After an entertaining win in Edmonton, the Maple Leafs are looking to start a streak through Western Canada but might need to do it without Mitch Marner tonight in Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST, TSN4/Sportsnet West).
Game Day Quotes
Calgary head coach Ryan Huska on the challenge presented by the Leafs:
With the skill set of their top players, you have to know where they are on the ice. They are playing a little different style than we have seen in the past. You have to be ready for more of a trench-type game where you have to make sure you are prepared to compete along the walls.
Huska on the invasion of Leafs fans into the Flames’ home rink:
It is like a road game at times, unfortunately, but it is the way it is. A lot of our players have seen it before.
It is not going to change the way we play the game. We are going to come out and try to initiate, dictate, and set the tone tonight.
Nazem Kadri on a Canadian rivalry game vs. his former team:
It is always fun. I am sure there will be a few blue jerseys hanging around. It’s all the more exciting for us to try to limit their chances and keep them off the board.
It is always fun playing against former teams and friends. First and foremost, we need the points in the standings. You have to set it aside and go out and play.
Huska on former-Flame, now-Leaf Chris Tanev:
He was a great teammate. There are a lot of things to appreciate about the way he played the game. With him being in Toronto now, people probably recognize how good of a player he is. We saw that firsthand for four years.
His consistency was off the charts. There weren’t too many games where you were like, “Tanny, you’re not there.”
The one thing that always stands out: No matter what the situation, I have never seen a guy play through things like he has played through at times. It is pretty impressive what he will do for his teammates.
Kadri on former teammate Chris Tanev:
A true competitor and a warrior. He will do anything for his team. That is something we really appreciated from him.
He’ll play hurt. Just about anything you need from Chris, he’ll provide. That is what makes him such a great leader. He is a great professional. He shows up to work every single day, no matter how he is feeling. That is why he has gotten the contract and the respect that he has gotten.
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Flames:
They are a hard-working team and have been for years. They are going to compete and work.
They’ve added two new players to their roster. They look like they are playing pretty well. I saw Frost and Farabee in Philly for a while, and they’re good players.
We are going to be challenged, I’ll tell you that. It is not going to be easy, and we don’t expect it (will be). We are going to have to earn everything.
Their goaltending has been lights out.
Berube on the opportunity for Max Domi on the top line if Mitch Marner can’t play:
Going back to last year, Max played a handful of games or more with Auston. They had some pretty good chemistry going. He is a passer. We need a passer on that line with Matthews and Knies. He is a guy who can make plays.
With Max, it is all about his skating. He needs to move. He needs to attack and have that mindset.
Berube on the balance between eliminating risk from the team’s game and still generating rush offense:
When the rushes are there, take them. We are not trying to take the game or the sticks out of the guys’ hands. When there is a chance to attack off the rush, by all means, go do it. We just don’t want to put ourselves in tough situations by forcing plays through the middle of the ice when they are not there. That is the nuts and bolts of it.
We have had rush opportunities this year — plenty of them. It is not like we don’t try to do anything off the rush. When they are there, they are there. When they are not, make good decisions with the puck.
Chris Tanev on the growing importance of each game as the season heads toward the final third:
Huge game tonight for both teams. The league is so tight now. Win one, lose one, and the standings change quite dramatically. There are three games until the break, and they are all extremely important.
Tanev on compensating for the absence of Mitch Marner:
He has been our best player all year. He does everything, right? It is not just going to be one guy who is going to be able to do that. We are going to need a group of guys to step up and pick up the slack.
He has been our best player all year, and he plays a full 200-foot game.
Max Domi on the opportunity to play with Auston Matthews if Marner is out:
We are pretty familiar with each other. We haven’t played with each other this year, but it is a great opportunity. We’ll be ready to go.
John Tavares on the keys to surviving the potential absence of Marner:
I don’t think it is on one individual. In all of the areas that he plays in — which is pretty much every area of the game — everyone is going to have to step up and execute at a high level. We have a solid team throughout with great depth. It is an opportunity for a lot of us to take advantage of it and thrive on it.
Obviously, you are never replacing a Mitch Marner and what he can bring. If he is not there tonight, it is just on the group to come together collectively, as we have at many points this season with different guys in and out of the lineup — a lot of guys who are really important to our team. It is a similar mindset.
Tavares on the past chemistry between Domi and Matthews:
Max is a tremendous passer and sees the ice extremely well. There are a lot of similarities between him and Mitch that way with their ability to distribute, find the open man, and make plays.
Auston feeds off of that really well. He has such amazing awareness of where to go and where to be, finding the open ice with the timing of all of that.
If they are together tonight, they have shown some good success in the past, which is a really strong benefit for us.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (31-19-2) vs. Flames (26-19-7)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories, but Calgary holds the advantage in three out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #11 Max Domi
#67 Max Pacioretty — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#30 Matt Murray
Injured (day-to-day): Mitch Marner
Extras: Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers
Injured (IR): Connor Dewar
Injured (LTIR): Anthony Stolarz, Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Calgary Flames Projected Lines
Forwards
#10 Jonathan Huberdeau — #91 Nazem Kadri — #86 Joel Farabee
#20 Blake Coleman — #11 Mikael Backlund — #27 Matt Coronato
#17 Yegor Sharangovich — #16 Morgan Frost — #76 Martin Pospisil
#70 Ryan Lomberg — #21 Kevin Rooney — #43 Adam Klapka
Defensemen
#44 Joel Hanley — #4 Rasmus Andersson
#24 Jake Bean — #52 MacKenzie Weegar
#8 Tyson Barrie — #94 Brayden Pachal
Goaltenders
Starter: #32 Dustin Wolf
#80 Dan Vladar
Injured: Anthony Mantha, Connor Zary, Kevin Bahl, Justin Kirkland