World Juniors Is Cooling Off

Word has it that the IIHF World Juniors tournament is not as popular as it was.

Yesterdays Canada/Finland game drew just 9,552 fans at the Key Bank Centre in Buffalo, New York.

That's sad.

I remember when the World Juniors were huge in Canada.

It all started in1986 when my dad got tickets to the tournament as a Christmas gift.

The tournament took place at the brand new Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

I had a good time watching the games.

After that, I followed the tournament ever since.

Makes me wonder about the future of the tournament.

The holidays won't be the same without it.  

Rumor Mill: Napoli's Talking To The Twins

Mike Napoli

It is unclear on how close the Minnesota Twins are in striking a deal with veteran first baseman, Mike Napoli.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported yesterday that the talks are becoming serious, however, MLB.com's Mark Friensand. tweeted that the Twins are not even closed to a deal.

Napoli hit 29 home runs with the Texas Rangers last year.

In 2016, Napoli hit 34 home runs in 150 games.

Rumor Mill: Inquiries About Blue Jay's Closer.

Roberto Osuna

Here's a bit of a shocker.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting that there's been inquiries about Toronto Blue Jay's closing pitcher, Roberto Osuna.

As of now, the club hasn't indicated that Osuna is on the chopping block.

In 2017, Osuna posted a 3.38 earned run average, (ERA.), a career low .86 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Osuna is projected to earn $5.6 million in arbitration.

Leafs Get Lucky With An Offside Call

I have to admit, even though it is hard, but the Toronto Maple Leafs were really lucky last night to win 3-2 over the New York Rangers.

William Nylander got the ball rolling by scoring at 17:14 of the first period.

Just 50 seconds into the second period, Rick Hainsey made it 2-0 Leafs.

Jimmy Vesey closed the gap to 2-1 at 2:37 of the (second) period.

In his first game back from injury, Auston Matthews scored at 11:22 to put the Leafs head by two goals again.

In the third period, the Rangers were flying.

J.T. Miller made it 3-2 Leafs at 11:25.

New York tied the game shortly after Miller's goal, but Leaf's head coach, Mike Babcock challenged the play, saying a Ranger player was offside.

After the review, it was determined that the play was offside and the goal was waved off.

Toronto's Morgan Rielly had two assists last night.

Both goalies were terrific in net last night.

Leaf's Frederik Andersen stopped 32 shots and Henrik Lundvist stopped 37.

The Leafs don't play until the December 29th when the team faces the Arizona Coyotes.

Preview: Leafs Verses Rangers

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Boy!  The Toronto Maple Leafs are in for it tonight.

The New York Rangers are by far the better team in this matchup.

The Rangers are 14-5-3 on home ice and are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

The Leafs are 10-9-1 on the road and are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

NYR: Mats Zuccarello - 28 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Nikita Zaitsev - Lower Body - Injured Reserve, (IR.),

Nikita Soshnikov - Lower Body - IR.,

Auston Matthews - Hand - day-to-day.

New York

Jesper Fast - Strained Quadriceps - day-to-day.

Rumor Mill: Darvish Going Back To The Rangers

Boy!  The Yu Darvish saga is become a bit of a soap opera.

It was reported earlier this week that the Chicago Cubs were pursuing him, (Darvish).

Now, the possibility of him becoming a Cub is probably going to be squashed after Darvish had dinner last night with representatives from his former team, the Texas Rangers.

Darvish tweeted a picture of himself being at last night's dinner.

Obviously, this saga has now taken on an unusual twist.

This is the third meeting this week for Darvish as he also met with the Cubs and the Houston Astros.

Judging by the new developments, who knows how this saga going to pan out.

Preview: Leafs Verses Blue Jackets

Tonight 7:30 p.m. EST.

Both teams are even.

There's no telling how this game is going to go tonight.

Toronto is 21-13-1 overall.  Columbus is 20-13-1.

The Blue Jackets, however, are six games over .500, (12-6-0), on home ice.

This gives the Jackets the advantage over the Leafs tonight.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

CBJ: Artemi Panarin - 28 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Nikita Zaitsev - Lower Body - day-to-day,

Nikita Soshnikov - Lower Body - day-to-day,

Auston Matthews - Hand - day-to-day.

