GDT: Jets @ Leafs 7PM CBC

[Budsfan]

GAME DAY: Jets at Maple Leafs
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby

GAME DAY: Jets at Maple Leafs

7 p.m., Scotiabank Arena, TV: CBC, SN360, Radio: TSN 1050
THE BIG MATCH-UP
G Frederik Andersen vs. G Connor Hellebuyck
The two goalies behind a pair of offensive powerhouses have been overlooked, but Andersen has had the edge in recent meetings. Andersen played a role in putting out the fire Wednesday in Winnipeg as the Jets attempted a comeback, but he needs some home ice wins.
KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Cool your Jets

Winnipeg played in Detroit on Friday, complicating this home-and-home for coach Paul Maurice, who also won’t get last line change. This is Winnipeg’s first back-to-back on an unusual road trip that ends with a trip to Helsinki to play the Panthers next Thursday.

1. Hold the line

The Leafs will be without defenceman Travis Dermott for a second straight game and truly had their blue line tested when Ron Hainsey also missed a chunk of Wednesday. Martin Marincin and Igor Ozhiganov, despite a cheesy penalty on the latter, played well.

1. Hold the Laine

Patrik Laine went into Friday’s Red Wings game with no points in his past three games, although he came close against Toronto with four shots and 12 overall in the past three. His three goals have all come on the power play. To be fair, Auston Matthews has no goals in his past four, during which the Leafs have a record of 2-2.

1. Kap still on

With unsigned William Nylander now absent for 10 games and Kasperi Kapanen on Matthews’ right side for most of them, it will get harder for the Swede to dislodge Kapanen when he does return. Kapanen had a big goal on Wednesday.

1. Third and goal

The Jets are still the league’s highest-scoring team in the third period with 17 goals, including a pair against the Leafs on Wednesday. A nice stat to have in your pocket if trailing after two.
LEAFS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Patrick Marleau Auston Matthews Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Hyman John Tavares Mitch Marner
Par Lindholm Nazem Kadri Connor Brown
Tyler Ennis Frederik Gauthier Josh Leivo
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Morgan Rielly Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner Nikita Zaitsev
Igor Ozhiganov Martin Marincin
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks
Sick Bay
D Travis Dermott
JETS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Nikolaj Ehlers Mark Scheifele Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor Bryan Little Patrik Laine
Andrew Copp Adam Lowry Brandon Tanev
Brendan Lemieux Jack Roslovic Mathieu Perreault
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Josh Morrissey Jacob Trouba
Ben Chiarot Dustin Byfuglien
Dmitry Kulikov Tyler Myers
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck
Laurent Brossoit
SICK BAY
None
POWER PLAY
Toronto 36.1% (1st)
Winnipeg 32.1% (4th)
PENALTY KILLING
Toronto 82.1% (12th)
Winnipeg 82.8% (11th)

Click to read more...

 

[Budsfan]

Maple Leafs' Gardiner, Ennis and Kadri reaching 500th NHL game
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby

Call them the Fortunate 500 Club.
Jake Gardiner and Tyler Ennis will both reach the 500 NHL-game milestone Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, while Nazem Kadri hits the mark Monday against Calgary. In the case of Gardiner and Kadri, they’ve played every game with the Leafs.
“It’s pretty cool, my parents are coming in (from Minnesota) for it,” said Gardiner. “It’s quite an accomplishment. It seems like a long time, but I still feel pretty good and young (28) and hopefully I play 500 more. Who knows?”
Gardiner laughed when thinking of his first game at the previously named Air Canada Centre, the 2011-12 season opener after he was acquired a few months earlier by Brian Burke with Joffrey Lupul for another defenceman, Francois Beauchemin.
“The biggest thing that night was me getting the puck in the face,” he laughed. “Seven or eight stitches. I think it was a (Montreal) clearing attempt on the boards, I was trying to keep it in with my glove and missed it. I was bleeding but finished the shift and thought ‘this doesn’t hurt that bad’. Then there was a picture next day with a bunch of blood coming down my face.
“A lot of thanks goes to my teammates. Naz has been here with me the whole time. I’ve chirped him a bit about that, I have seniority by one game.”
Ennis, one of the league’s smallest players, also had physical survival to consider, but earned a call-up by the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 14, 2009 from their Portland, Me., farm team.
“I’d morning skated in Portland and found out I was going,” Ennis said. “I grabbed a sandwich, might have been a pizza sub, got that down me and hopped on a plane (to Philadelphia). It was one of my most favourite memories of my life. I was lucky enough to score that night on Ray Emery, though it’s sad what happened to him (the 35-year-old drowned in the summer).”
Two Leafs hitting such a milestone at once is not a first. On Jan. 13, 2004, in a home game against Calgary, Gary Roberts and Tom Fitzgerald both appeared in their 1,000th NHL game.

