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Monday game preview: Maple Leafs at San Jose Sharks
Leafs forward Patrick Marleau will be united with long-time teammate Joe Thornton — for 60 minutes or so
https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2017/10/29/monday-game-preview-maple-leafs-at-san-jose-
sharks.html
By Kevin McGranSports Reporter
Sun., Oct. 29, 2017
SAP CENTER
TIME: 10:30 p.m.
TV: Sportsnet Ontario
RADIO: TSN1050
KEY PLAYERS
Marleau/Thornton
The two were teammates for what seemed an eternity: Joe Thornton was the first pick in the 1997 draft and was traded from Boston to San Jose in the 2005-06 season; Patrick Marleau was the second pick in the same draft and was waiting with the Sharks when Thornton arrived. They were a dynamic pair for a more than a decade, with Marleau topping 30 goals seven times during the partnership and Thornton surpassing 60 assists seven times. Marleau’s decision to come to Toronto as a free agent ended the run, but each is doing fine without the other. Thornton has two goals and five assists to start the year in San Jose; Marleau, four goals and three assists with Toronto.
NEED TO KNOW
The Sharks ended a five-game road trip with a win in Buffalo on Saturday, winning 3-2 to go 3-2-0 . . . Jannik Hansen has one point in seven games and has been demoted off the top line . . . The Sharks have had trouble scoring, averaging just 2.7 goals a game, compared to Toronto’s 3.91. The Leafs would be jealous of San Jose 2.60 goals against per game. The Leafs are allowing 3.27 a game . . . San Jose is outshooting Toronto 31.8 to 31.2 shots per game.
UP NEXT
Wednesday, at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Game Day: Maple Leafs at Sharks
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby
Published: October 30, 2017
Updated: October 30, 2017 12:18 AM EDT
Filed Under:
San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton. (TONY AVELAR/AP)
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS AT SAN JOSE SHARKS
10:30 PM SAP CENTER
TV: Sportsnet Ontario; RADIO: TSN 1050
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
Time change
The Leafs are coming to the west coast for the first time this season with just a day to recover from their last home loss. Advantage Sharks? Not so fast. San Jose just spent nine days in the East, wrapping up with a 3-2 win in Buffalo Saturday afternoon. The Sharks also will have some body clock adjustment.
Clean up your act
The snap with which the Leafs moved the puck in the early part of October is gone. Part of that can be attributed to not skating as hard as they were, which is one thing coach Mike Babcock can act upon.
No red lights for Fred
Frederik Andersen has put himself under the microscope with his recent goal count, vulnerable to chances off the rush. This will be an interesting start, as another sub-par game by Andersen will make Babcock at least think about using Curtis McElhinney against Andersen’s former team in Anaheim on Wednesday, part of splitting a back to back against the Ducks and L.A. Kings. Andersen against the Sharks is 2-7-1.
Shark meat
The Leafs are coming up on seven years without a win in the Bay Area (0-4, outscored 19-4). Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski have always seem to thrive against them, but Auston Matthews, playing near his birthplace in San Ramon, Calif., had three points in last season’s series.
Lineup choices
Babcock felt he didn’t get Kasperi Kapanen enough ice on Saturday, yet what to do with Kapanen and Josh Leivo if James van Riemsdyk and Matt Martin are ready to come back?
THE BIG MATCHUP
LW Patrick Marleau vs. G Martin Jones
We won’t say the sentimentalist in Marleau could never bring himself to hurt a Shark, but there’ll be some kind of flashback the first time he fires a puck at his former logo. Marleau’s head might not be on straight for the first few shifts, but someone on the Leafs better get to Jones, who owns a record of 6-0-0 against the Leafs and a .953 save percentage.
SPECIAL TEAMS
LEAFS — PP 26.2% (6th), PK 83.3% (10th)
SHARKS — PP 20.0% (11th), PK 88.4% (5th)
SICK BAY
LEAFS — F James van Riemsdyk, F Matt Martin
SHARKS — D Paul Martin
Leafs Game Day Lines
LW C RW
Zach Hyman Auston Matthews William Nylander
J. van Riemsdyk/Patrick Marleau Tyler Bozak Connor Brown/Mitch Marner
Patrick Marleau Nazem Kadri Leo Komarov
M. Martin/Kasperi Kapanen Dominic Moore M. Marner/Josh Leivo
DEFENCE
Nikita Zaitsev Jake Gardiner
Ron Hainsey Morgan Rielly
Andreas Borgman Roman Polak
GOALTENDERS
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
Sharks Game Day Lines
LW C RW
Joonas Donskoi Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski
Tomas Hertl Logan Couture Melker Karlsson
Kevin Labanc Chris Tierney Mikkel Boedker
Timo Meier Ryan Carpenter Joel Ward
DEFENCE
Joakim Ryan Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon Tim Heed
GOALTENDERS
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