Columbus

Zach Werenski - Undisclosed - day-to-day,

Brandon Dubinsky - Eye - late December/early January,

Ryan Murray - Upper Body - day-to-day,

Sam Vigneault - Finger - day-to-day.

Marner Gets Four Points In Leafs Rout Over Canes'

Mitch Marner, (left), had his best game of the season yesterday.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Toronto's first ever NHL game, the Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes played in the afternoon yesterday.

The players on the Leaf's squad wore the Toronto Arena's uniform in yesterday's game because that what the team was known as in 1917.

In fact, the team didn't become the Maple Leafs until 10 years later, (1927), when the legendary Conn Smyth took over the franchise.

As for yesterday's game, Toronto's Mitch Marner had the game of his life, collecting four points in a 8-1 rout over the Canes'.

Leo Komarov got the ball rolling at 2:50 of the first period by scoring a short-handed goal.

At 5:33, Marner scored to make it 2-0 Leafs.

Jeff Skinner closed the gap to 2-1 at 9:07.

James Van Riemsdyk put the Leafs ahead 3-1 at 10:34.

At the end of the opening period, the Leafs were ahead 4-1.

There was no scoring in the second period, but Toronto poured it on in the third (period).

Patrick Marleau scored at 9:25 of the third period.

Just six seconds later, Kasper Kapanen scored Toronto's sixth goal.

William Nylander made it a 7-1 game at 14:05.

Connor Carrick scored Toronto's final goal of the game at 18:35.

Toronto's Tyler Bozak also had four points during yesterday's game.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen was fantastic in net, making a few stellar saves.  Andersen stopped 32 shots yesterday.

The Leafs face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.

Rumor Mill: Donaldson Possibly Being Traded And More

I don't really want to think of it, but there's a possibility that the Toronto Blue Jays are going to trade third baseman, Josh Donaldson.

Word has it that the Jays are unable to agree on a contract extension for Donaldson.

The St. Louis Cardinals are amongst the teams who are rumored to be eying Donaldson.

The good news for Jays fans is the asking price is probably going to make it hard to move the 32 year-old.

The Jays probably be asking for another third baseman or a starting pitcher.

Getting a good starting pitcher is going to help the Jays.  The team needs better pitching.  Toronto's pitching was terrible in 2017.

 Yu Darvish.

In other MLB news, there are reports indicating that Cub's president of baseball operations, Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Harper went to Dallas yesterday to meet with Yu Darvish.

Finally, MLB Network's Ian Rosenthal listed potential candidates for Baltimore Orioles, Manny Machado.

The Chicago White Sox, the Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees are amongst the teams seeking Machado.

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Arizona Diamondbacks are also eying Machado.

Montreal Never Should've Traded For Shea Weber

Shea Weber

I make no secret that I'm a Toronto Maple Leaf fan.  I've been a fan since I was eight years old.

I know the rivalry the Leafs have with the Montreal Canadiens.

I'm also a hockey fan and a trained journalist.

Objectivity is really important when writing an article.

News broke out yesterday the Canadien's defenseman, Shea Weber injured his foot and is out indefinitely.

This is not good for Montreal.  The team is 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with just 32 points.

Montreal acquired Weber on June 29, 2016 from the Nashville Predators in exchange for fan favorite, P.K. Subban.

To add injury to insult,  a few weeks after the trade, Canadien's general manager told the media that his team didn't need Subban.

In reality, Montreal does.

t

This year, Nashville is first in the Western Conference standings with 46 points.  As of now, the Canadiens are in danger of missing the playoffs

Trading Subban for Weber was a huge mistake on Montreal's part.

Last year, Nashville went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.  Montreal was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Even though Subban just has 22 points in 32 games, his Predators are playing really good this year.

As for the Canadiens, the misery continues.

  

Rumor Mill: Longoria No Longer A Ray? It's Posslble

Evan Longoria

Is it possible that Evan Longoria is going to play for another team?

The answer is yes.

Rumors have been heating up about the 32 year-old third baseman being traded.

It is hard for Tampa Bay Rays fans to imagine Longoria in another uniform.

Longoria has been with the Rays since the beginning of his career.

Unfortunately for the fans, the possibility of Longoria being traded elsewhere is real.

USA Today Sport's Bob Nightengale is reporting that the San Francisco Giants are eying Longoria.

Longoria had his worst season offensively of his Major League care last year, hitting .261/.313/.424 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs over 156 games.

