Riding the momentum of a nine-game points streak, the Maple Leafs are hoping to pull off a feat no other team has accomplished this season at the Ball Arena in Denver, where the Avalanche are undefeated in regulation through 21 home games (10:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).
Game Day Quotes
Brandon Carlo on returning to his hometown for a clash with the Avalanche:
It’s great. This is the place where I grew up, got to come to a couple of NHL games, and fell in love with this dream. It is pretty special to picture myself sitting with my dad up there in the stands watching the game and taking in the whole perspective of that now, being out on the ice.
My family didn’t have much of a hockey background. Our neighbours actually got us into hockey. My dad got some tickets from an old work buddy, I believe. We didn’t come to many games, but I do remember the first game we went to. I was just enamored by the whole process. They had some amazing players at that time — little did I know — with Sakic, Foote, Blake, Hejduk, and all of those guys. It was a cool experience, and it lit that fire under me to want to play in the NHL.
Carlo on the difficulty of shutting down the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar:
You just have to be cognizant when they’re on the ice. They’re special players — very fast, and they make a lot of plays happen — but we just have to stick to our team game. There are going to be opportunities where those guys are going to beat me or anybody on the ice. We just have to continue to play that team game and be there for each other.
Max Domi on whether the team views this matchup as a big “test” at this stage of the season:
It is absolutely a test. It’s the best team in the league. You have to respect your opponent, but not to the point where you are not playing your game. We have respect for them and know what they’re capable of, but we also know we are a good team, and we know what we are capable of. We just have to go out and execute.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar on the challenge presented by a red-hot Leafs team:
I just picture them as a really good hockey team. They’re playing their best hockey of the year. You study their game, and they’re scoring more than they have in the recent past. They’re defending well.
Every team goes through ups and downs throughout the course of the year. Oftentimes, it is related to injuries in the lineup, getting bodies back, and finding chemistry. They’ve certainly found that here recently. They’re playing really well.
We are expecting a tough game tonight.
Bednar on his team’s keys to success through the first half of the season:
What stands out to me is the focus and consistency of our team. It is not easy to win on any given night in this league. For them to prepare as they’ve prepared — as individuals and as a group — to maintain focus on a nightly basis and find ways to win, it is as high as I’ve seen it. The results are showing that.
Health has been a big factor in the record. We’re not missing key players on a nightly basis until recently. Guys are slotted in the lineup where they should be, in areas where they can excel, and the guys have been doing that.
There is a consistency to our play this year that is impressive.
Bednar on Nathan MacKinnon finding an even higher level of production this season:
He is shooting more. There is a chemistry with Marty (Necas). They’re doing a nice job. Their possession numbers are very good.
If I were to look at his first half from last year to this year, I’d say he is picking up some additional goals down at the net in the dirty areas. It is something he’s able to do now, with the way Marty plays with the puck away from the net as well. They’re kind of interchangeable there.
In years past, Nate was the guy who had to control it on the perimeter a lot and make things happen, either up top with Cale or down low with his teammates. Now, sometimes when that is happening, it’s Marty controlling the play, so [MacKinnon] can get to the net and pick up some extra looks and opportunities on rebounds, deflections, and screens.
I like the fluidity of their game. They are doing a good job with the chemistry on that line. There is not a lot that stands out — he has had really good years in the past — but I have noticed him picking up some of those goals more than in years past.
It’s just consistency. Every night, he finds a way to get on the board. That is part of it — the chemistry with his linemates.
Bednar on the decision to start rookie Trent Miner in net:
I loved the way he played the other night, and we have some goalies dinged up, so we are going to give him another opportunity.
Auston Matthews on whether he pre-scouts “unknown” goalies like Miner:
You want to kind of have an idea, but I think the game moves too fast for you to think. When you get opportunities, you don’t think, “Where did the prescout say to shoot?” It happens so quickly, and it is all kind of instinct.
It is nice to get a couple of things in your head, but at the end of the day, you are going out and playing, acting off instinct, and trying to shoot at what is there or what is open.
Craig Berube on the difficulty of adjusting to the altitude in Colorado:
The altitude affects you. You have to keep your shifts short. You can’t over-extend your shifts. It is important; if you are out there for a bit, and maybe you think you have an opportunity to forecheck again or get into the offensive zone, it is the time to change. It boils down to being disciplined with your line changes and shift lengths.
Maple Leafs (22-15-7) vs. Avalanche (33-4-7): 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 Nic Roy – #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz – #24 Scott Laughton – #74 Bobby McMann
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 (LTIR), Anthony Stolarz (LTIR)
Colorado Avalanche Projected Lines
Forwards
#62 Artturi Lehkonen – #29 Nathan MacKinnon – #88 Martin Necas
#20 Ross Colton – #11 Brock Nelson – #13 Valeri Nichushkin
#17 Parker Kelly – #18 Jack Drury – #95 Victor Olofsson
#93 Zakhar Bardakov – #82 Ivan Ivan – #54 Gavin Brindley
Defensemen
#70 Sam Malinski – #8 Cale Makar
#42 Josh Manson – #84 Brent Burns
#28 Ilya Solovyov – #49 Samuel Girard
Goaltenders
Starter: #50 Trent Miner
#41 Scott Wedgewood
Injured/Out: Mackenzie Blackwood, Gabriel Landeskog, Devon Toews, Logan O’Connor, Joel Kiviranta
