The trade winds are swirling as the Maple Leafs play the first of three matchups against the Senators in the final 22 games of the season (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
Game Day Quotes
Scott Laughton on the challenge of remaining focused as the team faces looming trade-deadline turbulence:
I haven’t really changed much. I take pride in trying to be consistent in every facet of coming into the rink, being positive, and being around the guys.
It is out of our control. It is in no one’s control except the staff’s. We have to go out, do a job, play for each other, hold each other accountable, make it difficult on teams, get a lead, and make it hard for them to come back in games.
We’ve seen in the last two games that it is hard to come back and chase the game. It is difficult to be put in those spots.
It needs to start tonight. You try to keep your mind as clear as you can.
Laughton on hearing his own name in the rumour mill in the final week before the deadline:
I have been in the rumours as long as I can remember in Philly, since I signed my current deal. It is always there. You try to clear your mind. At the end of the day, it is your life. It is where you live. It is where your family is. It is different when you have a family now.
I am just going to continue to play my game and help these guys as best as I can. Hopefully, I am here.
Craig Berube on re-inserting Easton Cowan into the lineup:
Coming off the break, we had won three in a row. I stuck with the same lineup. When Dakota Joshua came back, I put him back in. I just feel like it is time to get him back in now. I don’t want him sitting out. He obviously needs to play. He is a young kid and a good player.
At the time when I took him out of the lineup, going back to his Seattle game, I just felt like he was a little overwhelmed. I wanted to give him a break. We were winning games, so I didn’t change the lineup.
Cowan on the message from the coaching staff as he returns to the lineup:
We’ll keep it between us. I am looking to go out there tonight, bring some positive vibes, bring some energy, make some plays, and try to win a hockey game.
Cowan on his biggest lesson from sitting out games:
You want to play every game. It is tough, especially as a young player. But that is the fun of it. It is good to have a challenge. It is good to come to the rink every day prepared to work for it.
It is just another opportunity tonight. I’m excited for it.
Auston Matthews on the difficulty of getting back into a rhythm coming out of the break:
A lot of guys have been off for a while. Some of us are coming back from the Olympics. There is a lot of adjusting, but everyone is in the same boat.
For us, we need to get our game back on track right away. We don’t have time to waste. For us, it is looking right ahead at what is in front of us tonight: a game against a divisional opponent on a Saturday night.
We need to be ready. I don’t think anybody should have a problem getting up for a game like that.
Matthews on the distraction of possible deadline moves:
We can only focus on what we can control, and that is putting together a good effort tonight. Everything else is out of our control.
Everybody has to have a full effort, make sure we are ready to compete from the drop of the puck, and claw our way back up the standings. We have to earn that.
Senators head coach Travis Green on playing three times against the Leafs in the final 22 games:
I am not worried about the other ones. I am just worried about tonight. I’ll probably say that down the stretch. There are going to be a lot of big games. You have to be worried about the one in front of you, not two or three games down the road.
Maple Leafs (27-23-9) vs. Senators (28-22-8): 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 – #74 Bobby McMann
#81 Dakota Joshua – #24 Scott Laughton – #89 Nick Robertson
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Jake McCabe – #28 Troy Stecher
#2 Simon Benoit – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Steven Lorentz, Calle Jarnkrok, Philippe Myers
Injured: Chris Tanev (LTIR)
Ottawa Senators Projected Lines
Forwards
#19 Drake Batherson – #18 Tim Stutzle – #28 Claude Giroux
#7 Brady Tkachuk – #24 Dylan Cozens – #71 Ridly Greig
#21 Nick Cousins – #12 Shane Pinto – #22 Michael Amadio
#23 Kurtis MacDermid – #83 Stephen Halliday – #20 Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen
#85 Jake Sanderson – #2 Artem Zub
#72 Thomas Chabot – #3 Nick Jensen
#43 Tyler Kleven – #10 Jordan Spence
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Linus Ullmark
#47 James Reimer
Injured/Out: David Perron