Right now, the Giants have Pablo Sandoval on the hot corner, but he also struggled at the plate in 2017.

Sandoval hit .229/.284/.333 with just 19 home runs.

Longoria is owed $86 million and has five years to go on his contract. 

Rumor Mill: Cubs Seeking Darvish

Cubs are reportedly eying Yu Darvish, (left).

The question still remains.  Where is pitcher, Yu Davish going to end up next year?

Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago is reporting that the Chicago Cubs are pursuing the Japanese free agent.

For the Cubs wanting to sign Darvish makes sense.

The team is trying to fill the void in the rotation after losing John Lackey and Jake Arrieta to free agency.

As of now, Darvish is the top starter in the free agent market.

Levine is also reporting that Darvish has also met with the World Champions, Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins.

Darvish has a career win-loss record of 56-42 with a 3.42 earned run average, (ERA.), and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

In 2017, Darvish had a win-loss record of 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA.

Rumor Mill: Yankees Have Sign Sabathia To A One-Year Deal

C.C. Sabathia

There's reports indicating that the New York Yankees have re-signed pitcher, C.C. Sabathia.

The contract is reportedly for one-year and worth $10 million.

In 2017, Sabathia had a 3.69 earned run average in 27 starts.

Word has it that Sabathia was going to sign with the Yankees all along.

Leafs Lose Third Straight As Slump Continues

Henrik Zetterberg got two assists in 3-1 win over the Leafs last night

Man!  The Toronto Maple Leafs are really in a slump right now.

The Leafs lost their third straight game last night 3-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.

Things started out okay in the first period when Andreas Borgman scored at 1:53 to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, the Red Wings were flying in the second period.

Danny DeKeyser tied the game at 5:22.  Then, Trevor Daily scored a short handed goal at 11:22 to put Detroit ahead 2-1.

Tomas Tartar sealed the deal at 3:39 of the third period with a goal.

Henrik Zetterberg had two assists in last night's game.

Toronto plays the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Minnesota Blanks Toronto. Preview: Leafs Verses Red Wings

It is safe to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be happy when Auston Matthews gets back from injury.

Last night, the Leafs were blanked 2-0 by the Minnesota Wild.  It was Toronto's second straight loss.

Tyler Ennis opened the scoring at 18:06 of the first period.

There was no scoring in the second period.

Mikael Granlund secured the win for Minnesota by scoring at 8:06 of the third period.

Preview: Leafs Verses Red Wings

The Leafs are going to try to stopped the mini losing skid tonight as the team takes on the Detroit Red Wings.

Almost everything is in Toronto's favor except goaltending.

The Leafs are going to have backup goalie, Curtis McElhinney in net.

On the positive side, Toronto has a 20-12-1 overall record and are 10-7-1 on the road.

Detroit is 11-13-7 overall and are 5-6-6 on home ice.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

DET: Dylan Larkin - 26 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Hand - doubtful for tonight,

Nikita Soshnikov - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

Phillies Sign Santana To a Three-Year, $60 Million Contract

Carlos Santana has reportedly signed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

There are reports indicating that first baseman, Carlos Santana has signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2017, Santana hit 23 home runs and had 79 RBIs with the Cleveland Indians where he spent eight seasons of his Major League career.

Santana started out as a catcher in 2010 and then shifted to first base in 2015. 

Preview: Leafs Verses Wild

The Toronto Maple Leafs are probably be looking to bounce back from that 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday as the team faces the Minnesota Wild tonight.

It won't be a cinch, though,

Although the Leafs have a good 20-11-1 overall record, the Wild are 9-3-2-0 on home ice.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

MINN: Eric Staal - 26 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Hand - won't play tonight,

Nikita Soshnikov - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

Minnesota

Devon Dubnuk - Lower Body - Late December,

Jared Spurgeon - Groin - late December,

Zach Parise - Back - early January.

Preview: Leafs Verses Flyers

Statistically, the Toronto Maple Leafs ought to win tonight's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Toronto is 20-10-1 overall and 10-5-1 on the road.

Philadelphia is 11-11-7 overall and 4-6-4 at home.

Also, the Flyers are 3-10 in their last 13 games, however, both teams have won three straight.

