Leafs Battle Hard For Huge Win

There is no question that the Toronto Maple Leafs defeating the Dallas Stars 5-3 last night was a huge win for the team.

Dallas has been really good at home this season and defeating the Stars in their own arena is a huge achievement.

"I thought we started really well," said Leaf's head coach, Sheldon Keefe at the post game press conference.

Toronto worked hard last night to get their second straight win.

"I just liked how we battled," said Keefe.

Keefe also said he was impressed how patient his team played.

Auston Matthews put the Leafs ahead 1-0 with his 36th goal of the season at 12:18 of the first period.

Denis Gurianov tied the game at 17:21.

Zach Hyman put the Leafs ahead again at 4:40 of the second period.

Toronto went up 3-1 at 11:58 when Tyson Barrie scored.

With 58 seconds to go in the period, Dallas's Alexander Radilov scored.

William Nylander put Toronto up 4-2 at 3:28 of the third period.

Radilov closed the gap at 4-3 with his second goal of the game at 6:26.

Andreas Johansson sealed the deal for the Leafs, scoring an empty netter with just three seconds to go in regulation.

Leaf's Mitch Marner had two assists last night.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen, had a good night, stopping 31 shots.

Toronto is off for two days before hosting the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Preview: Leafs Versus Stars

Tonight 7:30 p.m. EST.

American Airlines Center, Dallas, TEX.

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars are shooting for their second straight win tonight.

Both teams are even.

It is hard to say who's going to win tonight.

Toronto's Auston Matthews has 15 points in his last 11 games.

Injuries:

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Morgan Rielly - Fractured Foot  - IR.

Dallas

Martin Hanzal - Back - IR.,

Andrew Cogliano - Lower Body - Day-to-day,

Room Hintz - Upper Body - Day-to-day.

Sandin Scores First Goal In Huge Leaf's Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs started the second half of National Hockey League season on a good note last night.

The Leafs put on a stellar performance, defeating the Nashville Predators 5-2.

William Nylander put the Leafs ahead 1-0 at 4:13 of the first period, scoring on a break away.

Michael Granlund tied the game 40 seconds later.

Zach Hyman put the Leafs ahead again at 7:12.

At 4:41 of the second period, Leaf's rookie, Rasmus Sandin scored his first ever NHL goal.

"It was a big goal for us at that point of the game," said Leaf's head coach, Sheldon Keefe after the
game.

Rasmus Sandin scores first NHL goal.

Jason Spezza made it a 4-1 game at 12:17.

Viktor Arvidsson scored Nashville's second goal at 12:52 of the third period.

Nashville seemed to get a spark from Arvidsson's goal as the team picked up the pace in Toronto's zone.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen, however, made some spectacular saves to contain the Predators to two goals.

Andersen stopped 34 shots last night.

Auston Matthews put a lid on the game when he scored an empty netter at 18:28.

It was Matthews 35th goal of the season.

Nylander, Sandin, and Hyman all had two points last night.

Toronto is in Dallas tomorrow to take on the Stars.

Preview: Leafs Versus Predators

Tonight 8 p.m. EST.

Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TEN.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost five out of their last six games.

The good news for the Leafs tonight is the team has shut out the Nashville Predators two times this season.

The latest, a 4-0 win on January 2.

Also, Nashville's goalie, Pekka Rinne is struggling.

Rinne is 9-10-1 in his last 20 games.

Injuries:

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Trevor Moore - Cncussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - IR.,

Morgan Rielly - Fractured Foot - IR.

Nashville

Colton Sissons - Lower Body - IR.,

Ryan Ellis - Upper Body - IR.

The World Mourns NBA Legend

Kobe Bryant, (right), his daughter, Gianna, (left) both perish in a helicopter crash yesterday.

I was in absolute shock yesterday when I heard the tragic news that NBA legend, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were killed in a helicopter crash.

I'm not the world's biggest basketball fan, however, those of you who read my "Sports News And Notes" blog know that I include the NBA in my entries.

I'm quite aware of who Kobe is.

Here is a background of the late basketball legend.

He was born Kobe Bean Bryant on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Kobe was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets and then was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe played all 20 seasons with the Lakers.

At the end of his career, Kobe had a total of 33643 points, 6306 assists, 1827 three pointers, 1499 offensive rebounds, 5548 defensive rebounds, 1944 steals, 640 blocks, and a point per game percentage of 25.0.

Kobe also had his share of achievements.

- 16 time All-Star
- Five time NBA Champions.
- 12 time All Defensive.
- Four time All-Star Most Valuable Player, (MVP.)
- 2007-08 League MVP
- Two time scoring champion.
- 15 time All NBA
- Two time Finals MVP.
- 1996-97 All Rookie.

