Sports
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers – Game #65 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info
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Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, and Erik Gustafsson will make their home debuts as the Maple Leafs attempt to avenge their recent 5-2 loss to the Oilers tonight on HNIC (7 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).
The Leafs should have learned a few lessons in their March 1 loss out in Edmonton: In addition to staying out of the box against the league’s best (/historically good) power play, it’s critically important that they force Connor McDavid to spend more of his shifts inside his own zone and that they don’t feed the McDavid and Draisaitl lines with transition opportunities by turning pucks over in the neutral zone.
Edmonton is a deeper team than they were when these two teams last met just 10 days ago; Evander Kane has returned from injury and rejoined Connor McDavid on the top line, pushing Draisaitl back to center on the second line, while big centerman Nick Bjugstad was added to bolster their depth down the middle before the trade deadline passed. Edmonton has now won four of their last five, including a recent 3-2 win on the road in Boston in which they came back from 2-0 down to hand the Bruins just their third regulation loss in 32 home games.
The Leafs are 2-2-0 so far in the month of March as they have navigated something of a transition period with all of the new bodies arriving — and then an important one leaving the lineup due to injury in Ryan O’Reilly, in addition to John Tavares missing a game — as Sheldon Keefe has actively juggled his lines and reconfigured his lineup (11/7 will return tonight).
Tavares will be back in the lineup tonight, but he won’t fully rejoin William Nylander on the second unit; instead, Keefe is opting to give Sam Lafferty more run as the center on Nylander’s line after a good night in New Jersey in which Lafferty added some pace to a line that opened the scoring for the Leafs. Whether it lasts will remain to be seen as Tavares will start on a forward “pairing” with Michael Bunting in the 11/7 setup with the expectation that he will be moved around plenty, and how the game plays out in terms of leading/chasing will, of course, change the deployment.
Despite a rough game vs. Vancouver with 11/7 and a much better outing against New Jersey with 12/6, Keefe is persisting with 11/7 due to his desire to keep the momentum of Erik Gustafsson’s strong season in Washington going as he moves over into more of a depth role in Toronto. Despite carrying nine defensemen on the roster, the O’Reilly injury allows the Leafs to bring one of Alex Steeves or Pontus Holmberg into the lineup to complete four forward lines, but neither played much at all in New Jersey, and Gustafsson will start on a pairing with Morgan Rielly while manning the second power-play unit.
The other factor at play is that this is the first time Keefe will deploy 11/7 with the benefit of the last change on home ice.
Head to Head: Oilers vs. Leafs
In the season-to-date statistics, the Oilers hold the advantage over the Leafs in five out of five offensive categories, but the Leafs hold the advantage in five out of five defensive categories.
Game Day Quotes
Sheldon Keefe on the lessons from the loss to Edmonton earlier this month:
How hard the opposition played. You are aware of their best players and all of that, but to me, we made two mistakes with turnovers in the neutral zone that McDavid turned around and put in our net within seconds.
There is that, and it is obvious. We talked about that, but they played a really sound and hard team game that made it difficult for us to generate any sort of meaningful offense. That is a big piece for us to contend with today.
We have to tighten things up defensively ourselves, and we have to find ways to get through the neutral zone and play more on offense.
Keefe on the plan to rotate Michael Bunting and John Tavares within the 11-forward setup:
John and Bunts will have different linemates quite a bit, whether it is them moving into other lines or others filling into that spot. That is where I have the open spot to begin. I like the other three lines. I will try to be as stable as I can with those.
Keefe on Jake McCabe’s fit in Toronto so far:
He has come in and played big minutes and tough matchups for us. He is a guy who plays with poise. He is calm. He is a veteran player, really. He has fit in really well. He has partnered with Brodie and they have done a really good job together with him.
It has been nice to have him. He has taken on a lot of minutes. It didn’t register until talking to him yesterday that it was his first day in our facility in Toronto. He is only going to get better the more comfortable he gets.
Jake McCabe on Connor McDavid somehow finding another level offensively:
I don’t know if he is shooting more or what, but his ability to find space and create space out of basically nothing is impressive. His release is elite. The puck is finding the back of the net a lot more this year for him. I don’t think anyone is really that surprised in the league, to be honest.