To predict that the Leafs wins this game hands down is a bit pre mature.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

PHI: Jakub Voracek - 37 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Hand - won't play tonight,

Nikita Soshnikov - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

Philadelphia

Jori Lehtera - Illness - questionable for tonight,

Michal Neuvirth - Leg - late December,

Brandon Manning - Hand - early January,

Colin McDonald - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

McElhinney Stops 41 In Leafs Win Last Night

Curtis McElhinney (left) stopped 41 shots in Leafs 1-0 victory over Edmonton last night.

All it took is Zack Hyman's goal, scored just 34 seconds into the game and Curtis McElhinney did the rest.

Leaf's backup goalie, McElhinney helped the Toronto Maple Leafs big time last night by stopping 41 shots in a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

With this win, the Leafs have three straight victories.

Toronto is going to try to make it four in a row when the team takes on the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow night.

Bozak Scores Two In Leaf's Win Over Pens.

Tyler Bozak (left) scored two goals in a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

It was a nail biter in the end, but the Toronto Maple Leafs put on quite a performance last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Leafs were a bit sloppy in both the second and the third periods.

Toronto, however, dominated the first period.

The Leafs went ahead 3-0 quickly in the first period with goals by Connor Brown, James Van Riemsdyk, and Tyler Bozak.

Riley Sheahan put Pittsburgh on the scoreboard at 14:24 of the second period.

Evgeni Malkin closed the gap 3-2 at 17:51 of the (second) period.

Just 22 seconds later, Bozak made it 4-2 with his second goal of the night.

Sidney Crosby scored at 17:12 of the third period.

Pittsburgh scrambled to tie the game with the extra attacker with no avail as the Leafs walked away with the 4-3 victory.

Toronto's Mitch Marner had three assists and Bozak finished the night with three points.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen stopped 33 shots last night.

Pittsburgh's Dominik Simon had two assists last night.

The Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers tonight.

Preview: Oilers Verses Leafs

After defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to win their third straight game tonight as the team hosts the Edmonton Oilers.

The odds are in Toronto's favor too.

Toronto is 19-10-1 overall and is 9-5-0 on home ice.

The Oilers are 12-15-2 overall, however, Edmonton has a decent road record, (7-6-2).

Best Players:

EDM: Connor McDavid - 35 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

Injuries:

Edmonton

Adam Larsson - Upper Body - questionable for tonight,

Cam Talbot - Upper Body - mid-December,

Andrej Sekera - Knee - late December.

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Upper Body - questionable for tonight.

Preview: Leafs Verses Penguins

Despite having a 10-4 record in their last 14 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in tough tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Toronto is 3-8 in their last 11 meetings with the Pens.

Also, the Penguins have an amazing 10-3-1 record on home ice.  In fact, Pittsburgh is 44-14 in their last 58 games at home.

Get the picture?

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

PITT: Phil Kessel - 35 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Morgan Rielly - undisclosed - probable for tonight.

Pittsburgh

Tom Kuhnhackl - Upper Body - out indefinitely,

Justin Schultz - Lower Body - out indefinitely,

Matt Murray - Leg - mid-December.

Stanton Gets Traded To Yankees

Giancarlo Stanton

After two months of speculation, Giancarlo Stanton has finally got a new home.

The New York Yankees acquired Stanton in a blockbuster trade that sent Starlin Castro and two Minor Leaguers to the Miami Marlins.

There are reports indicating that Marlin fans are not too pleased with general manager, (former Yankee), Derek Jeter for trading Stanton.

As for Stanton's contract status, he is due $295 million for 10 years.

Reports indicate that the Yankees are going to pick up $265 million of the $295 million that Stanton is owed from his Major League Baseball record 13-year, $325 million deal with the Marlins.

The Yankees have now created a powerhouse, offensive lineup for next season.

Imagine Stanton in the same lineup with Aaron Judge?

Judge hit 52 home runs in his rookie season with New York in 2017.

Stanton hit 59 home runs for the Marlins last season and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player.

Nylander Makes Mincemeat Out Of Smith In Shoot Out

Frederik Andersen stopped 47 shots in Leaf's win.

Toronto Maple Leaf's forward, William Nylander, made mincemeat out of Calgary Flames goalie, Mike  Smith in last night's shoot out.

Nylander completely fooled Smith with a nifty move to score the winning goal in the shoot-out to give the Leaf's the 2-1 victory.

