TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:
LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 7 vs. Montréal 1
Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
TOR Goals: Marner (PP), Tavares (PP), Nylander, Marner, Tavares (PP), Matthews, Bunting (PP)
MTL Goals: Kovacevic
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 20/21, .952 SV% – Alexander, 0/0, –
MTL Goaltender: Montembeault, 39/46, .848 SV%
TOR Power Play: 4-for-6
TOR Penalty Kill: 4-for-4
Player Notes: – Mitch Marner scored twice in Toronto’s win and added an assist. Marner improved to 98 points this season (30G, 68A), setting a new career-high in points. Marner reached the 30-goal mark for the second occasion during his NHL career (posting a career-high 35 goals during the 2021-22 season).
- John Tavares scored the game-winning goal for Toronto on a power play opportunity at 15:16 of the first period and added a second power play goal at 6:01 of the third period. With 18 power play goals recorded during a single-season with the Maple Leafs, Tavares has tied for third on the franchise leader board with Darcy Tucker and Rick Vaive. Wendel Clark and Dave Andreychuk are tied for the franchise record with 21 power play goals recorded during a singleseason with Toronto.
- William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs at 3:56 of the second period, adding to his careerhigh in goals with his 38th of the season. Nylander registered 10 shots during Saturday’s game, setting a new single-game NHL career-high.
- Auston Matthews tied a single-game NHL career-high with four points (1G, 3A), which he has marked on 12 occasions during his NHL career. Matthews posted his ninth multi-assist game of the season and his 23rd multi-point game of the season.
- Michael Bunting scored on a Toronto power play opportunity at 16:50 of the third period and posted the primary assist on Marner’s second goal of the game. With his 23rd goal of the season, Bunting tied a career-high in goals, previously set during the 2021-22 season with the Maple Leafs. Bunting recorded his 12th multi-point game of the season.
- Erik Gustafsson recorded three assists on Saturday, tying a single-game NHL career-high in assists which he has posted on five occasions during his NHL career. He also tied a single-game NHL career-high in points which he has recorded on eight occasions during his NHL career.
- Ryan O’Reilly also posted three assists for Toronto, tying a single-game NHL career-high in assists which he has marked on 12 occasions during his NHL career. O’Reilly posted his first multi-assist game of the season and fifth multi-point game of the season.
- Ilya Samsonov stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced in Saturday’s win. Jett Alexander made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs.
Team Notes: – Toronto scored seven goals during Saturday’s win, tying a single-game season-high which the club has recorded on three occasions this season. All three of Toronto’s seven-goal outings have been recorded on home ice.
- The Maple Leafs were 4-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Toronto recorded four power play goals on Saturday. The last occasion where the team recorded four power play goals in a single game dates back to Nov. 17, 2015 against Colorado.
TONIGHT’S GAME
2022-23 Matchups vs. Florida: Fourth of Four
2021-22 Record vs. Florida: 1-0-2
Toronto Season Record: 47-21-11
Toronto Road Record: 20-13-5
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Maple Leafs are set to take on the Florida Panthers tonight in the fourth of four matchups between the clubs this season. Toronto has posted a 2-0-1 record against the Panthers this season. The Maple Leafs have earned at least one point in seven-consecutive games against Florida (4-0-3). Tonight, the Maple Leafs will start a three-game road trip that will conclude the team’s 2022-23 regular season schedule. Toronto has posted a 20-13-5 record on the road this season. The Maple Leafs are playing in the first game of a back-to-back, set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night at Amalie Arena. Toronto has posted an 8-5-0 record in the first game of a back-to-back this season. With the Ottawa Senators 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Monday, March 27th, the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot for the seventh-straight season. Earning a playoff spot in seven-consecutive seasons is the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. Toronto earned their spot in the playoffs for the 72nd time in franchise history. The Maple Leafs were the fourth team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs following Boston, Carolina and New Jersey. With the Maple Leafs earning one point in their matchup against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, April 6th and the Tampa Bay Lightning losing in regulation to the New York Islanders, Toronto secured home-ice advantage in their first round meeting with Tampa Bay in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590
NEXT GAME
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Opponent: at Tampa Bay Lightning
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Broadcast Information: TSN4 (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 9, 2023 The Maple Leafs signed forward Matthew Knies to a three-year, entry-level contract.
April 8, 2023 The Maple Leafs signed goaltender Jett Alexander to an amateur tryout agreement.
April 4, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis. Forward Radim Zohorna has been loaned to the Marlies.
