In a tired situation, the Maple Leafs’ lineup will remain the same from Saturday’s victory over Boston (outside of Dennis Hildeby in net) as they look to stay undefeated in 2025 against a rested Flyers team (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Flyers:
A very hard-working team and competitive team.
They are probably one of the quickest teams we will see this year in transition. From defense to offense, they are gone. They are very active. They get up the ice very quickly.
And they are highly competitive.
Berube on Dennis Hildeby’s return to the crease after a brief spell in the AHL:
He is still a young guy who is learning, but he has battled for us when he has been in there this year. He plays with confidence. Great size in net.
Again, he is still learning, but he is learning in the NHL right now.
Berube on the team’s first half as the schedule hits the 41-game mark:
We have been in a lot of tight games this year, which is a good thing. We’re learning how to win those games when going into third periods with leads and playing a good period — a low-event third. We are not shooting ourselves in the foot.
A lot of good things have happened in the first half, and there are obviously things we need to keep improving on. We can’t get complacent.
Berube on the areas for improvement in the second half:
Rush defense is always a concern for every team — it is such a fast league, and teams transition so quickly. The D are always up in the play.
Better sort outs, and there are some times when we can manage the puck better and not give opportunities to teams the other way. We are getting better at it.
Trust me, I think our team has bought into putting the puck in deep and going to work, but there is still improvement that can be made.
Max Pacioretty on the team’s energy level heading into yet another back-to-back:
I think the energy has been really good. There are points in the year when maybe it hasn’t been as good with the schedule and whatnot, but I feel like the boys are coming back to life in the last couple of games and are playing with some confidence.
It is crazy how powerful the mind is. It makes these back-to-backs a little bit… I don’t want to say it’s easier, but it’s easier to keep your energy when things are going well. Things have been going pretty well lately.
We like the way our game is trending. We know there are areas to improve, but it helps the energy levels as well.
Pacioretty on the team’s first half:
I like that it hasn’t been perfect. When it doesn’t go well, we have found ways to win. We have found ways to correct our mistakes in games that we have lost. For the top teams, it is never perfect early.
When you go through a little bit of adversity in terms of style of play and whatnot, you realize what works and what doesn’t work, what works in tight games, and what doesn’t work in tight games.
Some games are played that feel like playoff games, and we have to change our approach a little bit. We have done a really good job of that thus far.
Pacioretty on Matthew Knies’ impact:
People have often mentioned how big and strong he is. When guys come into the league, that is one of the areas they most often want to improve. He is almost the opposite of that, where he is already big and strong. He uses his body really well also.
In the playoffs, guys who take defenders wide make for a long night and a long series. When someone like Kniesy is protecting the puck and bringing it hard to the paint, it is really hard to play against. It makes teams come back and stop in their own end, which is also very tiring.
A big part of this team and the way we want to play is the way he has been playing as of late.
Simon Benoit on Jake McCabe ending the 16-game goal-less drought for the Leafs‘ defense in Saturday’s 6-4 win over Boston:
Jake and I had a running bet that the first to score gets $100. I just lost $100 yesterday.
On that note, when we can contribute, it is always fun. Especially for me, I have a stay-at-home job. I need to focus on not getting scored on.
When we can contribute offensively, it is always fun.
John Tortorella on tonight’s starter in the Flyers’ net, rookie Ivan Fedotov, who hasn’t played since Dec. 5:
It’s a hell of a spot that we’re putting him in, and he’s handled himself really well. He’s practiced well.
I think the onus is on us to help him, against a really good team offensively, to make sure we’re playing strong in front of him.
Tortorella on the message to his team coming off of a 5-2 loss to Vegas:
On the road trip we are on, I think we could’ve gotten points in all of the games. I need to approach the team and how we play, not just the result.
As coaches now, we have to relay that message now that we have played some good hockey. We just have to stay within ourselves. We have to be extra focused as far as being as strong as we can be in front of Fed as he gets his feet on the ice.
We’ll go from there.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (25-13-2) vs. Flyers (17-18-4)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories and three out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#67 Max Pacioretty — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #24 Connor Dewar
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Dennis Hildeby
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Conor Timmins, Pontus Holmberg, Ryan Reaves
Injured (IR): Anthony Stolarz
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Philadelphia Flyers Projected Lines
Forwards
#21 Scott Laughton — #48 Morgan Frost — #39 Matvei Michkov
#71 Tyson Foerster — #27 Noah Cates — #10 Bobby Brink
#74 Owen Tippett — #25 Ryan Poehling — #11 Travis Konecny
#86 Joel Farabee — #14 Sean Couturier — #19 Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
#6 Travis Sanheim — #8 Cam York
#5 Egor Zamula — #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#24 Nick Seeler — #9 Jamie Drysdale
Goaltenders
Starter: #82 Ivan Fedotov
#35 Aleksei Kolosov
Injured: Samuel Ersson