Kobe retired in 2016.

Kobe spent his post retirement with his family and coaching his daughter, Gianna's basketball team.

In fact, Koby, Gianna, and seven other passengers were heading to a youth basketball tournament in Thousand Oaks, California before the crash occurred.

All nine passengers died.

Kobe is survived by his wife and three daughters.

R.I.P. Kobe and Gianna.

Walker Elected To The Baseball Hall Of Fame

Baseball fans in Canada were smiling yesterday as it was announced that Larry Walker was elected to Cooperstown.

Larry Walker elected to HOF.

Walker becomes the second Canadian elected to baseball's Hall Of Fame.

Fergie Jenkins was the first.

Larry Kenneth Robert Walker was born on December 1, 1966 in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada.

Walker played 17 seasons on three National League teams.

He played for the Montreal Expos, (now the Washington Nationals), from 1989-1994, the Colorado Rockies from 1995-2004, and the St. Louis Cardinals from 2004-2005.

At the end of his career, Walker had a batting average of .313, had 2,160 hits, 383 home runs, and 1,311 RBIs.

Walker is a five-time All-Star, won seven Gold Glove awards, three Silver Slugger awards, and won the National League's Most Valuable Player award in 1997.

The induction ceremony takes place in Cooperstown, New York on July 26.

Toews Has Four Point Night In Hawk's Win Over Leafs

Before going into a long break, the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to get a win against the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

Unfortunately, the Leafs lost 6-2.

In fact, the game was a disaster right from the start.

Chicago's Drake Caggula scored the first goal 21 seconds into the game.

Hawk's Captain, Jonathan Toews, scored at 5:32.

Brandon Saad put Chicago up 3-0 at 11:02.

25 seconds into the second period, William Nylander put the Leafs on the scoreboard.

Toews scored his second goal of the game at 3:19.

Toews went on to have a three point night.

 Jonathan Toews has a four point night.

Dominik Kubalik made it 5-1 Chicago at 10:58.

Alexander Kerfoot scored Toronto's second goal at 15:17.

Kubalik scored his second goal at 17:42.

Kubalik ended the night with three points.

Chicago's goalie, Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots.

Toronto's Tyson Barrie had two assists last night.

Toronto won't play again until January 27.

The Leafs face the Predators in Nashville.

Preview: Blackhawks Versus Leafs

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT.

This is the last game for the Toronto Maple Leafs before the All-Star break.

Next week is a bye week for the team.

The Leafs are 1-2-2 in their last five games.

As for the Chicago Blackhawks, they're looking to extend their winning streak to four games tonight.

Chicago's Patrick Kane is a real threat to the Leaf's defence tonight.

Kane is on an eight game point streak, (four goals, nine assists).

Kane is also a point away from reaching the 1000th point plateau.

Injuries:

Chicago

Andrew Shaw - Concussion - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Calvin de Haan - Right Shoulder - IR.,

Brent Seabrook - Right Shoulder, Hips - IR.,

Dylan Strome -Ankle - IR.

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - IR.,

Mogan Rielly Fractured - IR.

Rittich Stones Leafs In Shoot Out

Calgary Flame's goalie, David Rittich, basically stoned the Toronto Maple Leafs last night in a 2-1 shoot out win.

Rittich stopped 35 shots and stopped all three shots in last night's shoot out.

David Rittich stones Leafs.

Toronto' net minder, Frederik Andersen, was equally good in goal, stopping 31 shots.

"I thought it was a pretty even game," said Leaf's head coach, Sheldon Keefe after last night's game.  "The scoreboard reflected that."

There was no scoring in the first period.

Derek Ryan scored the opening goal at 7:34 of the second period.

William Nylander scored the tying goal on the power play in the third period.

There was no scoring in overtime, however, there was some spectacular saves on both ends of the ice.

Toronto hosts the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night.

Preview: Flames Versus Leafs

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT.

The last time the two team met on December 12, the Calgary Flames won 4-2.

You can guarantee that the Toronto Maple Leafs is out for revenge tonight.

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

Auston Matthews has 34 goals in 47 games.

Calgary is 6-4-0 in their last 10 games.

Injuries:

Calgary

Juuso Valimaki - Torn Right ACL. - Injured reserve, (IR,).

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - IR.,

Morgan Rielly - Fractured Foot - IR.

Matthews Gets Hat-Trick In Huge Win For Leafs

Toronto Maple Leaf's performance on the ice against the New Jersey Devils last night was really good, making up for Sunday's 8-4 debacle.