April 2, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled forward Nick Abruzzese from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
March 31, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled forward Radim Zohorna from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
INJURY REPORT
Calle Järnkrok Undisclosed (Day-to-Day)
Bobby McMann Knee (IR)
Victor Mete Lower Body (LTIR)
Matt Murray Head Injury (Day-to-Day)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (LTIR)
ALL-TIME VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS:
First Matchup between Clubs: October 21, 1993 (Toronto 4 at Florida 3 – OTW)
All-Time Record: 47-35-7-8 (97 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 27-16-2-2 (47 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 20-19-5-6 (50 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: March 23, 2023 (Toronto 6 at Florida 2)
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS:
Games Played: Luke Schenn (43), John Tavares (41), Morgan Rielly (31)
Goals: John Tavares (24), Auston Matthews (12), Mitch Marner (11), Ryan O’Reilly (11)
Assists: Morgan Rielly (23), Mitch Marner (21), John Tavares (16), Mark Giordano (16)
Points: John Tavares (40), Mitch Marner (32), Morgan Rielly (25)
Penalty Minutes: Luke Schenn (25), John Tavares (18), Mitch Marner (16)
2022-23 AVERAGES
Points% GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .665 3.41 2.71 26.1 81.4 32.4 29.1 53.1
Florida .569 3.54 3.30 23.2 75.5 36.7 31.8 48.8
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23
Power Play: 26.1%
Power Play Goal Leader: 18 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 38 – Tavares (18G, 20A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)
ON THE PK IN 2022-23
Penalty Kill: 81.4%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 4 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 5 – Marner (4G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)
FAST FACTS
Monday games 7th of 7 (4 home, 3 road)
Back-to-Backs played 13 of 14
Record in first game of back-to-back 8-5-0
Record in second game of back-to-back 8-4-1
April games 6th of 8 (3 home, 5 road)
FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 55
- F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 10
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 235
LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Capitals 2 – April 8 – Capital One Arena
FLA Goals: Verhaeghe (41), Ekblad (14-PPG), Tkachuk (40), Reinhart (31)
WSH Goals: Strome (21), Wilson (10)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (W) – 22 Saves
WSH Goalie: Lindgren (L) – 33 Saves
FLA Shots: 37
WSH Shots: 24
Notes: Alex Lyon won his sixth consecutive game, becoming the first Panthers goaltender to record a win streak of six games in his initial season with the club…Matthew Tkachuk (1-2-3) produced his 14th game with at least three points, the most in one season in Florida Panthers franchise history…Tkachuk extended his point streak to 5 games (5-6-11)…Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) recorded his second consecutive multi-point game, his fifth such performance over his past six games…Aleksander Barkov (0-2-2) notched two assists to extend his point streak to six games (2-9-11)…Brandon Montour posted an assist to extend his assist/point streak to six games (2-9-11), the longest assist streak of his career…Carter Verhaeghe scored his team-leading 41st goal of the campaign…Florida out-shot Washington 18-3 in the third period…FLA PP: 1-4, FLA PK: 3-3
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 7: G Mack Guzda loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- April 3: F Ryan McAllister agreed to terms on a 3-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2023-24
PANTHERS vs. MAPLE LEAFS
ALL-TIME vs. TOR: 43-40-7-7
ALL-TIME HOME vs. TOR: 25-17-5-3
2022-23 vs. TOR: 1-1-1
CATS STATS
- Florida ranks third among NHL teams with 3.79 goals per game at home, leading all clubs with an average 38.8 shots per game at home
- Matthew Tkachuk’s 59 home points (20-39-59) are fifth-most among League skaters this season.
- Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe are the first pair of Panthers skaters to reach 40 goals in a season in club history.
POWER UP
The Panthers have scored a power-play goal in 13 of their past 15 games, scoring on 30.9% of their power plays, the fourth-best mark among teams over that span. Since March 10, the Cats lead all teams with 17 PPGs, Sam Reinhart paces all skaters with seven power-play tallies, and Brandon Montour leads all skaters with 13 power-play points. Aaron Ekblad also leads all NHL blueliners over that span with three PPGs. Montour’s 33 power-play points this season are tied with Quinn Hughes for the league lead among defensemen, while Ekblad’s eight power-play tallies are tied for most by a defenseman this season.
BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
Aaron Ekblad’s April 8 at WSH propelled Florida’s total goals this season by defensemen to 52, the second-most among NHL teams and representing the second consecutive season Florida defensemen have combined for over 50 goals. Three Florida defenseman (Montour, Ekblad, Forsling) have scored at least 13 goals this season, more than any other NHL team. Panthers blueliners have totaled 199 points this season, ranking second behind Colorado (209) for the league lead.
THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN
Florida’s matchup with Ottawa on April 6 featured 166 combined penalty minutes, the most combined PIMs in any regular season contest since Nov. 5, 2016 (VAN vs. TOR, 171 PIMs). Matthew Tkachuk surpassed the 100 PIM-mark for the second time in his career, and along with his career-high 108 points this season, he became the first NHLer since Sidney Crosby in 2005-06 to produce 100 points and 100 PIMs in a season. Only three total skaters have accomplished the feat since 1995-96 (also Joe Thornton in 2002- 03). Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon stopped 56 of 58 Ottawa shots he faced in the game, one shy of Roberto Luongo’s club record of 57 on Feb. 27, 2022 vs. DET.
Florida Panthers: Media Notes
CATS AND MAPLE LEAFS
The Panthers will face off against the Maple Leafs for the fourth and final time in 2022-23, and the third time in the past 13 days. In their previous matchup on March 29 at Scotiabank Arena, Brandon Montour scored his second career overtime goal after Sam Reinhart forced OT with a game-tying goal with a minute remaining in regulation. In Toronto’s past 10 visits to FLA Live Arena, the Panthers own an 8-2-0 record. Montour (1-3-4) and Aleksander Barkov (1-3-4) each lead Florida with four points against the Maple Leafs this season. Barkov has logged 28 points (11-17-28) over 31 career games against Toronto.
