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Game Day: Avalanche at Maple Leafs
Terry KoshanMore from Terry Koshan
GAME DAY: Avalanche at Maple Leafs
COLORADO AVALANCHE (20-17-8) at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (28-14-2)
Monday, 7 p.m., Scotiabank Arena;
TV: TSN4, Radio: 590 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
Mikko Rantanen vs. Mitch Marner
Taken six picks apart in 2015 — the Avalanche selected Rantanen at No. 10 after Marner went No. 4 to the Leafs — the two are pieces of a high-end draft that included a couple of guys named Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Forget those two for a minute: Marner and Rantanen each could take the game on Monday under control and be the deciding player. Rantanen has 190 points in 210 career games; Marner has 188 in 203. Each is electrifying and worth the price printed on any ticket.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Be determined
Leafs coach Mike Babcock scoffed, nicely, at the idea that the Avalanche might be more desperate considering it has lost nine of the past 10. Toronto has won just twice in its past six games, failing mostly to put together a full 60 minutes. Colorado is in a tight wildcard race in the West, while the Leafs have the Boston Bruins nipping at their heels. “Can they be more desperate than us?” Babcock said. “I don’t know about that. You know you need the points, you need that feeling where you’re floating instead of grinding. You have to earn it.”
2. No rust here?
Frederik Andersen has been a spectator of Leafs games since Dec. 22, but has practised a handful of times in coming back from a groin injury. The goaltender didn’t think he would have much catching up to do, never mind that he also has to get past a brief illness. “I think once I get my energy back from this flu, I’m sure I will feel really refreshed and so hopefully that is something that is going to benefit us,” Andersen said. Against Colorado in his career, Andersen is 2-2-0 with a .938 save percentage and a 1.77 goals-against average.
3. Stop the top
Colorado’s No. 1 line of Nathan MacKinnon between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen is among the most dangerous in hockey, with Rantanen and MacKinnon in the top five in NHL scoring through Saturday. The Avs aren’t deep, so contain the big men and the Leafs give themselves a better shot. “We just have to make sure we are above them and they have to really earn what they’re going to get,” Leafs centre John Tavares said. “Extremely talented. It will be a tough matchup.”
4. Road considerations
The Avalanche has been a prolific club on the road, scoring 86 goals in 25 games — the most in the NHL before games on Sunday. Colorado also has given up 86 on the road, and though the Leafs have little interest in getting in a track meet, they have the horses to keep pace if the game veers that way. The Leafs, in 23 home games, have scored 74 goals and given up 59. Toronto is 6-12-1 when the opponent scores first; Colorado is 6-14-6.
5. Penalty for your thoughts
Leafs Nation feels some frustration when the topic of penalties arises, but some positive feelings could arise with the Avs in town. As the Leafs continue to wind their way out of power-play woes — when they had a power-play goal against Boston on Saturday, it was their first in six games — Colorado arrives with the dubious distinction of being shorthanded 95 times on the road, easily the most in the NHL. Still, Toronto has had just 55 power plays at home, one more than the Dallas Stars, who have the fewest.
MAPLE LEAFS LINES
LW-C-RW
Zach Hyman-John Tavares-Mitch Marner
Andreas Johnsson-Auston Matthews-Kasperi Kapanen
Patrick Marleau-Nazem Kadri-William Nylander
Par Lindholm-Frederik Gauthier-Connor Brown
Defence pairs
Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott-Igor Ozhiganov
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks/Michael Hutchinson
AVALANCHE LINES
LW-C-RW
Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen
Tyson Jost-Alex Kerfoot-J.T. Compher
Matt Nieto-Carl Soderberg-Matt Calvert
Sven Andrighetto-Sheldon Dries-Colin Wilson
Defence pairs
Sam Girard-Erik Johnson
Ian Cole-Tyson Barrie
Ryan Graves-Mark Barberio
Goaltenders
Semyon Varlamov
Philipp Grubauer
INJURIES
Avalanche — D Nikita Zadorov (lower body), LW Vladimir Kamenev (shoulder).
Maple Leafs — F Tyler Ennis (ankle).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power play
Avalanche: 25.3% (6th)
Maple Leafs: 22.6% (8th)
Penalty kill
Avalanche: 76% (27th)
Maple Leafs: 80.5% (12th)
Andersen ready to return to Leafs crease
Terry KoshanMore from Terry Koshan
Andersen ready to return to Leafs crease
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