Auston Matthews got a hat-trick for Toronto in a 7-4 win.

Matthews scored his first goal of the game on the power play at 10:39 of the second period.

Matthews scored his second goal at 3:58 of the third period and finished off the hat-trick with an empty netter at 18:40.

Auston Matthews gets a hat-trick in a 7-4 Leaf's victory.

John Tavares, Frederik Gauthier, and Zach Hyman all scored in the first period.

William Nylander put Toronto up 4-0 at 2:12 of the second period.

New Jersey's Blake Coleman also had a hat-trick last night.

Blake Coleman

P.K. Subban also scored for the Devils last night.

New Jersey's Wil Butcher had two assists.

Tavares had three points.

Toronto's Mitch Marner and Rasmus Sandin had two assists.

Toronto hosts the Calgary Flames tomorrow night.

Preview: Devils Versus Leafs

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to redeem themselves tonight against the New Jersey Devils after that terrible 8-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

The Leafs also want to end their three game losing streak.

As for New Jersey, the team has had some recent success.

The Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Saturday night.

The Devils also defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Sunday.

Injuries:

New Jersey

Brian Strait - Concussion - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Ben Street - Upper Body - IR.,

MacKenzie Blackwood - Upper Body - Day-to-day,

Kyle Palmieri - Lower Body - Day-to-day.

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - IR.,

Logan Rielly Fractured Foot - IR.

Toronto Suffers Worst Loss Under Keefe

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered their worst loss under head coach, Sheldon Keefe last night.

The Leafs lost 8-4 to the Florida Panthers.

It was Toronto's third straight loss.

"Today's, (game), was the ugliest of all," said Keefe after the game.

Things were bad right from the start for the Maple Leafs last night.

Florida went ahead 3-0 quickly in the first period with goals by Josh Brown Aleksander Barkov, and Mike Hoffman.

Mike Matheson and Frank Vatrano put the Panthers up 5-0 at the beginning of the second period.

 Zach Hyman put Toronto on the scoreboard at 3:30.

Vincent Trocheck scored at 5:46.

Jonathan Huberdeau added another goal for Florida at 12:37.

Mitch Marner scored at 13:00.

John Tavares scored at 15:26.

Marner scored again 34 seconds into the third period.

Hoffman scored his second goal of the game on the power play at 4:33.

Mike Hoffman scored two in Florida's 8-4 win over the Leafs.

Hyman had three points.

Barkov and Trocheck also had three points.

Florida's goalie, Chris Driedgar, stopped 43 shots last night.

Toronto tries to get back on track tomorrow night as the team hosts the New Jersey Devils

Preview: Leafs Versus Panthers

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

BB&T Center, Sunrise, FLA.

The Florida Panthers are three points behind third place in the Atlantic Division.

Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau is the player to watch tonight.

Huberdeau has 59 points in 44 games.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they're 9-1-2 in their last 12 games.

Toronto's Auston Matthews has 31 goals this season.

Injuries:

David Clarkson - Back - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Andreas Johansson - Leg - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - Day-to-day.

Florida

MacKenzie Weegar - Upper Body - Day-to-day,

Sergei Bobrovsky - Undisclosed - Day-to-day.

Matthews Scores 30th, 31st Goal In Shoot Out loss

Despite losing to the Winnipeg Jets last night 4-3 in a shoot out, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs ought to hold their heads up high.

With just seconds to go in regulation, with the extra attacker, Toronto's Auston Matthews scored the tying goal with a wicked slap shot at the point to push the game into overtime.

It was Matthews 31st goal of the season.

Matthews scored his 30th at 4:56 of the first period to tie the game 1-1.

Auston Matthews scored two goals last night.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored the first goal of the game at 4:00 of the opening period.

Mason Appleton scored a short handed goal at 18:00 of the first period to put the Jets up 2-1.

Dmytro Timashov tied the game at 6:00 of the second period.

Winnipeg went ahead again at 11:45 when Mark Scheifele scored.

It was end to end action in overtime.

Leaf's net minder, Frederik Andersen, made two spectacular saves in O.T.

Toronto has three days off before heading to Florida on Sunday to face the Panthers. 

Preview: Jets Versus Leafs

Tonight 7:30 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT.

Last Thursday, (Jan. 2), the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Winnipeg Jets 6-3.

Tonight, though, Winnipeg has an edge on the Leafs.

The Jets are 13-7-2 on the road this season.

Winnipeg is also 3-5-2 in their last 10 games.

Toronto lost 6-4 against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

It is really hard to say who is going to win tonight.

