — bottom line.
Auston Matthews on the Blue Jackets:
I think all their D can really move. Obviously, Werenski, Jones, Johnson, all those guys really get up the ice well. They’ve got big, heavy forwards up front that can make plays. They finish checks. They’re heavy. I think that always presents a challenge, especially in the d-zone. They’re definitely a really solid team.
Matchup Stats
| TOR | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 25-16-2 | 24-16-3 |
| GF/g | 3.19 (7th) | 2.63 (27th) |
| GA/g | 2.86 (17th) | 2.70 (10th) |
| PP% | 21.1% (8th) | 12.6% (30th) |
| PK% | 83.3% (7th) | 80.2% (20th) |
| Shots/g | 30.7 (22nd) | 33.8 (7th) |
| Shots Against/g | 33.9 (29th) | 31.4 (11th) |
| 5v5 CF% | 49.2% (18th) | 51.2% (12th) |
| 5v5 SV% | .925 (13th) | .925 (14th) |
| 5v5 SH% | 9.3% (1st) | 7.1% (23rd) |
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
*We have added goal, assist, and point totals for each player below the lines. Total goals per line are indicated, too, as well as save percentage for goalies.
Forwards
Hyman – Matthews – Nylander
(43-7-15-22) – (33-19-14-33) – (42-8-22-30) Total: 34
Marleau – Kadri – Komarov
(43-15-9-24) – (41-14-10-24) – (42-4-6-10) Total: 33
Van Riemsdyk – Bozak – Marner
(42-17-10-27) – (41-8-13-21) – (43-5-25-30) Total: 30
Martin – Gauthier – Brown
(41-3-7-9) – (3-0-0-0) – (43-10-6-16) Total: 13
Defencemen
Rielly – Hainsey
(43-4-26-30) – (43-3-13-16) Total: 7
Gardiner – Dermott
(43-3-16-19) – (1-0-1-1) Total: 3
Borgman – Polak
(40-2-7-9) – (24-2-3-5) Total: 4
Goaltenders
Andersen (.922 sv%)
McElhinney (.916 sv%)
Scratched: Moore, Carrick
Injured: Soshnikov, Zaitsev
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
Forwards
Panarin – Dubois – Anderson
(43-10-25-35) – (43-9-12-21) – (41-14-10-24) Total: 33
Milano – Sedlak – Foligno
(34-8-5-13) – (30-4-3-7) – (43-8-7-15) Total: 20
Calvert – Jenner – Bjorkstrand
(31-4-9-13) – (36-4-8-12) – (43-8-18-26) Total: 16
Motte – Schroeder – Hannikainen
(26-3-1-4) – (15-0-0-0) – (24-2-2-4) Total: 5
Defencemen
Werenski – Jones
(39-11-8-19) – (43-7-19-26) Total: 18
Nutivaara – Savard
(36-2-12-14) – (42-2-6-8) Total: 4
Harrington – Johnson
(21-1-1-2) – (43-2-5-7) Total: 3
Goaltenders
Bobrovsky (.921 sv%)
Korpisalo (.904 sv%)
Injured: Murray, Dubinsky, Atkinson, Wennberg
