Saturday afternoon will be a showcase game for Hockey Night in Canada as the Vancouver Canucks host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rogers Arena.
All of Canada will be tuning in to watch the top team in the league host the third-placed team in the Atlantic Division.
The Leafs are coming into Vancouver after snapping a four-game losing streak in a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
Auston Matthews is the first name to mention in this preview as he is the league leader in goals with 37 through his first 42 games of the season. Matthews has 28 goals at even-strength this season and is averaging 21:15 of ice time per night.
There’s typically a lot of in-game line juggling with the Leafs but for now, it looks like Matthews will centre a line with Pontus Holmberg on the left wing and Mitch Marner on the right.
Youngster Matthew Knies has found a spot in Toronto’s top-six. The 21-year-old is playing left wing on Toronto’s second line that has John Tavares at centre and William Nylander on the right wing.
Nylander is the leading point-getter for the Leafs. He’s got 59 points in 43 games this season and currently sits tied with Elias Pettersson for sixth place in league scoring.
A few forwards of note in the bottom-six include Tyler Bertuzzi, who has 19 points on the year, and Max Domi, who has 23 points this season.
On the backend, Morgan Reilly leads the way in ice time with an average of 24:24. He’s been producing a lot offensively as well – picking up seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 43 games. Reilly is paired up with T.J. Brodie and the pairing holds a strong control of the goal share. When they are on the ice together at five-on-five, the Leafs have scored 32 goals and allowed 24 against.
Quick Hits on the Competition:
- The Leafs have four All-Stars: Auston Matthews, Morgan Reilly, William Nylander and Mitch Marner.
- Goaltending has been the biggest worry for the Leafs so far this season. Joseph Woll is travelling but is not expected to play as he nears return from injury. Martin Jones has been the leading man for the Leafs recently – starting for the Leafs in nine of their last 10 games.
- The Leafs’ power play has clicked at 26% this season and that is good enough for sixth in the league. Matthews leads the way with nine power play goals while Nylander and Marner are tied for second with six power play goals a piece.
- Sitting at 77.1% on the year, the Leafs have the 25th-ranked penalty kill in the league.
The Canucks continue to roll and as of Thursday evening, they were number one in the league for points with 64 at a 30-11-4 record.
Over their last 19 games, the Canucks are 14-2-3 and have outscored their opponents by a 69-45 count.
Through that 19-game stretch, the goaltending has been great. Thatcher Demko has made 13 starts and holds a .922% save percentage while Casey DeSmith has made six starts and has a .931% save percentage.
Elias Pettersson was the best producer during this strong stretch of hockey. The All-Star Swede has 14 goals and 11 assists in his last 19 games and has propelled himself into the top-10 for league goal-scoring.
As we mentioned earlier, Pettersson is now tied for sixth in the league for points and is now tied with Nathan MacKinnon for ninth in goals with 24.
We’ve seen the no-name line of Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland, and Dakota Joshua continue to play excellent hockey and they are being deployed more like a second line than the third line that we have been calling them for most of the season.
The no-name line has now been on the ice for 15 goals scored and only eight goals against in 268 minutes of five-on-five play.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five:
Elias Pettersson: 5g-2a-7p
J.T. Miller: 1g-6a-7p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
Dakota Joshua: 2g-1a-3p
Conor Garland: 1g-2a-3p
Quinn Hughes: 1g-2a-3p
Puck drop is an early one as the game is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT and you can watch it on Hockey Night in Canada. The 4:00 pm start will give you more time in the evening to hang with family and friends or maybe even take in the Abbotsford Canucks game – they play at 7:00 pm at the Abbotsford Centre.
If you’re looking for the radio broadcast, look no further than Sportsnet 650 and listen to Brendan Batchelor deliver a play-by-play call that is worthy of a Grammy.
Do not forget the 4:00 pm start!
