Preview: Coyotes Face Maple Leafs in Toronto on Thursday

Feb. 29, 2024 | 5:00 pm MST | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: Stream Only (Arizona Coyotes App, NHL App, Arizona Sports App)

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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- The Arizona Coyotes are set to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, playing in the third game of their current five-game road trip. It also marks the first of back-to-back games, as Arizona plays in Ottawa on Friday night.

It's the second-and-final time Arizona and Toronto will meet this season; The Maple Leafs won 6-3 on Feb. 21 at Mullett Arena, finishing 2-for-5 on the power play.

“They’re a good team, they have really high-end players, and if you give them chances on special teams they’re going to take advantage of it.” forward Jack McBain said. “We need to play a really disciplined game, take care of our end of the puck and play 5-on-5, we’ll be alright.”

Forward Matias Maccelli has recorded a point in each of his last three games, notching two goals and an assist over that span. The 23-year-old has one goal and two assists in three career games against the Maple Leafs.

Defenseman Sean Durzi was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Draft, and said it’s always special when he returns to face them. The Mississauga, Ontario native has a goal and three assists in four career games against Toronto.

“They made a dream come true for me, so that’s pretty special,” he said. “I have a lot of family and friends here. It’s always a cool city to come back to visit.”

Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to make his third consecutive start, and the 26-year-old is 17-14-3 with five shutouts, a 2.81 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He has never faced the Maple Leafs in his career.

Player to Watch: Forward Nick Schmaltz has two goals and two assists over his last four games, and eight points in 10 career games against Toronto.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS
Toronto is third in the Atlantic Division, and most recently fell 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. They had won seven in a row before that, though, and are 8-2-0 over their last 10 games.

William Nylander leads the way with 79 points, which also ranks seventh in the NHL. Arizona native Auston Matthews, meanwhile, leads the league with 52 goals, and his 77 points rank eighth. Mitch Marner (72), John Tavares (43), and Morgan Rielly (43) round out the top five.

Toronto raced out to a 3-0 first-period lead against Arizona last week en route to their 6-3 win.

“They killed us off the rush,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Their power play is rolling. They are really good in their o-zone as well, finding the soft spots and guy open in the slot.”

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said goalie Joseph Woll is projected to start tonight, and the 25-year-old netminder is 8-5-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .916 SV% this season. He has never faced the Coyotes in his career.

Ilya Samsonov (14-5-2; 3.25 GAA; .881 SV%) was in net the first time Arizona and Toronto played this season.

The Maple Leafs bring the top offense in the league, as both their power play (29.1 percent) and goals-for (3.66) rank first in the NHL. They do allow the 12th-most goals per game (3.17), and their penalty kill is tied for 23rd with a 77.6 percent success rate.

Player to Watch: Forward Tyler Bertuzzi has five points over his last three games, including a hat trick in Toronto’s 4-3 win at Colorado on Feb. 24. He has a goal and six assists in eight career games against the Coyotes.