Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. EST | TV: Sportsnet | Radio: TSN1050 | Location: United Center
24 hours after a Saturday night loss to the Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs turn to new backup and Chicago native Garret Sparks in their first road game of the season.
The Buds can take a few positives and a few negatives away from last night’s game, further illustrating that — no matter the hype or expectations coming in — all teams have plenty to work on early in the year.
Fans wanted to see more offensive-zone pressure and puck possession from the Leafs against the Sens, and they got that. Keeping score effects from the latter half of the third period in mind, the Leafs finished with 65% of the shot attempts and 58% of the shot attempts from the slot. The Leafs didn’t take advantage of those opportunities offensively, however, and there were some ugly defensive breakdowns in addition to some less-than-stellar goaltending en route to a 5-3 loss.
They now go into Chicago to meet the Blackhawks, who enter the game 2-0-0 after a pair of overtime wins over the Senators and St. Louis to start the year. Jonathan Toews is off to a torrid start with four goals in two games, including a hat trick in the win over the Blues last night. Patrick Kane (2g,2a) and Alex Debrincat (1,2a) are also off to hot starts for Chicago, who enter the season flying under the radar a little bit after missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years in 2017-18.
Game Storylines
- There will be a lineup change for the Leafs on the blue line, as Martin Marincin will make his season debut in the place of Igor Ozhiganov. In addition to the struggles from Ozhiganov last night, there is a penalty kill consideration here, as the Russian rookie has not been used in a shorthanded role as of yet and it’s an area where Marincin has proven reliable in the NHL; he could help lighten the load for Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey, who are again averaging well over three minutes a game on the PK (Zaitsev has averaged 3:55 in PKTOI through two games).
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The issue at the NHL level for Marincin has been his shakiness in possession and inability to move the puck cleanly and confidently on a consistent basis, which he’ll need to show he can do tonight despite likely playing on his offside (the right).
I - The Leafs blue line is going to be a constant work in progress again this year, but there is at least one reason for early optimism. Travis Dermott has been a standout player through two games, Babcock has been complimentary of his game, and his role seems to be growing. It looks like the Leafs have a third formidable puck mover on their back end and someone with the potential to be a multi-situations contributor. Dermott played with Rielly as the second pair on the penalty kill and saw quite a bit of ice as the Leafs chased the game. The 21-year-old played nearly 20 minutes vs. Ottawa, while Ron Hainsey played the second-fewest regular-season minutes (only in a -4 performance last year vs. Buffalo did he see less ice) of his Leaf career vs. Ottawa at 17 and change.
I - All eyes will be on Garret Sparks in net after Kyle Dubas decided to bet on his upside and track record at the AHL level despite a few shaky preseason performances and the continued steady play of veteran Curtis McElhinney, who is now a Carolina Hurricane. It won’t take much for the second-guessing to start and it’s a legitimate question as to how much patience Babcock will have for the unproven backup knowing his history with short-leashing goalies. Getting off to a good start would both be a narrative silencer and a big confidence builder for Sparks.
I - This is our first look at this lineup on the road in a back-to-back situation. Does Babcock let his lines roll? The Leafs bottom six — the Kadri and Lindholm lines — have yet to gain traction this season, but one advantage the Leafs should have in these situations this year (it certainly will help when William Nylander is back in the fold) is their ability to roll them four-deep over the boards in short shifts and keep the pace high.
Game Day Quotes
Mike Babcock on the Auston Matthews line with Tyler Ennis on the right side:
It’s been fine. I think the line that was the best last night was the Tavares line. They had three guys going — really going. We are still a work in progress everywhere else.
Babcock on the message for Garret Sparks in his season debut:
I think you should take it all in. You’re a kid. You’re from Chicago. You earned your way here. Now you get your opportunity. What are you going to do it? I would just be loose and driving and enjoy it all. Make a save. Make the first save, and relax. If things don’t go well, be mentally tough enough to get that loop spinning in your head out of your head and get playing.
Babcock on Mitch Marner finding a new level this season:
Obviously, now, it looks like it’s junior for him. In saying all of that, though, he’s always had confidence. Now he’s stronger, skates better, shoots better. He’s just a better player and understands what the NHL is all about. There is more upside for him for sure. What I like about him is he brings energy every day. When you bring energy and you have energy, you are more likely to be good.
Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville on the Leafs:
If you look around the league, the talent they have… They’re as high end as any team offensively in the game.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#12 Patrick Marleau – #34 Auston Matthews – #63 Tyler Ennis
#11 Zach Hyman – #91 John Tavares – #16 Mitch Marner
#32 Josh Leivo – #43 Nazem Kadri – #28 Connor Brown
#18 Andreas Johnsson – #26 Par Lindholm – #24 Kasperi Kapanen
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #2 Ron Hainsey
#51 Jake Gardiner – #22 Nikita Zaitsev
#23 Travis Dermott – #52 Martin Marincin
Goaltenders
#40 Garret Sparks
#31 Frederik Andersen
Scratched: Frederik Gauthier, Igor Ozhiganov, Justin Holl, William Nylander (unsigned RFA)
Chicago Blackhawks Projected Lines
Forwards
#12 Alex Debrincat – #19 Jonathan Toews – #24 Dominic Kahun
#20 Brandon Saad – #8 Nick Schmaltz – #88 Patrick Kane
#14 Chris Kunitz – #15 Artem Anisimov – #64 David Kampf
#Marcus Kruger – #62 Luke Johnson – #29 Andreas Martinsen
Defensemen
#2 Duncan Keith – #28 Henri Jokiharju
#7 Brent Seabrook – #23 Brandon Manning
#56 Erik Gustafsson – #44 Jan Rutta
Goaltenders
#30 Cam Ward
#31 Anton Forsberg
Injuries: Corey Crawford, Gustav Forsling, Connor Murphy
