Cursebreaker (Toronto Maple Leafs NHL20 - Fun Only)

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LEAFS HOST BOSTON; GEORGIEV TO START

A depleted Maple Leafs look to gain points against a resurgent Boston Bruins, who were 2nd in the division early in the season but are now 6th, just 3 points back of the Maple Leafs.

The list of injuries is long.

•Jesper Bratt (Pending)
•H. Lundqvist (January 2 2021)
•Ilya Mikheyev (Pending)
•Morgan Reily (December 18 2020)

The Boston Bruins let both Rask and Halak walk this off season, with Rask signing with the Seattle Grizzlies and Halak going to Edmonton. This has left goalie Cam Talbot as the starter with rookie Michael DiPietro serving as backup

Lineups to come!

Toronto Maple Leafs:

*Morgan Reilly is a late addiiton. He became available just prior to gametime. Dion Phaneuf will sit out

*Cam Talbot was injured in his last game. Michael DiPietro gets the start with Artem Kapitanov serving as his backup

Zucker-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-Matthews-Nylander
Vanek-Backes-Compher
Nygard-Steen-Mikheyev

Brodin-Byfuglien
Reilly-Hamonic
Sandin-Liljegren

Starter: Alexandra Georgiev
Backup: Frederik Andersen

Boston Bruins:

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastranak
Debrusk-Krejci-Bjork
Ritchie-Studnicka-Fast
Sutter-Boyle-Petan

Krug-McAvoy
Grzelcyk-Carlo
Vaakanainen-Moore

Starter: Michael DiPietro
Backup: Artem Kapitanov

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FIRST PERIOD DISASTER SINKS LEAFS, BOSTON ENDS LOSING STREAK

Boston would score 5 unanswered goals in the first en route to a 7-6 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs

Alexandae Georgiev got the start but again was pulled, this time after allowing 3 goals in a row (and on 9 shots total), midway through the first. Frederik Andersen would replace him and Boston would welcome him to the game with two more goals. Toronto would score two quick goals to end the period down 5-2. Mitch Marner and Dustin Byfuglien had the Leafs goals.

The second period was quiet. The Leafs would attempt to lessen the lead but only at 18:51 would Timothy Liljegren break through to make it 5-3.

An own goal by Morgan Reilly (credited to Studnicka) would make it 6-3, but Joakim Nygard made it 6-4 with his first as a Leaf. Vaakanainen would score to make it 7-4 at 14:34. 20 seconds later, Matthews would score to make it 7-5 and Morgan's Reilly gave the team life at 17:18 by making it 7-6

Unfortunately despite peppering the goalie with shots, Michael DiPietro stood tall and Boston would hang on for the 7-6 final

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LEAFS TRAVEL TO DETROIT, GEORGIEV LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start tonight against the basement-dwelling Detroit Red Wings, who are just 9-19-3, good for 22 points and last in the league.

Georgiev, originally brought in as the 3rd string but has been playing backup as Henrik Lundqvist recovers, has so far not been very effective. The one win he has with the team was mostly as a result of the Leafs offense, and he was pulled in two other games. Hopefully he turns it around against a rather weak Detroit Red Wings.

Former Leaf goalie Johnathan Bernier has been lit up like a Christmas tree on more than on occasion - he's 5-17-2 with a .872 Save % and a 4.07GAA. Top pairing defensemen Filip Hronek and Denis Cholowski are a combined -27 whilst overall only 3 players (McIsaac +7, Timashov +2, Ehn +1) have a +/- in the positive. Adam Erne has a Even +/-

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LEAFS TRAVEL TO DETROIT, GEORGIEV LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start tonight against the basement-dwelling Detroit Red Wings, who are just 9-19-3, good for 22 points and last in the league.

Georgiev, originally brought in as the 3rd string but has been playing backup as Henrik Lundqvist recovers, has so far not been very effective. The one win he has with the team was mostly as a result of the Leafs offense, and he was pulled in two other games. Hopefully he turns it around against a rather weak Detroit Red Wings.

