Facing one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NHL over the first 10 games of the season, the Maple Leafs are looking to clean up their own game without the puck as they visit Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers for a HNIC matchup (7:00 p.m. EST, CBC).
Game Day Quotes
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet on facing a Craig Berube-coached team:
Always a prepared and hard-working team — in St. Louis and in Toronto. They were one game away from beating the Stanley Cup champs. Obviously, Game 7 didn’t go their way.
They play hard, and when they are not playing hard, he somehow gets it through to them. They don’t go very often where they play bad games.
We are on high alert. They are a desperate team coming in here. We didn’t have the greatest game last game, so it is an interesting game for both teams, to be honest with you.
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Flyers:
They’re playing a good, structured game right now and are not giving up much. They’re tight defensively, and you have to work for your chances. We are going to have to shoot our way in for chances. He has his team playing the right way, and they’re packing it in around their net and protecting.
They’re dangerous, too. They have some good skill over there that is dangerous. They added Zegras and Michkov. They have Tippett. We can go down the line, but they have some good offensive threats out there. They’re getting timely goals, and their goalie is playing really well right now.
Matthew Knies on the Leafs‘ need to improve defensively:
I think we just have to simplify and get back to what was working for us. Last year, we were a great defending team. We are just trying to get back to that.
It is a quick fix. We just have to work hard, simplify the game, and play above them… We are just too eager to play offense right now, and everyone is getting below the goal line. We are getting beaten up the ice.
We have to play structured, have a good F3 who is always above, and not allow the rushes. It’s the main focus.
Matias Maccelli on the large quantity of rush goals against in the first 10 games:
If you play good defense, offense will follow. The other teams are too good. If you only focus on making plays on offense and scoring, they’ll score on you. The key is to play better and harder defense. From there, we create offense.
We just haven’t made solid plays on the blue lines. We need to play a little bit harder, put the pucks in when there are no plays to be made, and when there are plays to be made, make them. We need to play more solid and go deep with it sometimes, with good support when our D go in for offense, too.
Easton Cowan on the team’s areas for improvement after a 5-5-1 start:
When this team is at its best, it is by defending first and then getting our chances. We have done a great job of putting up goals. We have to tighten things up a bit defensively, keep playing north, and keep playing our game. We will find it eventually.
It is a little bit of adversity early in the year. You never want to lose, but it happens. We have to move on, keep trying to get better, and keep trying to find our game.
Berube on the return of Chris Tanev to the lineup:
It will be (a boost), for sure. He provides a structured hockey game. He does a lot of really good things for us, whether it is going up against top lines on other teams, defending our net front, or on the PK. It is great to have him back.
Tocchet on what former Leaf Nikita Grebenkin needs to do to become a full-time NHLer:
It’s consistency, and knowing where to go at certain times in pressure situations. I think he is thinking so much now because we have thrown a lot at him with the systems stuff. I don’t want him to think so much Xs and Os that he’s overthinking. If he is thinking too much, he gets lost, and he’ll stop skating.
That’s natural as a young guy with a language barrier and so on. We played him in a couple of games, and then had him work with the coaches, and now we get him back in. Hopefully, he can string some good games together for us.
Berube on Grebenkin:
I liked him a lot. He has some jam to him, and I love that. He has energy, emotion, and is physical. He is not afraid out there; he gets involved. I like his hands and his puck play down low in the offensive zone; he is strong on pucks, hangs onto pucks, and is good in that area of the ice.
He is going to be a good player. He just has to learn the game. He is a young Russian kid, and they have to learn the whole game. But that is where he is effective.
Maple Leafs vs. Flyers: Head-to-Head Stats
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines*
*final line combinations are unknown until line rushes; William Nylander is OUT after practicing with a regular line on Friday.
Forwards
#74 Bobby McMann* – #34 Auston Matthews – #89 Nick Robertson*
#23 Matthew Knies* – #91 John Tavares – #63 Matias Maccelli*
#81 Dakota Joshua – #55 Nicolas Roy – #53 Easton Cowan
#79 Sammy Blais – #11 Max Domi – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Jake McCabe – #2 Simon Benoit
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson – #8 Chris Tanev
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#30 Cayden Primeau
Extras: Joseph Woll, Philippe Myers
Injured: William Nylander, Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton
Philadelphia Flyers Projected Lines
Forwards
#74 Owen Tippett – #46 Trevor Zegras – #39 Matvei Michkov
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#29 Nikita Grebenkin – #22 Christian Dvorak – #11 Travis Konecny
#78 Jacob Gaucher – #18 Rodrigo Abols – #19 Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#5 Egor Zamula – #47 Noah Juulsen
Goaltenders
Starter: #80 Dan Vladar
#35 Aleksei Kolosov
Injured/Out: Rasmus Ristolainen, Samuel Ersson, Sean Couturier
