William Nylander is back, and Jake McCabe likely will be as well (game-time decision), as the Maple Leafs look to pick up two points against the Canucks before hitting the road for a difficult road trip (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
Game Day Quotes
David Kampf on whether he will have a “chip on his shoulder” in tonight’s game:
I wouldn’t say a chip on my shoulder, but I am excited. I have a lot of friends on their side. It will be an exciting game.
Kampf on the way his Toronto tenure ended:
I don’t want to talk about it too much. I just made a decision, with what I did. I think I am happy about my decision. I’m here, and I am moving forward.
Canucks head coach Adam Foote on the challenge against the Leafs:
They’re a good team that is well-coached. They’ll be going hard tonight. We have to be ready from the drop of it.
Craig Berube on the return of William Nylander and the resulting lineup changes:
He is obviously a great player with skill and speed. He adds offense. He adds in a lot of areas. It is great to have him back.
Those are tough decisions, but I tweaked it a little. I kept that Roy line together; I’ve just really liked what they’ve been doing lately. That is just the way it goes when you have people out, and they come back. You have to make some lineup changes.
Berube on the importance of tonight’s game ahead of a tough road trip:
It’s a big game. The other night in Philly, we talked about coming off a big win against Florida, and it’s about the intensity level, being detailed, and being ready to go for whatever opponent you’re playing.
Tonight is a good example. We have to have a high intensity level right away. We have to be detailed in our game. We need a strong team game again; for me, it is about the team game.
John Tavares on the boost provided by Nylander’s return:
Such a gamebreaker. Extremely talented. He touches on a lot of our offense and a lot of parts of our game. He is one of the top wingers in the game. He is extremely dynamic, with his ability to make plays and be a difference-maker. It is really, really nice to have. We’ve missed him.
Tavares on the importance of not overlooking an opponent:
There are never any easy games in this league. Any time you feel like you can take your foot off the gas…
We know how tight the standings are, how difficult points are to get, and how important they are.
It is just a great opportunity here at home on a Saturday. We’re excited about the challenge. We know they’re going to compete hard and have a lot of quality players who can play at an elite level. Maybe they haven’t gotten the results they’ve wanted consistently, but we understand what they do well. We have to get ourselves organized and prepared to bring our best.
Jake McCabe on the team’s strong form of late:
It is a game of confidence. When you feel it as a group, it is dangerous and a good thing. The games are coming at us fast, and you’re just in game mode. You feel good about your game. You feel good about your team game. You kind of keep rolling with it.
I hope we continue with that tonight, knowing we’ll need a good start coming off the road. It’s the last home game before a big road trip, so it’s big.
McCabe on his comfortability playing with any partner in the defense group:
Left or right, right or left — you name it, I can do it all. I’ll play with whoever.
Maple Leafs (21-15-7) vs. Canucks (16-22-5): 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
#53 Easton Cowan – #55 Nicolas Roy – #89 Nick Robertson
#74 Bobby McMann – #24 Scott Laughton – #18 Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#2 Simon Benoit – #28 Troy Stecher
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#35 Dennis Hildeby
Extras: Calle Jarnkrok, Philippe Myers, Matt Benning
Injured/Out: Chris Tanev (IR), Dakota Joshua (IR), Dakota Mermis (IR), Anthony Stolarz (LTIR)
Vancouver Canucks Projected Lines
Forwards
#74 Jake DeBrusk – #40 Elias Pettersson – #94 Linus Karlsson
#92 Liam Ohgren – #63 Max Sasson – #6 Brock Boeser
#18 Drew O’Connor – #64 David Kampf – #44 Kiefer Sherwood
#91 Evander Kane– #54 Aatu Raty – #21 Nils Hoglander
Defensemen
#29 Marcus Pettersson – #17 Filip Hronek
#24 Zeev Buium – #57 Tyler Myers
#25 Elias Nils Pettersson – #5 Tom Willander
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Thatcher Demko
#32 Kevin Lankinen
Injured/Out: Conor Garland, Filip Chytil, Marco Rossi, Derek Forbort, Teddy Blueger