Just before Nylander scored the winner, Leaf's goalie stoned Calgary's star forward, Johnny Gaudreau.

Andersen stopped an amazing 47 shots last night.

Mark Giordano scored the lone goal in the first period at 10:37.

Morgan Rielly tied the game 1-1 at 18:47 of the second period.

There was no scoring in both the third and overtime periods.  As a result, the game had to be decided with a shoot out.

Toronto travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins Saturday night.

Preview: Flames Verses Leafs

Tomorrow night's game won't be a cinch for the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite defeating the Calgary Flames 4-1 last week.

The Flames have been really good on the road with a record of 7-4-1.

Best Players:

CAL: Johnny Gaudreau - 36 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

Injuries:

Mikael Backlund - Illness - questionable for tomorrow night,

Kris Versteeg - Hip - out indefinitely.

Toronto

Tyler Bozak - Illness - questionable for tomorrow night.

Yankees Hire Boone As The Team's 33rd Manager In Franchise History

Aaron Boone, (left), was named manager of the New York Yankees yesterday.

Yesterday, the New York Yankees named former Major Leaguer, Aaron Boone as the franchise's 33rd manager.

"Words cannot express how humbled I am to wear the pinstripes again as manager of the Yankees," said Boone.

Boone replaces Joe Girardi, who was fired from the job about two months ago.

Boone's contract is for three years.

During his 12 years in the Major Leagues, Boone hit .263.

Boone played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.  He also played for the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Marlins, (now the Miami Marlins), the Washington Nationals, the Houston Astros, and the Yankees.

Canucks Edge Leafs 2-1 Last Night

Jacob Markstrom stopped 35 shots in Canucks win over Leafs.

It was a low scoring game last night as the Vancouver Canucks edge the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1.

Canuck's goalie, Jacob Markstrom, had a fantastic game, stopping 35 shots.

Before the game, though, Canuck's Daniel Sedin was honored for reaching the 1000th career point plateau recently.

In the first period, the Canucks went ahead 2-0 with goals by Markus Granlund and Alexander Edler.

There was no scoring in the second period.

The Leafs finally got on the scoreboard late in the third period with a goal by James Van Riemsdyk.

Toronto hosts the Calgary Flames Wednesday night.

The last time the two teams met, Toronto won 4-1.

Preview: Leafs Verses Canucks

After two big wins, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue their Western road trip tonight in Vancouver as the team takes on the Canucks

The Canucks are 4-22 in their last 26 home games, however, Vancouver has been hot lately.

Vancouver is 7-1 in their last eight games, despite having a home record of 3-5-2-1.

This is not a guaranteed win for Toronto.  Not by a long shot.

Tonight is probably going to be similar to Thursday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, (see "Andersen Makes 41 Saves In Leaf's Win", Dec 1).

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 26 points.

VAN: Brock Boeser - 25 points.

Injuries:

Vancouver

Brandon Sutter - Upper Body - questionable for tonight,

Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - out indefinitely,

Derek Dorsett - Neck - out for season.

Andersen Makes 41 Saves In Leaf's Win

Frederik Andersen

Toronto Maple Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen had a good night on Thursday in Edmonton as he stopped 41 shots in a 6-4 win over the Oilers.

Auston Matthews got the ball rolling with a goal at 2:15 of the first period.

Dominic Moore made it 2-0 Leafs at 5:55.

Edmonton got on the scoreboard at 12:37 with a goal by Mark Letesta.

Shortly after Letesta's goal, Toronto scored again.

At the end of the first period, Toronto was ahead 3-1.

In the second period, Edmonton tied the game 3-3 with goals by Zack Kassian and Connor McDavid.

William Nylander put the Leafs ahead again at 18:29.

At 3:01 of the third period, Kris Russell tied the game 4-4. 

At 18:55 of the third period, Patrick Marleau put Toronto ahead for good.

Nazem Kadri secured the Leaf's victory with an empty net goal at 19:59.

Matthews had two points in the game.

Matthew's teammate, Jake Gardiner had two assists last night.

Edmonton's Jujhar Khaira also finished the night with two assists.

Oiler's goalie, Laurent Brossoit stopped 30 shots last night.

Toronto continue their road trip out west tomorrow night as the team faces the Vancouver Canucks.