Former Leaf goalie Johnathan Bernier has been lit up like a Christmas tree on more than on occasion - he's 5-17-2 with a .872 Save % and a 4.07GAA. Top pairing defensemen Filip Hronek and Denis Cholowski are a combined -27 whilst overall only 3 players (McIsaac +7, Timashov +2, Ehn +1) have a +/- in the positive. Adam Erne has a Even +/-

Lineups - December 19 2020
Toronto vs Detroit

*An injury to Ilya Mihkeyev forced the recall of a forward from the AHL. Former Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves will make his Maple Leafs debut

Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup

Matthews-Tavares-Marner
Zucker-Kerfoot-Nylander
Vanek-Backes-Compher
Nygard-Steen-Eaves

Reilly-Hamonic
Liljegren-Byfuglien
Sandin-Brodin

Starter: Alexandar Georgiev
Backup: Frederik Andersen

Detroit Red Wings Lineup:

Zadina-Larkin-Hirose
Bertuzzi-Rasmussen-Mantha
Fabbri-Veleno-Perlini
Erne-Ehn-Vesey

Cholowski-Hronek
McIsaac-Dekeyser
Dermott-Bowey

Starter: Anton Forsberg
Backup: Johnathan Bernier

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DETROIT EDGES LEAFS IN OT; LEAFS LOSE BACKES

Anton Forsberg made 35 saves and the Detroit Red Wings best the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in OT.

Detroit would score the opening goal, however it would once again be a result of an own goal - this time by Travis Hamonic, his second own goal of the season, not a stat you wish to pad. Anthony Mantha got credit.

David Backes would fight Tyler Bertuzzi in an attempt to kick-start the team. He won the battle, but suffered an apparent injury during the fight and left the game. This caused Steen & Eaves to rotate LWs as Joakim Nygard was moved up to Line 3

Filip Zadina would score to make it 2-0 in the second, but JT Compher would score at 10:30 to make it 2-1. Adam Erne would score to make it 3-1 shortly after and that's what we had going into the third.

Jason Zucker would finally show us what he's capable of, scoring both goals the Leafs needed, including the tying goal with just under 2 minutes left.

Overtime would prevail. The Leafs would start with Nylander-Tavares-Reilly. Detroit countered with Larkin-Mantha-Cholowski. Unfortunately it was the Detroit line that proved more lucky as Dylan Larkin would take a shot that hit Georgievs glove before going in for the 4-3 final.

Alexandar Georgiev would finish with 13 saves on 17 shots.

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LEAFS GAIN LUNDQVIST, BRATT; LOSE ZUCKER & LUNDQVIST TO INJURY

Yes you read that right. Henrik Lundqvist made his Maple Leafs debut early, on December 27 2020, Against the Edmonton Oilers. And he promptly got injured again. It seems the Injury bug he carried continues with the Leafs. An interesting story to follow

In addition, the Leafs forward Jesper Bratt returned to the lineup after a brief 4 game absence; he has 9 goals and 20 points in 31 games.

Unfortunately, Jason Zucker also got hurt in that same game. Zucker, finally picking up steam after starting slow, has 8 goals and 21 points in 35 games.

All in all, this has meant goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and forward Yegor Korshkov will continue to slot in the lineup

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LEAFS HOST CAPITALS; ANDERSEN TO START

Frederik Andersen will get the start in today's game, the first of a back to back. He will need to be at his best against the Washington Capitals who touts one of the deepest forward depths in the league. An example of how good there depth is? Elite winger TJ Oshie is in the 3rd line. Rookie sensation Alexis Lafreniere, which somehow the Capitals got, is on the 4th line. That is just some ridiculous depth.

Of course their high octane offense came at a cost of defense and goaltending; Braden Holtby is no longer on the team, Ilya Samsonov is the teams starter. And a lot of the veteran defensemen the Capitals had left in free agency and wasn't really replaced.

With Travis Hamonic, Henrik Lundqvist, Jason Zucker & Ilya Mihkeyev out on injury, the Leafs depth is getting tested. It will be interesting to see if the Leafs defense can hold back the offense.

Leading Scorers:

Goals:
TOR: Matthews - 17
WSH: Ovechkin - 27

Points:
TOR: Matthews - 39
WSH: Ovechkin - 42

+/-:
TOR: Byfuglien/Reilly - +14
WSH: C Tanev - +13

Wins:
TOR: Andersen - 15
WSH: Samsonov - 18

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LEAFS HOST CAPITALS; ANDERSEN TO START

Frederik Andersen will get the start in today's game, the first of a back to back. He will need to be at his best against the Washington Capitals who touts one of the deepest forward depths in the league. An example of how good there depth is? Elite winger TJ Oshie is in the 3rd line. Rookie sensation Alexis Lafreniere, which somehow the Capitals got, is on the 4th line. That is just some ridiculous depth.

