LEAF NOTES: Road home through Seattle will be tough to end trip

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Printed Jan 20, 2024  •  3 minute learn

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The Maple Leafs nonetheless have a recreation to go on their Western street journey Sunday night time, slipping south just a few miles to play the Seattle Kraken at Local weather Pledge Area.

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The very streaky Kraken had a nine-game win streak as much as Jan. 13, then misplaced the final three of six consecutive street contests, wherein they produced simply 4 objectives. However Seattle can have some relaxation earlier than Toronto arrives and although the current defeats value it some floor within the Pacific Division, they’re significantly better at puck safety and retrieval than the Leafs in line with most league metrics.

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Jared McCann, the ahead the Leafs acquired to show to Seattle within the enlargement draft, has objectives in his previous two video games, main the staff with 18.

Toronto’s back-to-back and a lightweight schedule subsequent week (two video games) resulting in the all-star break may see a lineup change or two Sunday with idled defenceman Conor Timmins and wingers Nick Robertson or Ryan Reaves. The latter, a wholesome scratch since he needed to miss just a few days with a kneecap damage in mid-December, turned 37 on Saturday.

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CURTIS: NO COURTESY FOR AUSTON

Curtis Joseph, a visitor on CITY-TV’s Breakfast Tv the morning after Auston Matthews’ three-goal, four-point recreation in Calgary, was requested his ideas when  watching a possible 70-goal yr from the Leafs’ star centre.

“He’s unimaginable. What goes via my thoughts is ‘may I cease him?,” stated the 454-game profitable goalie, a Leaf between 1998-2002. “If he’s coming down on me, what would I do? Definitely, guys like which have a knack. You give him one likelihood and it’s within the internet.

“It’s important to over-play them. I’d be telling my defence ‘simply don’t let him shoot’. I used to say that about Jaromir Jagr, ‘hey, simply cowl him. I’ve a greater likelihood stopping everyone else. Simply keep on his again’.

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“So, once I see him get open and Mitch Marner fireplace one over to him, I say ‘ha, ha, how can they not cowl this man? How do you not know the place he’s?’

“That’s the way you win, cowl one of the best gamers.”

HILDEBEAST HOT

Rookie AHLer Dennis Hildeby made 24 saves on Saturday because the Toronto Marlies beat the Charlotte Checkers 5-2 in North Carolina.

Captain Logan Shaw scored twice together with an empty netter, Alex Steeves added a purpose and help with a team-high 5 pictures, whereas defenceman Maxime Lajoie contributed two helpers.

ROGERS A MOUNTAIN FOR LEAFS

Saturday marked 53 years since Toronto’s first win in Vancouver on the now-razed Pacific Coliseum within the Canucks’ enlargement yr. That 5-1 victory featured 4 assists from stay-at-home defenceman Bobby Baun.

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However success at PNE or the newer digs at Rogers Area has been tough for the Leafs. Along with an general street report of 26-42-11-3 in B.C. earlier than Saturday, the Leafs’ six losses at Rogers are essentially the most in a non-conference metropolis the previous 5 seasons in information ready by betway.com to find out the toughest rinks for all NHL groups to play in.

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The Leafs have additionally misplaced six occasions in 5 years to division rival Montreal within the Bell Centre, however flip the script on the Canadiens at Scotiabank Area, beating them eight occasions to make Bay St. the Habs’ hardest cease on the circuit.

Amalie Area in Tampa Bay is the toughest of all, denying six totally different groups 4 to 6 occasions within the five-year research.

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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