Preview: Leafs Verses Oilers

Here's the deal.  The Toronto Maple Leafs are 16-9-1 overall.  The Edmonton Oilers are 10-13-2 overall.

Toronto is 8-4-1 on the road.  Edmonton is 5-7-0 at home.

Also, Toronto's goalie, Frederik Andersen has a 14-7-0-1 record.  The starting goalie for Edmonton tonight, Laurent Brossoit, has a dismal 0-3-0-1 record.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out who has the advantage tonight.

Toronto also is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 24 points.

EDM: Connor McDavid - 30 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Illness - probable tonight.

Edmonton

Jujhar Khaira - Lower Body - questionable for tonight,

Cam Talbot - Upper Body - mid-December,

Andrej Sekera - Knee - late December.

Leafs Douse Flames 4-1

After the disappointing loss on Saturday to the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to bounce back against the Calgary Flames last night.

Roman Polak opened the scoring for Toronto at 18:36 of the first period.

Nikita Zaitev put the Leafs up 2-0 at 12:36 of the second period.

Nazem Kadri scored at 1:54 of the third period to make it 3-0 Leafs.

Calgary finally got on the scoreboard at 5:29 of the (third) period with a goal by Michael Stone.

Leo Komarov sealed the deal for the Leafs with an empty-netter at 19:59.

The Leafs now head to Edmonton where Toronto faces the Oilers tomorrow night.

Rumor Mill: Twins Seeking Davish

(left) Yu Darvish.

After that disastrous Word Series, rumors are finally heating up on where Yu Darvish is going to end up next season.

Jim Bowden of SiriusXM Radio is reporting that there's six teams thinking of pursuing Darvish and the Minnesota Twins is amongst the teams.

Minnesota's general manager, Thad Levine told MLB Network Radio that he is thinking of getting Darvish in the offseason.

In 2017, Darvish had a 10-12 win-loss record, a 3.86 earned run average, (ERA), with the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In nine starts after being traded to the Dodgers, Darvish went 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA.

After solid outings in the National Championship Series, Darvish surrendered eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings in two World Series starts against the Houston Astros.

San Francisco Contacted Pirates

Andrew McCutchen.

Word has it that the San Francisco Giants have recently contacted the Pittsburgh Pirates, inquiring about slugger, Andrew McCutchen.

After a terrible 2016 season, McCutchen had a better year in 2017, hitting .279/.363/.486 with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs.

 

Preview: Leafs Verses Flames

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames are even in almost every possible way.

Toronto' overall record is 15-9-0-1 and Calgary is 13-9-1.

Tonight's starting goalies both have winning records.

Leaf's Frederik Andersen has a 13-7-0-1 record and Calgary's Mike Smith has a 11-1-1 record.

Johnny Gaudreau is the player that the Leafs have to watch for tonight.  Gaudreau has a total of 34 points this season.

The good news for Toronto is that Calgary has a mediocre 6-5-0 home record.  Toronto's road record is 7-4-0-1.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 23 points.

Injuries:

Calgary

Kris Versteeg - Lower Body - out tonight.

Ovechkin Scores Three in 4-2 Captal's Win Over Leafs

Alex Ovechkin gets hat-trick in 4-2 win over the Leafs last night.

Washington Capital's captain, Alex Ovechkin shined brightly last night by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ovechkin scored at 12:43 and 19:13 of the first period.

Ovechkin's teammate, Jakub Vrana made it 3-0 at 11:02 of the second period.

The Leafs finally got on the scoreboard at 1:24 of the third period when Jake Gardiner scored.

Nikita Zaitev closed the gap to 3-2 Capitals at 6:09 of the (third) period.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Ovechkin scored at 19:51 to secure the victory.

Washington's T.J. Oshie got three assists last night.

Toronto faces the Calgary Flames Tuesday night. 

Preview: Capitals Verses Leafs

The Washington Capitals have the advantaged in goaltending tonight.

Braden Holtby has a 12-5-0 win-loss record, however, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a fairly good backup goalie in Curtis McElhinney.

The Capitals, however, have a lethal weapon.  Evgeny Kuznetsov.  He has 26 points this season.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 22 points.

Injuries:

Washington

Christian Djoors - Upper Body - out indefinitely,

Andre Burakovsky - Thumb - mid-December,

Tyler Graovac - Upper Body - out indefinitely.