McCabe on going four straight games without an on-ice goal against since joining the Leafs:
Playing with Brods, he is such a steady presence for me joining a new team. He is such a good skater. He has such good gaps and makes such solid plays out there. Having a partner like that is easy to read off of. We have been working well together in that aspect.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft on his team’s 5-2 win over Toronto on Mar. 1:
We skated well in that game against a team that skates very well. We started the way we wanted to. We got better as the game wore on. We found contributions from a lot of different players that night.
When you are playing a team of Toronto’s calibre, you need everyone playing toward a certain standard and pulling on the same rope. On that evening, we had that, but that was a while ago.
Our focus and attention are on a very good Toronto team tonight… It is not going to take one line to contain them. It is not going to take one shutdown D pair. It is going to take everyone in our lineup to be playing the game the right way.
Woodcroft on the addition of Mattias Ekholm to the Oilers’ blue line:
He fits our team like a glove. He was exactly what our team needed. He is a big, shutdown defender that has some offense to him.
He has veteran poise and veteran presence. He has had a very good effect on Evan Bouchard. When he is on the ice, his teammates feel good about it and his coaching staff feels good about it.
Jack Campbell on his anticipation for the reception he’ll receive in his first game back in Toronto:
I definitely appreciate all of the love they have given me in my career here. I can’t really imagine what it is going to be like until the moment happens. I love all the fans here. I love my teammates and the city.
There were so many special moments. Even going out there today, I was remembering a lot of the little things that meant the world to me. Now my focus is on trying to make some great memories with the Oilers.
Campbell on not starting in either game against the Leafs this season, including in his return to Toronto:
You guys know I hold myself to a pretty high standard. It just hasn’t gone that way yet this year, but I’m working hard and I know I’ll get there.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#15 Alex Kerfoot – #34 Auston Matthews – #16 Mitch Marner
#88 William Nylander – #28 Sam Lafferty – #19 Calle Järnkrok
#58 Michael Bunting – #91 John Tavares
#12 Zach Aston-Reese – #64 David Kämpf – #52 Noel Acciari
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe – #78 TJ Brodie
#44 Morgan Rielly – #56 Erik Gustafsson
#55 Mark Giordano – #37 Timothy Liljegren
#3 Justin Holl
Goaltenders
Starter: #30 Matt Murray
#34 Ilya Samsonov
Extras: Wayne Simmonds, Conor Timmins, Alex Steeves
Injured: Ryan O’Reilly, Nick Robertson, Jake Muzzin, Victor Mete
Edmonton Oilers Projected Lines
Forwards
#91 Evander Kane – #97 Connor McDavid – #18 Zach Hyman
#93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – #29 Leon Draisaitl – #56 Kailer Yamamoto
#37 Warren Foegele – #72 Nick Bjugstad – #26 Mattias Janmark
#14 Devin Shore – #71 Ryan McLeod – #10 Derek Ryan
Defensemen
#25 Darnell Nurse – #5 Cody Ceci
#14 Mattias Ekholm – #2 Evan Bouchard
#27 Brett Kulak – #73 Vincent Desharnais
Goaltenders
Starter: #74 Stuart Skinner
#36 Jack Campbell
Injured: Ryan Murray
Sports
Marchand says Maple Leafs are Bruins’ ‘biggest rival’ ahead of 1st-round series – NHL.com
BOSTON – Forget Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens.
For Brad Marchand, right now, it’s all about Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You see the excitement they have all throughout Canada when they’re in playoffs,” Marchand said Thursday. “Makes it a lot of fun to play them. And I think, just with the history we’ve had with them recently, they’re probably our biggest rival right now over the last decade.
“They’ve probably surpassed Montreal and any other team with kind of where our rivalry’s gone, just because we’ve both been so competitive with each other, and we’ve had a few playoff series. It definitely brings the emotion, the intensity, up in the games and the excitement for the fans.
“It’s a lot of fun to play them.”
The Bruins and Maple Leafs will renew their rivalry in their first round series, which starts Saturday at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS). They’ll be familiar opponents.
Over the past 11 seasons, the Bruins have faced the Maple Leafs four times in the postseason, starting with the epic 2013 matchup in the first round. That resulted in an all-time instant classic, the Game 7 in which the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period and came roaring back for an overtime win that helped propel them to the Stanely Cup Final.
That would prove to be the model and, in the intervening years, the Bruins have beaten them in each of the three subsequent series, including going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018 and 2019.
Which could easily be where this series is going.