 

[mcleex]

Oh look, Nylander is still not in the lineup

 

[BTP]

we got this

 

[IBeL34f]

Pumped for this one! It's not my birthday yet, but it's damn well starting to feel like it - My dad's taking me to the game tonight, and I'll be wearing the brand new Matthews jersey my wonderful lady got me. Hope the boys pull out a convincing W!

 

[socko]

Oh look, Nylander is still not in the lineup

and there goes another Mercedes...

 

[Zybalto]

Expecting a win with the Jets having 2nd end of a back to back and 3rd in 4. They are still a top team though.

Over/under on Leafs PP tonight at 2.5 odds?

 

[Marshy]

Expecting a win with the Jets having 2nd end of a back to back and 3rd in 4. They are still a top team though.

Over/under on Leafs PP tonight at 2.5 odds?

Still the most penalized team (WPG) vs. the least.

Leafs 2 PPs

Jets 5

 

[Budsfan]

 

[BertCorbeau]

Want to see this team start to play better at home. Tonight would be a good start.

Despite coming off a back to back the Jets are going to be hungry to start this one. The Leafs need to start on time and play a full 60. Hopefully they at control the game through the first half, and the Jets tire out by the third.

Wanna see the PP get going too, it hasn't been as sharp recently.

 

[LeafSteel]

I think Winnipeg wins tonight.

I know they are playing a back to back and we are rested, but I think they will be playing hard to split the home and home.

None of them were satisfied with the result last game.

 

[Rude Dog]

Back to back wins over the Jets would add some serious salt to Peg fans.

Side note, hoping Babcock can get out of his own way tonight. Leafs had one PP Wednesday night. First unit totally controls the puck for the first 40 seconds. Jets get a face-off and Babs throws the second unit over the boards. Drives me nuts. That first PP should be on the ice for the first 90 seconds no questions asked. Mathews and Tavares played less then 17 minutes the entire game. Don't bring them back on the PP with 30 seconds left. Not enough time to get back into a rhythm.

Go Buds Go

 

[Rude Dog]

I think Winnipeg wins tonight.

I know they are playing a back to back and we are rested, but I think they will be playing hard to split the home and home.

None of them were satisfied with the result last game.

Not happening. Bet big on the Leafs tonight. Peg is good. Leafs will be better.

 

[ottomaddox]

Let's do this!

Go leafs go!

 

[DarkKnight]

Jets will come hard at us tonight, should be a good test. I predict we don’t dominate for 60 minutes, there is another talented group on the ice

 

[Albus Dumbledore]

Gonna miss this one but hope we win!!!!!!!!

 

[saltming]

Pumped for this one! It's not my birthday yet, but it's damn well starting to feel like it - My dad's taking me to the game tonight, and I'll be wearing the brand new Matthews jersey my wonderful lady got me. Hope the boys pull out a convincing W!

Enjoy and hopefully we win this for your birthday. I know the jets played last night but they will be looking for revenge

 

[CanadasTeam]

The boys are loose..

 

[Critical13]

I will be beyond joy when I see Marleau's name on the 3rd line and Nylander beside Matthews.

We can talk all about our strength at C and lack of D, but our LW situation is also a problem with Nylander out. If Matthews is going to face top competition, Marleau is going to continue to be outclassed.

I would adore having him on the 3rd line again.

 

[Zybalto]

I think Winnipeg wins tonight.

I know they are playing a back to back and we are rested, but I think they will be playing hard to split the home and home.

None of them were satisfied with the result last game.

I wonder if the fact they won a hard fought game on the road last night might come into play.

Already banked the first 2 points in the road back to back might take away some of the urgency to go all out against a rested Leafs team eager to improve its home record and confident after the first go around.

 

[IBeL34f]

Enjoy and hopefully we win this for your birthday. I know the jets played last night but they will be looking for revenge

Thanks, Salt! A win tonight and a Nylander signing by Tuesday, and there's not much more I could ask for

I'm expecting the Jets to give us a tough time as well, and hope we're up to the task. The Raptors played last night, so I'm anticipating bad ice and interesting bounces - hopefully they go our way.

 

[Atrusai]

I spent a year (2 minutes) making this in photoshop (paint) just for this game.

 

[wasup]

Watch the Detroit Winnipeg game last night . Winnipeg got off to another slow start and look shaky for parts of the final two . If they do not play better tonight for the whole game Leafs will win by 3-4 goals . Two really good teams struggling with consistancy but when they are on it's very entertaining hockey to watch .

 

[TMLeafs17]

Go Leafs Go!!!

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

5-2 Buds

3 for Matthews
1 for Marner
1 for Naz

Also...

Would like to see Kadri - Matthews - Kap go head to head against Scheifele, Wheeler and Laine since we have last change, but not happening...