Leafs Edge Hurricanes 5-4 last night

Frederik Andersen (left), stopped 43 shots against the Hurricanes last night.

It was a real nail biter at the end, but the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 last night.

There was no scoring in the first period.

 Zach Hyman, who was questionable for last  night's game because of an Upper Body injury, scored just 53 seconds into the second period to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Josh Leivo put the Leafs up by two goals at 7:14.

At 11:37 of the second period, Ron Hainsey scored to make it a 3-0 game.

The 'Canes. finally got on the scoreboard with a goal by Derek Ryan at 13:35.

At the end of the second period, the Leafs were ahead 4-1.

At 3:08 of the third period, Patrick Marleau made it 5-2.

It seemed as if Toronto had the game in control.

Carolina, however, scored two more goals before the period was over.

The Hurricanes scrambled to tie the game with the extra attacker, but Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen stood his ground and Toronto walked away with the victory.

Andersen stopped 43 shots last night.

Toronto's Jake Gardiner had two assists last night.

Carolina's Jeff Skinner also finished the night with two assists.

Toronto host the Washington Capitals tonight.

Preview: Leafs Verses Hurricanes

It is hard to say whose going to win tonight's game.

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes have winning records, although the Leaf's are 14-8-1 and the Canes. are 9-7-4.

The good news for the Leafs is that the Canes. are struggling at home lately.  Carolina is 4-9 in their last 13 home games.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

CAR: Teuvo Teravainen - 20 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Zach Hyman - Upper Body - questionable.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak - Upper Body - out indefinitely.

Leafs Puts On A Good Show Despite Loss

Roberto Luongo stopped 43 shots last night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had solid performance against the Florida Panthers last night, despite the 2-1 shoot-out loss.

The Leafs just happened to go up against a hot goaltender last night.  That's all.

Florida's goalie, Roberto Luongo stopped 43 shots last night.

Luongo's counter-part, Frederik Andersen, also was spectacular in net last night.  He stopped 42 shots.

There was no scoring in the first period.

Florida's Nick Bjugstad opened the scoring at 15:16 of the second period.

Bjugstad also scored the winner in the shoot-out.

In the third period, the Leafs were flying as the team tried to tie the game.

Finally, at 13:56 into the (third) period, Nazem Kadri tied the game.

Nothing was settled in overtime.  As a result, the game went to a shoot out.

The Leafs face the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night. 

Preview: Leafs Verses Panthers

Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to bounce back from that disappointing 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes the other night.

The Leafs have a good chance of doing it too.

The Florida Panthers are 7-11-1-1 overall and are 3-8-0 at home.

The Panther's goalie, Roberto Luongo has a mediocre 4-4-1 win-loss record this season.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

FLA: Aleksander Barkov - 21 points.

Injuries:

Florida

Radim Vrbata -Face - out tonight,

Derek MacKenzie - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

Hot Coyotes Ends Toronto's Streak

Unfortunately for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team went up against a hot Arizona Coyotes squad last night.

Going into last night's game, the 4-15-3 Coyotes defeated the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.

Last night, Arizona ended the Leaf's six game winning streak with a 4-1 victory.

Brendan Pelini opened the Scoring for Arizona with a power play goal at 9:53 of the first period.

33 seconds into the second period, James Van Riemsdyk tied the game up with a power play goal.

At 18:17 of the (second) period, Oliver Eknaan-Larsson put the Arizona ahead again with a power play goal.

Auston Matthews thought he tied the game 2-2 in the third period, but the goal was disallowed for goaltender interference.

Arizona secured the victory shortly after the disallowed goal with two empty netters.

Arizona's Clayton Keller had two assists in last night's game.

Toronto faces the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. 

Preview: Coyotes Verses Leafs

On paper, the Toronto Maple Leafs wins this game hands down.

The Arizona Coyotes overall record is a dismal (and I mean dismal) 4-15-3.  The Coyotes are 3-9-2 on the road.

The Leafs are 14-7-0 and are 8-3-0 at home.

Antti Raanta is suppose to start in goal for Arizona tonight.  His win-loss record is 3-5-1-1.

Best Players:

ARI: Clayton Keller - 18 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

Injuries:

Arizona

Niklas Kjalmarsson - Upper Body - probable for tonight,

Jakob Chuchrun - Knee - out indefinitely.

Leafs Blank Canadiens 6-0

Auston Matthews scores two in his first game back from injury last night.

