Vegas Golden Knights vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 20th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Toronto Maple Leafs will once again be without the presence of Auston Matthews on Wednesday night when they face off against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. However, this has not posed a significant issue for the team thus far.
The Maple Leafs have managed to maintain a strong record of 5-1-0 in the games that Matthews has been absent due to an upper-body injury. Initially, it was expected that he would only be sidelined for a few days.
According to Toronto coach Craig Berube, Matthews has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery, although he has not been on the ice for the past two days.
See also:
"Flyers Fall Behind as Canes Continue to Dominate in NHL Recap"
See also:
"Chicago's Defenseman Seth Jones Sidelined for 4 Weeks with Foot Injury"
"We are in a bit of a holding pattern, but the good news is that he is not getting worse," Berube stated on Monday. "He is taking the necessary time to get back in the lineup and fully heal, while our team continues to push forward."
Last season, Matthews led the league with an impressive 69 goals and has already scored five goals in the 13 games he has played this season.
In the six games that Matthews has been absent, Mitch Marner has stepped up and performed exceptionally well, racking up 10 points (four goals, six assists). This includes his game-winning overtime goal in the 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, which also marked his 200th career goal.
"A lot of guys have really elevated their game," Berube commented. "Marner, alongside (John) Tavares, has been a formidable line for us, which is exactly what we need. Mitch has been an outstanding player all season, excelling in all areas of the game, including penalty kill, power play, and five-on-five situations."
In addition to Matthews, the Maple Leafs will also be without Ryan Reaves, who has been suspended for five games due to an illegal hit to the head of Edmonton's Darnell Nurse on Saturday. Forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has yet to play this season, also underwent surgery for a groin and sports hernia on Monday.
On Tuesday, Toronto also placed forward David Kampf on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury and recalled forward Fraser Minten from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
The Golden Knights will kick off a five-game road trip in Toronto after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
See also:
"Injury Forces Capitals' Alex Ovechkin to IR with Lower Body Issue"
See also:
"Jets Triumph over Panthers with Mark Scheifele's Hat Trick: NHL Recap"
"We were not playing aggressively in the first period. We were not on our toes," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy stated. "We were not executing to the best of our abilities. By the end of the first period, they did not have much going for them either. ... We deserved better, but we did not get the puck luck we needed and were unable to return to our winning ways."
The Golden Knights only managed to take six shots on goal during their lackluster performance in the first period.
"If you are not going to shoot, then hold onto the puck and make a play that is not too risky or does not involve the whole team," Cassidy explained. "On Sunday, we saw more of that in our game."
This will be the first of two meetings between these two teams this season. The Golden Knights have a record of 3-3-2 on the road, while the Maple Leafs have an impressive record of 8-3-0 at home.
Vegas recently swept a two-game trip to Anaheim and Utah before their loss to Washington at home.
"We did well on our last road trip, but we were unable to secure a win at home," Vegas left winger Tanner Pearson stated on Monday. "We need to maintain the same mentality on the road that we had on our last trip. This one will be longer, but it is a great opportunity for us."
Cassidy is looking for his team to come out stronger in the first period and be more assertive from the start, unlike their performance on Sunday.
"Instead of waiting for something to happen, let us go out there and make something happen," he urged.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
John Tavares scored at 2:33 of overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs came back to defeat the visiting Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Thursday night.
Tavares, who also had an assist in the game, took a pass from Mitch Marner and fired a shot from the right circle for his fourth goal of the season.
Auston Matthews also scored for the Maple Leafs, tying the game in the third period.
Max Pacioretty scored for the Golden Knights.
Frederik Andersen made 37 saves for the Maple Leafs.
Vegas goaltender Malcolm Subban, making his third start of the season, stopped 35 shots.
Toronto had a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal in a scoreless first period. The Maple Leafs had two power plays in the period while the Golden Knights had the man-advantage once.
Andersen made a superb save during a Vegas power play early in the second period on a shot from the slot by Shea Theodore.
The Maple Leafs had two tepid power plays later in the second period.
Vegas had the better of the play in the second period. Toronto had a 23-21 advantage in shots on goal over the first two periods. Andersen, however, had been forced to make the more difficult saves. The Leafs went had a stretch of more than 14 minutes without having a shot on goal during the second.
The Maple Leafs had another man-advantage situation early in the third period when Paul Stastny was called for tripping at 1:33. Again they were unable to sustain an attack during the two minutes.
Vegas took a 1-0 lead at 4:08 of the third when Pacioretty knocked in his fourth goal of the season, unassisted, after a Toronto turnover near the net.
After killing off a penalty to Justin Holl, the Maple Leafs broke though on a power play when Matthews scored his 13th goal from the left circle at 8:14 with assists to Tavares and Morgan Rielly. William Carrier was off for holding.
The Maple Leafs were penalized for too many men on the ice at 18:39 of the third period and Andersen made a couple of stops that forced overtime.