Do the Maple Leafs at least have the pride remaining to get up for this “spoiler” opportunity in a rivalry game in Montreal? Do any Leafs fans even want them to win tonight at this point? (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).
Game Day Quotes
Call-up Bo Groulx on the potential opportunity to make his Leafs debut in Montreal:
It feels good. I am not too sure if I am in the lineup or not, but if I am in, it would be a very special moment. I might have some friends and family coming over. I know a lot of people from Montreal. If I get a chance to get in, it would be a good moment, for sure.
Groulx on his offensive success with the Marlies this season:
I think I have improved a lot in my offensive game in the last two years. This year, playing with Logan Shaw and Vinni Lettieri for most of the year has been really, really helpful. I have been really focused on my offensive game more than my defensive game. Shawsy was taking all of the responsibilities defensively, and that helped me kind of… not forget about that part, but show my skills a little bit more in that regard. I think it has helped me a lot as a forward.
Vinni has a totally different view of the offensive side of the game, which has really helped me skills-wise. I have played with Vinni in San Diego for two years when I was in Anaheim. His view of the offensive game is totally different than mine as a defensive-minded guy. He watches Kucherov a lot, and the way he thinks the game. He takes away a lot, and he wants to transmit that to the other players on his line so we can all play the same way. Offensively, where he positions himself along the wall, how he picks up rims on the wall, and starts moving right away really helped me create separation.
Offensively, you want to create plays with your skill and shot, but you can also create a lot of offense with your feet by creating separation on cutbacks and so on.
It has been really helpful for me this year.
Groulx on his keys to success at the NHL level:
My speed is probably my biggest asset as a player. That is how I create the most offense. If I am playing, I am guessing I’ll be at center. Defensively, I think I am a reliable player. It’s about showing my two-way game, and hopefully, I can chip in some goals.
Groulx on whether he ever lost faith that he would be back in the NHL one day:
I was so young in my first two years in the NHL. It didn’t work out as I expected, but there was never a moment when I was like, “This is my last game. I’m done. I am going to Europe.” It wasn’t my thought process at all. I knew I was in the right place. I knew what I could do in the NHL but wasn’t able to do it.
In the past two years, I have been working out a lot and working on my offensive game a lot. It has helped me in the American League and getting called back up today.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis on navigating the pressure of the Montreal market:
It is the team I idolized growing up.
The pressure for me… I don’t worry about the pressure of the market. I try to be the best version of myself each and every day. That is more of the pressure I put on myself. I can’t control everything. You can’t control the results all the time. I try to do my job.
I love hockey. I love teaching. I love being part of a team. I love leading.
The job really fulfils a lot of my love of life. It is a great opportunity. It is fun to do it. I know what the market brings, but I am not worried about that, to be honest.
Craig Berube on the keys to success against the Habs:
Montreal has always been a big rivalry game. The intensity right away, and playing good hockey with the puck — making this team play in its own end right away, and putting the pressure on them — is important.
They have some great skill over there, obviously, and they have a backend that is highly skilled and can skate. How we forecheck tonight and how we pressure them in their zone will be a key element to the game.
They have a lot of skill. They score a lot of goals. We will need to play good defense. If we do a good job defensively, we’ll get some opportunities the other way.
Berube on the message to the team amid the seven-game losing streak:
The guys are feeling it, right? It is always a little more difficult to try to pull them out of it. But that is part of my job — to instill as much confidence in how we need to play, and look ahead to tonight’s game and how we need to play the game.
You want to get out of this situation? You have to get uncomfortable, and you have to work and compete at a high level on every shift.
Maple Leafs (27-26-11) vs. Canadiens (34-18-10): 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 –#29 Bo Groulx – #89 Nick Robertson
#81 Dakota Joshua – #26 Jacob Quillan – #18 Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Jake McCabe – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit – #28 Troy Stecher
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Calle Jarnkrok, Philippe Myers
Injured: Chris Tanev (LTIR)
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines
Forwards
#13 Cole Caufield – #14 Nick Suzuki – #20 Juraj Slafkovsky
#15 Alex Newhook – #91 Oliver Kapanen – #93 Ivan Demidov
#77 Kirby Dach – #71 Jake Evans – #76 Zack Bolduc
#17 Josh Anderson – #24 Phillip Danault – #11 Brendan Gallagher
Defensemen
#21 Kaiden Guhle – #48 Lane Hutson
#53 Noah Dobson – #8 Mike Matheson
#72 Arber Xhekaj – #45 Alex Carrier
Goaltenders
Starter: #75 Jakub Dobes
#35 Samuel Montembeault
Injured: Patrik Laine, Joe Veleno, David Reinbacher