Make that six straight wins.

Yes.  That's right.

The Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Montreal Canadiens 6-0 last night as the team's winning streak continues.

There was no scoring until 12:07 of the second period when Ron Hainsey scored to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Just 37 seconds after Hainsey's goal, Nazem Kadri made it 2-0.

Just 25 seconds into the third period, Connor Brown scored to put Toronto up by three goals.

James Van Riemsdyk made it 4-0 at 8:11 of the third period.

43 seconds later, Auston Matthews scored Toronto's fifth goal of the game.

Matthews also scored Toronto's sixth goal at 15:27, giving him two goals in the game.

Matthews's teammate, Tyler Bozak finished the night with two assists.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen stopped 33 shots last night.

Toronto hosts the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night.

Preview: Leafs Verses Canadiens

With Carey Price out indefinitely with a lower body injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a really good chance of beating the montreal Canadiens tonight.

Also, there's word that Auston Matthews is probably going to be back in the Leaf's lineup tonight.

The problem with the Leafs, though, is their road record is not that good.  They're 5-4-0 on the road.

Having said that, Montreal's home record is just as bad.  The Canadiens are 4-4-2 at home.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 19 points.

MON: Jonathan Drouin - 13 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Upper Boday - questionable.

Montreal

Max Pacioretty - Flu - probable for tonight,

Jonathan Drouin - Flu - probable,

Jordie Benn - Flu - probable,

Torrey Mitchell - Flu - questionable,

Artturi Lehkonen - Lower Body - out indefinitely,

Nikita Scherbak - Knee - mid-December,

Alex Hemsky - Concussion - out indefinitely,

David Schiemko - Hand - late November.

Nylander Scores In O.T. To Give Leafs Their Fifth Straight Win

William Nylander scores overtime winner in Leaf's 1-0 victory over New Jersey.

It was a real goalies duel last night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils, thanks to William Nylander's goal in overtime.

Nylander scored the goal with just 2.2 to go in O.T.

Earlier in overtime, the Leafs had to kill off a four on three Devil's power play.

This victory gives the Leafs their fifth straight win.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen was fantastic in net last night, stopping 42 shots.

The Leafs look to make it six in a row tomorrow night as the team faces the Montreal Canadiens. 

Frederik Andersen made 42 saves against the Devils last night.

Preview: Devils Verses Leafs

This game is definitely a toss up.

Both the New Jersey Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs are even.

New Jersey has a 11-4-1-1 overall record and the team is 6-1-0-1 on the road.

Toronto has an overall record of 10-6-0-0 and are 7-3-0-0 at home.

The problem with the Leafs is that Auston Matthews is still on the sidelines and William Nylander is questionable for tonight's game.

Best Players:

NJ: Taylor Hall - 19 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 19 points.

Injuries:

New Jersey

Travis Zajac - Pectoral - probable for tonight,

Mirco Mueller - Collarbone - out indefinitely.

Marcus Johansson - Concussion - out indefinitely.

Toronto

William Nylander - Illness - day to day,

Auston Matthews - Upper-Body - won't play tonight.

Rumor Mill: Angels Thinking Of Trading For Kinsler

Los Angeles Angels are eying Ian Kinsler

Another trade rumor in Major League Baseball is on the horizon.

This time it involves Detroit Tiger's second baseman, Ian Kinsler.

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Los Angeles Angels are planning to make a trade for Kinsler.

The Tigers are in the process of rebuilding and the Angels are in the market for a second baseman.

A trade for Kinsler makes sense for the Angels at this time.

Kinsler has a $11 million option on his contract for the 2018 season.

Kinsler has played 12 seasons in the MLB.  Four with the Tigers and eight with the Texas Rangers.

Kinsler has hit .273/.342/.447 with 234 home runs and has 225 stolen bases during his career.

Rumor Mill: Jays Pursuing Cain

Lorenzo Cain

Now that Major League Baseball is over for the year, rumors are starting to heat up on whose going where.

The latest rumor involves the Toronto Blue Jays.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the Blue Jays are thinking of signing free agent Lorenzo Cain.

In 2017, Cain hit .300/.363/.400 with 15 home runs, and 26 stolen bases in 155 games, playing for the Kansas City Royals.

Crasnick is also reporting that the New York Mets are pursuing Cain.