The Toronto Maple Leafs will combat the Columbus Blue Jackets for a house recreation when the groups meet within the Ontario capital on Saturday night time.
Toronto gained Friday night time’s opener in Columbus with two objectives from John Tavares, one from Pierre Engvall, two assists from Mitchell Marner and 30 saves from Ilya Samsonov, who scored his 3rd shutout of the season.
It used to be the primary recreation again from the All-Megastar split for each groups.
The win opened Toronto to a five-game stretch in opposition to groups that aren’t within the playoffs.
“Thanks to my team-mates, I’ve never seen a better defense than tonight,” stated Samsonov, who began for the 8th directly season. “Blocked shots and how they played penalties, that shutout wasn’t about me. It was more about the team.”
Joseph Woll, who performed 4 video games for Toronto endmost season, is anticipated to produce his season debut in function for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Matt Murray is out with an ankle shock.
Tavares stated of Friday’s win: “We did some good things, I think the (defense) was really strong and physical.”
Marner added, “I thought we didn’t cheat on offense when we were in the lead. That’s how we need to see things more often. When we play the way we can, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Maple Leafs mentor Sheldon Keefe stated, “We didn’t manage to convert the number of chances we had to extend our lead, but I thought we played a pretty solid and patient game within that. We didn’t give up much and extended our lead in the third period, that’s what you want.”
Joonas Korpisalo made 38 saves for the Blue Jackets, who’ve misplaced 4 directly video games (0-3-1) and are 2-6-2 of their endmost 10.
“This is a pretty good hockey team,” Blue Jackets mentor Brad Larsen stated of the Maple Leafs. “They have six really good ones (defenders). They are where they are for a reason. This group (Toronto) has been growing together for a while, especially this core. They built and that was a focus for them for their top guys.”
Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner added, “We need to find a way to generate more offense and put a few in the back of a net.”
Korpisalo stored Columbus within the recreation however Toronto scored two times within the 3rd duration with objectives from Engvall and Tavares in 49 seconds.
“(We) were just a shot away for a long time,” stated Larsen. “We actually had some decent looks there at the end of the second and the beginning of the third and then they get these two quick ones at us.”
The Maple Leafs are nonetheless with out Auston Matthews, who’s akin to coming back from a knee shock. He took phase in coaching on Thursday.
“Definitely in the right direction,” Matthews stated. “I’m taking it day by day, hopefully it won’t take more than a week to get some good practices in place.”
He injured his knee on January 25 generation the Maple Leafs have been taking part in the Untouched York Rangers. He stated he felt one thing in his knee generation warming up prior to the sport.
“I checked, I knew something was going on, just one of those weird things,” he stated.
Columbus known as defenseman Tim Berni of the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters forward of the two-game line in opposition to Toronto. The Maple Leafs recalled forwards Pontus Holmberg, Alex Steeves and Woll from the AHL Toronto Marlies and positioned Murray on injured secure.
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