Of course their high octane offense came at a cost of defense and goaltending; Braden Holtby is no longer on the team, Ilya Samsonov is the teams starter. And a lot of the veteran defensemen the Capitals had left in free agency and wasn't really replaced.

With Travis Hamonic, Henrik Lundqvist, Jason Zucker & Ilya Mihkeyev out on injury, the Leafs depth is getting tested. It will be interesting to see if the Leafs defense can hold back the offense.

Leading Scorers:

Goals:
TOR: Matthews - 17
WSH: Ovechkin - 27

Points:
TOR: Matthews - 39
WSH: Ovechkin - 42

+/-:
TOR: Byfuglien/Reilly - +14
WSH: C Tanev - +13

Wins:
TOR: Andersen - 15
WSH: Samsonov - 18

Game Lineups - December 31 2020

Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews-Tavares-Marner
Vanek-Kerfoot-Nylander
Bratt-Backes-Compher
Nygard-Steen-Korshkov

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Byfuglien
Sandin-Phaneuf

Starter: Frederik Andersen
Backup: Alexandar Georgiev

Washington Capitals

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Kovalchuk
Sprong-Backstrom-Vrana
Oshie-Thornton-Wilson
Lafreniere-Eller-C Smith

Orlov-Carlson
Kempny-C Tanev
Bouwmeester-Jensen

Starter: Ilya Samsonov
Backup: Calvin Pickard

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LEAFS WIN POTENTIAL GAME OF THE YEAR

Frederik Andersen made 36 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Washington Capitals 4-1.

Although a score of 4-1 would imply a blowout, that was not the case as two of those were empty netter goals in the last minute of the game. Both goaltenders played like brick walls.

John Tavares got the Leafs on the board at 16:04 of the first period and that was all the scoring we would see until 5:43 of the third.

We asked Freddy for a big game and he delivered as he made highlight reel save after save, especially the numerous times the Maple Leafs were shorthanded. The Maple Leafs played almost 2 full minutes of 5-on-3 and the vaunted Capitals offense failed to break through.

Early in the third, the game got a little hectic. After Leafs forward JT Compher took at a charging penalty at 4:57, Byfuglien would score at 5:43 while shorthanded. With 30 seconds left in the penalty, Caps forward TJ Oshie snow showered Frederik Andersen, which he took offense too. Despite players like Dion Phaneuf and Yegor Korshkov being on the ice, Freddy grabbed Oshie and started shovelling punches in his face.

Freddy not only held his own but he would win the fight. That would certainly spark the team.

A slight defensive hiccup led Washington forward Jakub Vrana to score to make it 2-1.

The goalies would continue to stand tall until the Washington Capitals pulled Samsonov. Nylander and Korshkov would add empty net goals for the 4-1 final. Samsonov would finish with 26 saves on 28 shots

Alexandar Steen played in his 1,000th NHL game today. He was awarded the Silver Stick in a Pregame Ceremony

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Monthly Recap - December 2020

Monthly Recap: 7-4-2
Overall Record: 21-12-4, 46pts, 3rd in Atlantic

Goal Leaders:
Auston Matthews - 17
John Tavares - 16
William Nylander - 13
Mitch Marner - 13
Jesper Bratt - 9

Points Leaders:
Auston Matthews - 40
Mitch Marner - 35
John Tavares - 33
Morgan Reilly - 31
William Nylander - 29

Plus/Minus Leaders:
Morgan Reilly: +15
Dustin Byfuglien: +15
Auston Matthews: +14
Mitch Marner: +13
Travis Hamonic: +8

Storylines:

•Consistency: Although the Leafs can win games, it seems the Leafs have struggles stringing multiple wins in a row - the longest win streak in December was 3, and those were the last 3 games of the month. They're also 5-4-1 in their last 10, hovering just under .500 in that period

•Backup Goaltending: Continues to be an issue. Henrik Lundqvist was brought in to shore it up but played just one game before getting hurt again. Alexandar Georgiev has been underperforming -a record of 2-3-2 is not what we need of our backup. Georgiev may not be a fit for the Leafs playing scheme. Watch this storyline intently moving forward

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LEAFS HOST NASHVILLE; JASON ZUCKER RETURNS TO LINEUP
January 13 2021

Toronto Maple Leafs (26-12-4)
Vs
Nashville Predators (16-20-4)

Jason Zucker will return to the lineup when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Nashville Predators at Scotiabank Arena.

