Predators at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division, but they had an unnerving moment in their latest victory as No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen took a skate to the jaw. Andersen is fine and expected to be available Wednesday, when the Maple Leafs host the surging Nashville Predators.
Toronto overcame Andersen's exit behind a high-powered offense that scored three times in the third period of Monday's 7-4 win over visiting Anaheim. It was the NHL-leading fifth time this season the Maple Leafs have scored at least seven goals as they posted their fifth win in six games. Nashville is on a 9-1-1 run and its offense also is percolating, winning three in a row while scoring five goals in each victory. The Predators, who have the fewest regulation losses (12) in the Western Conference, will be without star forward Filip Forsberg (suspension) on the second stop of their four-game road trip.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Tennessee (Nashville), Sportsnet, TVA (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (32-12-7): Nashville was 0-10-2 when trailing after two periods this season before rallying for a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Monday, getting the tying goal from Ryan Johansen before defenseman Roman Josi delivered the winning tally in overtime. "You've just got to believe," Johansen told reporters. "Whenever you're playing a good team, you know they're never out of the game, and that's how we feel our opponents look at us." Kevin Fiala scored twice against New York, his third two-goal performance in the last seven contests.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (31-19-5): Andersen said he was fine at Tuesday's practice and likened his injury to taking a "good uppercut to the jaw. It was just kind of like whiplash in the neck." Toronto was flustered offensively in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Boston, but Auston Matthews scored twice to raise his team-leading goal total to 25 and William Nylander also netted a pair of tallies against the Ducks. "Definitely a good bounce-back game for us," Matthews told reporters. "Our line (Nylander and Zach Hyman) wasn't happy with our performance on Saturday."
OVERTIME
1. Matthews has recorded six goals and 10 points over his last eight games.
2. Johansen has collected one tally and four assists during his three-game point streak.
3. Maple Leafs D Jake Gardiner has registered 12 assists over the last eight contests, producing a trio of three-assist efforts in that span.