Injuries:

Winnipeg

Mark Letestu - Mycarditis - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Bryan Little - Vertigo - IR.,

Dmitry Kulikov - Upper Body - IR.,

Nathan Beaulieu - Lower Body - IR.

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Andreas Johnsson - Leg - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - Day-to-day.

McDavid Shines Bright Against Toronto

Edmonton Oiler's Captain, Conner McDavid had four points in a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.

Connor McDavid recored four points.

Oscar Klefborn put the Oilers ahead 1-0 at 7:51 of the first period.

Just 34 seconds into the second period, Darnell Nurse made it 2-0 Edmonton.

The Oilers went ahead 3-0 at 1:45 when Kailer Yamamoto scored.

Jason Spezza put Toronto on the scoreboard at 2:24.

Alex Chiasson put the Oilers up by three goals again at 13:41.

Frederik Gauthier scored at 16:22.

Pierre Engvall made it a 4-3 game at 19:13.

Edmonton continued to score in the third period.

Leon Draisaitl scored at 6:26.

McDavid scored at 11:26.

Auston Matthews scored Toronto's final goal at 13:18.

Oiler's goalie, Mike Smith stopped 32 shots last night.

Toronto's Kasperi Kapanen had two assists.

Toronto tries to get back to winning tomorrow night as the Leafs hosts the Winnipeg Jets. 

Preview: Oilers Versus Leafs

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank arena, Toronto, ONT.

What was a promising season for the Edmonton Oilers has gone south.

The team has become mediocre.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team continues to surge.

Injuries:

Edmonton

Ryan Mantha - Left Eye - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Brandon Manning - Hand - Day-to-day,

Matt Benning - Head - IR.

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Andreas Johansson - Leg - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - Day-to-day.

Leafs Shut Out Islanders

The Toronto Maple Leafs did it again.

Toronto shut out the New York Islanders 3-0 last night.

"We stayed with it," said Leaf's head coach, Sheldon Keefe after the game.

Leaf's net minder, Michael Hutchinson, stopped 33 shots last night.

Michael Hutchinson made 33 saves.

There was no scoring until 13:25 of the second period when Pierre Engvall scored.

Auston Matthews scored at 16:07.

Matthews had a two point night.

Zach Hyman scored an empty netter a1 17:52 of the third period.

Toronto's Mitch Marner had two assists.

Toronto hosts the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night.

Preview: Islanders Versus Leafs

Tonight 7 p.m. EST.

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT.

The New York Islanders were on a hot streak at the beginning of the season with a 16-3-1 record.

The Islanders, however, have slipped since then.

New York is 3-4-1 since December 17.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team is red hot.

Toronto is 8-0-1 in their last nine games.

Injuries:

New York Islanders

Cal Clutterbuck - Wrist - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Adam Pelech - Achilles - IR.

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - IR.,

Andreas Johansson - Leg - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - Day-to-day.

Leaf's Hot Streak Continues

The hot streak continues for the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team defeated the Winnipeg Jets last night 6-3.

Toronto went up 2-0 in the first period with goals by William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen.

Kyle Connor made it a 2-1 game at 3:45 of the second period with a power play goal.

Patrik Laine tied the game at 7:44.

Travis Dermott put the Leafs ahead again at 9:02.

Pierre Engvall made it 4-2 Toronto 35 seconds later.

Mark Scheifele closed the gap to 4-3 at 12:48.

Mitch Marner scored a power play goal at 16:52.

Nylander scored his second goal of the game at 8:45 of the third period.

Nylander had a three-point night.

 William Nylander

Leaf's Alex Kerfoot had two assists.

Toronto's goalie, Frederik Andersen, stopped 45 shots last night.

Toronto hosts the New York Islanders tomorrow night.

Preview:Leafs Versus Jets

Tonight 8 p.m. EST.

Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MAN.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are really hot.

The Leafs are 7-0-1 in their last eight games.

Toronto's goalie, Frederik Andersen, has 20 wins this season.

As for the Winnipeg Jets, they're struggling.

The Jets are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.

Injuries:

Toronto

David Clarkson - Back - Injured reserve, (IR.),

Andreas Johnsson - Leg - IR.,

Trevor Moore - Concussion - IR.,

Ilya Mikheyev - Wrist Laceration - IR.,

Jake Muzzin - Fractured Foot - Day-to-day.

Winnipeg

Mark Letestu - Myocarditis - IR.,

Bryan Little - Vertigo - IR.,

Dmitry Kulikov - Upper Body - IR.,

Andrew Copp - Upper Body - IR.