Zucker, 28, missed 7 games and will slot in on the second line with Kerfoot and Nylander. David Backes will sit out as a healthy scratch

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start after winning his last game, and with this being a back to back, Andersen will play the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow, in Montreal.

Nashville will respond with 38 year old Pekka Rinne, backed up by Jusse Saros. Mike Green will also play despite suffering an apparent Injury in his last game

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LEAFS HOST NASHVILLE; JASON ZUCKER RETURNS TO LINEUP
January 13 2021

Toronto Maple Leafs (26-12-4)
Vs
Nashville Predators (16-20-4)

Jason Zucker will return to the lineup when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Nashville Predators at Scotiabank Arena.

Zucker, 28, missed 7 games and will slot in on the second line with Kerfoot and Nylander. David Backes will sit out as a healthy scratch

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start after winning his last game, and with this being a back to back, Andersen will play the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow, in Montreal.

Nashville will respond with 38 year old Pekka Rinne, backed up by Jusse Saros. Mike Green will also play despite suffering an apparent Injury in his last game

Game Lineups
January 13 2021

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Matthews-Tavares-Marner
Zucker-Kerfoot-Nylander
Bratt-Compher-Vanek
Nygard-Steen-Korshkov
Scratched: Backes

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Byfuglien
Sandin-Phaneuf

Starter: Alexandar Georgiev
Backup: Frederik Andersen

Nashville Predators:

Forsberg-Duchene-Tolvanen
Jarnkrok-Johansen-Arvidsson
Granlund-Turris-Toffoli
Bonino-Sissons-Grimaldi

Josi-Ellis
Ekholm-Brodie
Green-Fabbro

Starter: Pekka Rinne
Backup: Jusse Saros

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LEAFS CHASE REBOUND RINNE; GEORGIEV SOLID IN WIN

Alexandar Georgiev got 2 points and made 27 saves, to help the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Nashville Predators 6-3.

The first period was all Leafs as Mitch Marner, Tomas Vanek and Joakim Nygard would all score, all on rebounds, with Nygards shorthanded talked 14:15 into the 1st period to make it 3-0

Alexander Steen, assisted by Alexandar Georgiev, would end Pekka Rinnes night 4:50 into the second with his 10th of the season, but Nashville would strike back quickly with Mikael Granlund scoring just 46 seconds later. Colton Sissons, Auston Matthews and Viktor Arvidson would trade goals to end the period with the Leafs up 5-3 into the third.

William Nylander added an insurance goal just 6 minutes into the third, also assisted by Alexandar Georgiev, and the Leafs would clamp down any chance of a comeback, even with taking a late penalty to Auston Matthews.

Pekka Rinne made 9 saves on 13 shots in 24:49 of gametime and earned the nickname "Rebound Rinne" after 3 of the 4 goals he let in were rebounds, while Jusse Saros made 15 saves on 17 shots in a game where they were just outplayed.

Leafs look forward to their next game, tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens, in Montreal Quebec!

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LEAFS ACQUIRE MATT MURRAY FROM PITTSBURGH; GEORGIEV TO PITTSBURGH

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, prospect goalie Thomas Vlk and a 2021 3rd round pick.

Murray, also on a 1 year contract, brings much more experience and stability in net then Georgiev provided.

The Leafs look to host the Seattle Grizzlies as they hope to extend their winning streak to 11

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LEAFS ON VERGE OF FRANCHISE-RECORD BREAKING WIN
January 17 2021

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to extend their winning streak to 11 as they host the Seattle Grizzlies. The longest winning streak in franchise history is 10, set in September-October 2016. The longest in NHL history is 17 (Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992-1993).

Frederik Andersen will get the start tonight, newcomer Matt Murray will dress as his backup; Murray is likely to start tomorrow against Colorado Avalanche

Forward Jason Zucker is dealing with a nagging injury, therefore forward David Backes will play again. A slight change to the lineup has seen Alexander Kerfoot promoted to the top line with Tavares & Marner. More details to come on lineups