http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1086341187731
Saturday game preview: Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues
St. Louis lost its first game at home on Thursday night.
https://www.thestar.com/sports/leaf...me-preview-maple-leafs-at-st-louis-blues.html
By
Kevin McGranSports Reporter
Fri., Nov. 3, 2017
SCOTTRADE CENTER
FACEOFF: 7 p.m.
TV: CBC
RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
KEY PLAYERS
Schwartz/Matthews
The Blues’
Jaden Schwartz looks to have joined the elite scorers this season, with eight goals and nine assists in 14 games. Schwartz, 25, has had three seasons of 55 or more points, including a career-best 63 in 75 games three years ago. . . .
Auston Matthews, a 40-goal scorer a year ago, scored his 10th this season on a penalty shot Thursday night. That puts
the Leafs sophomore on pace for 58 goals.
NEED TO KNOW
The Blues (10-3-1, 5-1-0 at home) lost their first game at the Scottrade Center on Thursday, 2-0 to Philadelphia. The Leafs (8-6-0) are 4-3-0 on the road. . . . St. Louis was 14th in goals per game (3.07) and second in goals-against per game (2.29) through Thursday’s games. The Leafs were second offensively (3.79 goals per game) but just 26th defensively (3.50). . . . The Blues’ special teams are a weak spot. The power play is at 15.6 per cent, 22nd in the league, and their penalty kill is 25th with a 77.5 per cent efficiency. . . . Defenceman
Alex Pietrangelo leads all Blues in average time on ice at 26:02. . . . Goalie
Ville Husso was returned to the minors when regular backup
Carter Hutton rejoined the team following the birth of his child. The Blues are still without forward
Robby Fabbri (torn ACL), forward
Zach Sanford (left shoulder) and defenceman
Jay Bouwmeester (left ankle).
UP NEXT
Monday vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m.
Game Day: Maple Leafs at Blues
Terry KoshanMore from Terry Koshan
http://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/game-day-maple-leafs-at-blues
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (8-6-0) at ST. LOUIS BLUES (10-3-1)
7 p.m., Scottrade Center
TV: CBC, Sportsnet
Radio: 590 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
Nazem Kadri vs. Brayden Schenn
The Leafs will get their first look at Schenn, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers, in a Blues uniform. Taken fifth overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2009 NHL draft, two picks before the Leafs chose Kadri, Schenn has eight goals in 19 career games against the Leafs. If they line up against each other, Kadri, with 269 points in 422 career games, might remind Schenn, with 259 points in 447 career games, who has been more productive.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. More Freddie fun
Two games does not a hot streak make, but the Leafs are keeping their fingers crossed that Frederik Andersen has turned a corner. In his two games on the four-game trip, Andersen has a .955 save percentage, stopping 64 of 67 shots. In his NHL career, Andersen is 4-3-1 versus St. Louis with a .923 save percentage.
2. Turn the page
What more can coach Mike Babcock do to stress to his players that turnovers, especially those that are unforced, can lead to goals against? Babcock has been harping for a while, to little avail. There’s no reason for the Leafs to be fatigued, or have a slow start, considering they had a day of travel Friday with no practice.
3. Play the hits
When the Leafs departed the Staples Center on Thursday, a few mentioned the Blues’ physicality. The Blues were second in the NHL with 351 hits, but the Leafs weren’t far off with 320, and Leo Komarov led all NHLers with 55. If the Leafs are serious about finishing the trip right, they’ll match the Blues’ physical approach.
4. Warning bells
The Blues expect to face a Leafs team that will be sour after Toronto lost in Los Angeles on Thursday. It could work well for the Leafs if they meet those expectations. “We’re going to play a desperate team,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said. “They have a knack for dialling up the tempo and the pace of the game.”
5. Regroup on the PK
For only the second time this season, the Leafs allowed two power-play goals against when they fell 5-3 to the Kings, who had four power plays. “Penalty kill, we got caught too high,” Mike Babcock said. “Those are things we can fix.” The Blues have an average power play, scoring three times on 17 chances at home.
MAPLE LEAFS LINES
LW-C-RW
Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
James van Riemsdyk-Patrick Marleau-Connor Brown
Leo Komarov-Nazem Kadri-Kasperi Kapanen
Matt Martin-Tyler Bozak-Mitch Marner
Defence pairs
Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev
Andreas Borgman-Roman Polak
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
BLUES LINES
LW-C-RW
Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Alexander Steen
Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Vladimir Tarasenko
Dmitrij Jaskin-Oskar Sundqvist-Magnus Paajarvi
Scottie Upshall-Kyle Brodziak-Chris Thorburn
Defence pairs
Carl Gunnarsson-Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Vince Dunn-Robert Bortuzzo
Goaltenders
Jake Allen
Carter Hutton
INJURIES
Blues — D Jay Bouwmeester (ankle), F Robby Fabbri (knee), F Zach Sanford (shoulder), F Patrik Berglund (shoulder).
Maple Leafs — None.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power play
Blues: 15.6% (22nd)
Maple Leafs: 25% (6th)
Penalty kill
Blues: 77.5% (25th)
Maple Leafs: 81.3% (14th)