The Maple Leafs are looking to build some more cushion in the Atlantic Division race ahead of their trip through Florida, but they must take down a desperate Blue Jackets team that has had their number this season with 6-2 and 5-1 victories over Toronto (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
Game Day Quotes
Chris Tanev on the challenge presented by the Blue Jackets:
Hungry. Desperate. They’ve kicked our ass twice. Very offensive. Very good off the rush. One of the best defensemen in the league in Werenski, who controls a lot of the game and the pace of the game. We need to do a good job of checking him and making sure we are on the right side of him while not giving them odd-man rushes.
It is a very good rush team with a lot of skill. We have to try to neutralize that.
Craig Berube on the Blue Jackets:
They can score goals. They’re good at it. They have a lot of talent — big guys with talent.
Werenski is one of the top defensemen in the league, in my opinion, at transporting the puck, skating the puck, and getting involved offensively in the play. He’s very good.
We have to do a better job of defending and checking this team. They can put the puck in the net.
Scott Laughton on the benefits of three players who can play center on his line with Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok :
Now, in the game, whoever is low usually plays low. But it is nice to have that versatility. Even Jarny can play low and take faceoffs on his strong side.
When you come back into the zone, you are comfortable there and aren’t looking for switches as much. It is huge going down the stretch here. When you have a big faceoff or defensive play, you can have that comfortability in your own zone and coming out of it.
Laughton on his ongoing acclimation to his new team:
I think I am starting to find my game a little bit. I am feeling better on the ice. The systems are making sense.
I am still working, but I think Max has been great for me in talking. Hopefully, we get a couple of big ones tonight, keep working at our game, and find our chemistry together.
… There [was] othe whirlwind of the trade and being in the same place (for so long). It is obviously not an excuse, but I just feel more energy out there. I feel more lively. I feel like my game is coming.
The last road trip definitely helped, just getting on the road, getting away with the guys, and being more comfortable in the room being yourself. That has come a long way for me.
Hopefully, I will continue to grow and have a good two weeks of playing well.
Dean Evason on his team’s success vs. the Leafs this season:
It is about being on the right side of them. If you get on the wrong side, it’ll end up in your net in a hurry.
In the last couple of games, we have cheated or anticipated — or whatever you want to call it — for offense. If you do that against a team that can score tons of goals, you are going to be in a lot of trouble.
Every team in the NHL can score. Everyone has skilled guys. We have to keep the puck out of our net.
Evason on whether he can see signs of Craig Berube’s fingerprints on the Leafs‘ game, having coached against him for years out West:
I don’t want Berube’s fingerprints anywhere near me.
He is a great coach. He won the Stanley Cup. I have a great deal of respect for him, how he conducts himself, and how hard his teams play. We know that whenever you play a team coached by him, you are going to get the effort. There is no question about that.
Evason on the decision to reinsert James van Riemsdyk into his lineup for tonight’s game in Toronto:
We have talked about this before. When he came out, we had success for a couple of games. You stay with it. You try to make the right choices. We communicate as a staff to make the right choices.
Do we always? No, of course not, but we have seven guys who are sitting out right now. It is difficult to make those decisions. We feel our depth is really good. We feel that the guys who aren’t playing can play. Hopefully, we’ve made the right decisions for tonight’s game.
James van Riemsdyk on visiting Toronto:
It never gets old. For me, I don’t know how many more times I am going to get the chance to do this. You try to take it all in and be appreciative and grateful of all of it. It is a special place. It is always a lot of fun for me to play here.
As I have gotten older, there are certain spots that just mean more. You soak that in. The more years you play, the more you realize how lucky you are and how great it is to be able to live out your dreams.
I had some great years here that I really enjoyed. It is always going to be a special place for me.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (46-25-4) vs. Blue Jackets (34-31-9)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Columbus holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories, but Toronto holds the advantage in five out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#74 Bobby McMann — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#24 Scott Laughton — #11 Max Domi — #19 Calle Jarnkrok
#18 Steven Lorentz — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #89 Nick Robertson
Defensemen
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #25 Brandon Carlo
#2 Simon Benoit — #51 Philippe Myers
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#60 Joseph Woll
Injured: Jake McCabe, David Kampf
Injured (LTIR): Jani Hakanpää, Max Pacioretty
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lines
Forwards
#91 Kent Johnson — #23 Sean Monahan — #86 Kirill Marchenko
#38 Boone Jenner — #19 Adam Fantilli — #21 James van Riemsdyk
#10 Dmitri Voronkov — #4 Cole Sillinger — #24 Mathieu Olivier
#27 Zach Aston-Reese — #7 Sean Kuraly — #17 Justin Danforth
Defensemen
#8 Zach Werenski — #15 Dante Fabbro
#5 Denton Mateychuk — #9 Ivan Provorov
#3 Jack Johnson — #44 Erik Gudbranson
Goaltenders
Starter: #90 Elvis Merzlikins
#40 Daniil Tarasov
Injured: Kevin Labanc
