Maple Leafs at Canucks
When the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs squared off nearly a month ago, the game spun out of control with seven game misconducts and eight fighting majors called in the third period alone. Whether there will be retribution from either side is the main storyline when the Maple Leafs visit Vancouver on Saturday night.
Toronto's Nazem Kadri sparked some of the fireworks in the Nov. 5 meeting when he leveled Canucks forward Daniel Sedin with a shoulder near the head, but he isn't sure what to expect Saturday. "I have my teammates to help protect me. We'll all be in it together," Kadri said. "Two points is much more important than any sort of revenge in this league and both teams are aware of that." Vancouver defenseman Erik Gudbranson promised revenge with yells of "Matt Martin is dead" immediately after the 6-3 loss but he backtracked from those emotional comments on Friday. "Do I mean it? No. That's the honest truth," Gudbranson said. "But I was just frustrated at that point. Unfortunately, (the reaction) got taken to a level that I didn't expect."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (10-9-4): Toronto netminder Frederik Andersen, who served as backup in Wednesday's 3-0 loss, missed practice Friday because he was sick, but coach Mike Babcock said he would get the start Saturday. Andersen has permitted 11 goals during a 4-2-0 stretch and has a superb track record against the Canucks with a 7-1-3 mark and 1.33 goals-against average. Tyler Bozak had two goals and an assist in the last meeting versus Vancouver, but hasn't scored in the 11 games since.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-12-2): Bo Horvat scored a career-high 16 goals while playing in all 82 games last season, but he's already halfway to that total after tallying three times and recording seven points over his last six games. Captain Henrik Sedin snapped a nine-game goal-scoring drought with Vancouver's lone tally in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Anaheim, but he is at minus-7 for the season. Sedin has finished with a minus rating once in his career, during his rookie season in 2000-01.
OVERTIME
1. Canucks G Ryan Miller allowed all six goals on Nov. 5, but his 32 wins against the Maple Leafs are his most against any opponent.
2. Toronto is 3-for-28 on the power play in the last nine games.
3. Vancouver has killed off all 13 short-handed situations over the past six games.