After the struggles continued against the 32nd-place Predators, the challenge only gets bigger for the Maple Leafs in a tired situation tonight against the second-place, 24-7-5 Dallas Stars (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on the keys to success in a tired situation against a high-flying Stars team:
Manage the puck and manage the game. That will be critical tonight.
Your shift length, where you are in your shift, and what you are doing with the puck for line changes — all of that stuff will be important.
Berube on healthy scratching Easton Cowan for tonight’s game:
It is always difficult with a young kid like that, but I feel like it is time for him to get a little reset here and watch a game, look at some film, and work on things. He turned pucks over too much in the last game and was a little light in some areas.
Berube on the team’s mood coming off the loss in Nashville:
Good. There were positives in the game last night. Two of the goals were mistakes that we clearly don’t need to make and shouldn’t make. It is a different game, right?
I thought we moved the puck a lot better and created some opportunities. We looked more confident with the puck.
Jason Robertson on facing off against brother Nick:
Whenever I play Nick, it is neat. I think this is probably our seventh or eighth time playing against each other. The novelty doesn’t wear off, but at the end of the day, he’s been doing it for a while, and I’ve been doing it for a little longer than a while. It’s just another game.
Jason Robertson on the Stars’ offensive productivity despite such low shot volume:
I don’t know if we’ve been a high-shot team since I’ve been here. I don’t recall a year where we peppered the goalie.
There is a lot of skill in the lineup. Guys aren’t reckless with their decisions, whether that is from forcing a shot from the blue line with no traffic or whatever.
For some teams, it gets kind of skewed. They take a lot of shots, but is there anyone in front of the net? Is it the right time?
There are some chances where we could take an extra shot or two each period, whether that is to generate a rebound or more possession. Shots create chaos.
It is one of those things we keep looking at, but once we start generating more at five-on-five, the shot total will go up, too.
Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan on the challenge presented by a struggling Leafs team:
If you look through their roster, their four centers — Tavares, Laughton, Matthews, and Roy — are as strong a lineup of four centers as you’re going to get. Both of their goaltenders are playing well.
Every team gets into a little funk, and they’re in one here and there, but that is a heck of a team over there. They pose some challenges. They’re explosive offensively. Matthews and Nylander are two of the best players in the world.
They have it all. You just don’t want them to get it going when you’re playing them, but they’re a great team.
Gulutzan on his team’s strong form of late (7-2-1 L10):
Five-on-five play has been very even for us — very close on a nightly basis — but our special teams and goaltending have been the difference. You can see the record that came is really the acceleration of the penalty kill. It started off a little rocky, but they’re back on the rails. The guys have done a heck of a job. It is one of the biggest reasons why the record has been as good as it has for the last bit. All three of those things have been really strong.
Gulutzan on his team’s five-on-five play:
I was talking to a Leafs player I’ve known for a long time this morning. We were talking about doing the same thing over and over until you get a crack in the other team. I think we are very good at that stuff. That is where it manifests itself. If you get the other team a little frustrated, they force a play, and you get a chance.
Our execution against Anaheim was terrific. We executed at a very, very high level.
We always talk about five-on-five scoring, but I think since November 1st, we are fifth in the league in five-on-five scoring. Our guys are executing at a very high level. The chances we do get are usually pretty good chances, and they’ve done a good job of finishing.
Maple Leafs (15-14-5) vs. Stars (24-7-5): Head-to-Head Stats
via NaturalStatTrick.com & AdvancedHockeyStats.com
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies – #34 Auston Matthews – #11 Max Domi
#63 Matias Maccelli – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander
#89 Nick Robertson – #55 Nicolas Roy – #74 Bobby McMann
#81 Dakota Joshua – #24 Scott Laughton – #18 Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe – #28 Troy Stecher
#44 Morgan Rielly – #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Dennis Hildeby
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Easton Cowan, Calle Jarnkrok, Henry Thrun
Injured/Out: Brandon Carlo (IR), Anthony Stolarz (IR), Chris Tanev (LTIR)
Dallas Stars Projected Lines
Forwards
#21 Jason Robertson – #24 Roope Hintz – #14 Jamie Benn
#95 Mat Duchene – #53 Wyatt Johnston – #96 Mikko Rantanen
#49 Justin Hryckowian – #18 Sam Steel – #22 Mavrik Bourque
#10 Oskar Back – #12 Radek Faksa – #15 Colin Blackwell
Defensemen
#23 Esa Lindell – #4 Miro Heiskanen
#55 Thomas Harley – #5 Nils Lundqvist
#28 Alex Petrovic – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin
Goaltenders
Starter: #29 Jake Oettinger
#1 Casey DeSmith
Injured/Out: Tyler Seguin, Lian Bichsel
