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Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. EST  |  Arena: PPG Paints Arena |  TV: SN Ontario  |  Radio: TSN 1050


Game Day Quotes

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on the threat the Leafs pose:

We’re going to play a team tonight that has as good of a transition game as there is in the league. We’ve got to make sure we make good decisions with that puck going through the neutral zone so that we don’t give them an opportunity to transition and play three-quarters of the rink on us. I think it’s important for us to make them play goal line to goal line.

We’re familiar with Toronto. We know what their identity is and what their strengths are. We’ve got to make sure that we try to dictate the terms out there. When you play teams like Toronto that have a pretty dynamic offense and a real good transition game like they do, we’ve just got to make sure we don’t get lured into a track meet. We’ve got to manage the puck. We’ve got to defend when the time is called on to defend. When the opportunities present themselves to make plays, we’ve got to make the plays that are there.

Mike Babcock on the Leafs‘ chances against the Penguins:

Well, I like our chances in general. Obviously, they’ve got a real good PP. We’ve got to play with discipline. The better you play and the more time you spend in the Ozone, the more chance you have to come out clean as far as the discipline department. If you chase the puck and don’t play very well, then you’re going to spend a lot of time in your own zone and you’re probably going to the box.

They’ve got real good players obviously. They rely heavily on the powerplay, they’ve got real good goaltending, and their game is rounding into shape. When you’re a veteran team and you’ve done a lot of winning, you can get by — and then as you crank it up going into the playoffs, I think that’s probably what’s going on over there.

Babcock on Nazem Kadri’s confidence throughout his career:

Well, I think in the market we all live in, if you let everything said about you bother you, then you’re going to be in trouble. You know, Naz is obviously one of those guys who just keeps playing and believes in himself. He’s a good player. Naz’s big thing is — the harder he checks, the better he plays defence, and the more he scores.

Babcock on Travis Dermott’s development:

Yeah, he’s coming. Last game wasn’t kind to any of us that way. We didn’t look very good. Video did not lie. So it wouldn’t be a good time to ask that question. I think prior [to last game], you would. I think it’s good for everybody — you see slippage, you got to fix it. What I like about Dermy is he’s got a confidence about him, a swagger about him. When he makes a mistake, it’s not going to bother him. He’s like Naz that way. He’s got confidence playing with a good partner and a veteran guy. He does a lot of talking to him and it’s helped him.


Matchup Stats

TORPIT
Record35-19-533-22-4
GF/g3.27 (5th)3.10 (8th)
GA/g2.78 (12th)2.93 (18th)
PP%20.1% (16th)
26.6% (1st)
PK%83.2% (6th)82.5% (8th)
Shots/g31.7 (15th)34.2 (5th)
Shots Against/g34.1 (29th)31.0 (9th)
5v5 CF%49.1% (20th)52.0% (6th)
5v5 SV%.930 (8th).909 (31st)
5v5 SH%9.4% (2nd)6.4% (29th)

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup

*We have added goal, assist, and point totals for each player below the lines. Total goals per line are indicated, too, as well as save percentage for goalies.

Forwards

Hyman – Matthews – Nylander
  (59-11-19-30) – (49-26-21-47) – (59-14-31-45) Total: 51
Marleau – Kadri – Marner
(59-19-13-32) – (57-22-20-42) – (59-12-31-43)  Total: 54
Van Riemsdyk – Bozak – Brown
  (57-23-12-35) – (58-8-20-28) – (59-12-9-21) Total: 43
Komarov – Moore – Kapanen
 (59-5-11-16) – (41-5-6-11) – (16-4-1-5)  Total: 14

Defencemen

Rielly – Hainsey
 (53-5-29-34) – (56-3-16-19) Total: 8
Gardiner – Zaitsev
 (59-4-31-35) – (42-4-6-10) Total: 8
Dermott – Polak
(16-1-6-7) – (36-2-5-7) Total: 3

Goaltenders

Andersen (.922 sv%)
McElhinney (.932 sv%)

Scratched: Martin, Leivo, Carrick


Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup

Forwards

Aston-Reese – Crosby – Sheary
  (6-2-1-3) – (59-19-47-66) – (50-6-15-21) Total: 27
Hagelin – Malkin – Rust
(58-6-13-19) – (55-32-34-66) – (48-8-19-27) Total: 36
Guentzel – Sheahan – Kessel
  (59-18-12-30) – (50-6-15-21) – (59-24-32-66) Total: 48
Simon – Rowney – Reaves
 (24-4-7-11) – (32-2-2-4) – (56-4-3-7) Total: 10

Defencemen

Dumoulin – Letang
 (57-3-6-9) – (56-5-29-34) Total: 8
Maatta – Hunwick
 (59-3-17-20) – (33-3-2-5) Total: 6
Cole – Oleksiak
 (45-3-9-12) – (24-2-2-4) Total: 5

Goaltenders

Murray (.908 sv%)
Jarry (.919 sv%)

Injured: Hornqvist, Ruhwedel, Kuhnhackl