Predators at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs put a halt their three-game winless skid (0-2-1) in their last outing, but the victory did little to stop the questions about their lackluster offense. The Maple Leafs continue their quest to find those answers on Thursday when they host the Nashville Predators.
William Nylander and Auston Matthews each scored a power-play goal in Toronto's 2-1 triumph over Tampa Bay on Tuesday, with the game serving as the third in a row that the Maple Leafs had failed to score at 5-on-5. "Certainly, with our ability to score and the type of players we have, it's definitely a little surprising," captain John Tavares told TSN of the drought on Wednesday. Toronto will hope to break out of its offensive funk versus Nashville, which followed up back-to-back shutouts of Dallas with a 4-2 victory over Montreal on Tuesday. "Every game is huge for us," Predators captain Roman Josi said. "Every game is like a playoff game. A good start in Dallas, and now (Tuesday) in Montreal with a win, so it's huge for us."
TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Tennessee, TSN4
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (35-26-8): Filip Forsberg tallied twice versus the Canadiens to boost his season goal total to a team-leading 21, marking the sixth straight season in which he has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau. Josi, who leads the club in assists (49) and points (65), has six and eight, respectively, over the last seven games. Victor Arvidsson is riding a three-game assist streak heading into the tilt with Toronto, against which he scored in a 5-2 setback on Jan. 27.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (36-25-9): Nylander has scored in consecutive games to boost his point total to 22 (12 goals, 10 assists) in 23 games played since Jan 12, a stretch that includes a goal and an assist in the previous meeting in Nashville. Matthews, who also scored in the first meeting with the Predators, has 49 points (32 goals, 17 assists) in 34 games on home ice this season. Mitch Marner also has fared well in front of the home fans, with his 13th multi-assist and 17th multi-point performance of the season on Tuesday giving him 36 assists and 40 points at Scotiabank Arena.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville G Juuse Saros has turned aside 136 of 141 shots with two shutouts in his last five appearances (four starts).
2. Maple Leafs G Frederik Andersen owns a 9-2-0 record in 12 career appearances (11 starts) versus the Predators.
3. Nashville C Mikael Granlund, who scored in the first meeting with Toronto, has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last four games.