“Offensively they’re a gifted hockey club,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. “They present a lot of challenges down around the netfront area. We’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are. So I expect it to be a tight series overall.”
But if anyone knows the Maple Leafs — and what to expect — it’s Marchand. In his career, he’s played 146 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 11th most of any active player. Twenty-one of those games have come against the Maple Leafs, games in which Marchand has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
“They’re always extremely competitive,” Marchand said. “You never know which way the series is going to go. But that’s what you want. That’s what you love about hockey is the competition aspect. They’re real competitors over there, especially the way they’re built right now. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and that’s what playoffs is about. It’s about the best teams going head-to-head.”
But even though the history favors the Bruins — including having won each of the past six playoff matchups, dating back to the NHL’s expansion era in 1967-68 and each of the four regular-season games in 2023-24 — Marchand is throwing that out the window.
“That means nothing,” he said.
The Maple Leafs bring the No. 2 offense in the NHL into their series, having scored 3.63 goals per game. They were led by Auston Matthews and his 69 goals this season, a new record for him and for the franchise.
“You have to be hard on a guy like that and limit his time and space with the puck,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “He’s really good at getting in position to receive the puck and he’s got linemates who can put it right on his tape for him. You’ve just got to know where he is, especially in our D zone. He likes to loop away after cycling it and kind of find that sweet spot coming down Broadway there in the middle. It’s not just a one-person job.”
Nor is Matthews their only threat.
“They have a lot of great players, skill players, who play hard and can be very dangerous around the net and create scoring opportunities,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You’ve just got to be aware of who’s out there and who you’re against, who you’re matched up against, and play hard. Also, too, we’ve got to focus on our game and what we do well and when we do that, we trust each other and have that belief in each other, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”
Especially against the Maple Leafs.
Marchand, who grew up in Halifax loving the Maple Leafs, still gets a thrill to see their alumni walking around Scotiabank Arena in the playoffs. And it’s even more special to be on the ice with them, to be competing against them — even more so when the Bruins keep winning.
But that certainly doesn’t mean this series will be easy.
“They’ll be a [heck] of a challenge,” Marchand said.
Sports
NHL sets Round 1 schedule for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Daily Faceoff
The chase for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice will begin on Saturday.
After what could be described as the most exciting season in NHL history that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to clinch playoff spots, players and staff now get ready as 16 teams go to battle.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks have a massive year and finish first in the Pacific Division with captain Quinn Hughes leading all defensemen in points. The Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for most points. The Nashville Predators went on a franchise-record winning streak in order to lock themselves into a Wild Card spot, and the Washington Capitals clinched the last Wild Card spot in the East after a wild finish that saw the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers see their playoff hopes crumble in front of them.
While Auston Matthews missed out on scoring 70 goals, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov became the first players since 1990-91 to record 100 assists in a single season. They joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to do so.
With the bracket set, it’s time to expect the unexpected.
Here is the schedule for Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
#A1 Florida Panthers vs. #WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Tampa at Florida | 12:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Tampa at Florida | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Florida at Tampa | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Florida at Tampa | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 5. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 6. Florida at Tampa | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
#A2 Boston Bruins vs. #A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. Toronto at Boston | 8 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. Toronto at Boston | 7 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 3. Boston at Toronto | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Boston at Toronto | 8 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Boston at Toronto | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
#M1 New York Rangers vs. #WC2 Washington Capitals
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Washington at New York | 3 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Washington at New York | 7 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 2. New York at Washington | 7 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 2. New York at Washington | 8 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 2. New York at Washington | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
#M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #M3 New York Islanders
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. New York at Carolina | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. New York at Carolina | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Carolina at New York | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Carolina at New York | 2 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Carolina at New York | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Western Conference
#C1 Dallas Stars vs. #WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 3. Dallas at Vegas | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 4. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
#C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. #C3 Colorado Avalanche
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Colorado at Winnipeg | 7 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Colorado at Winnipeg | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Winnipeg at Colorado | 10 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Winnipeg at Colorado | 2:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Winnipeg at Colorado | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
#P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #WC1 Nashville Predators
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Vancouver at Nashville | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Vancouver at Nashville | 5 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Vancouver at Nashville | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
#P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. #P3 Los Angeles Kings
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Edmonton at Los Angeles | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
Sports
With matchup vs. Kings decided, Oilers should be confident facing familiar foe – Sportsnet.ca
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