Maple Leafs at Flames
Rookie Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs have several streaks on the line Wednesday when the team concludes the Alberta portion of its three-game road trip against the Calgary Flames. After going 13 contests without a tally, the 19-year-old Matthews is riding a goal-scoring streak that reached three games in Tuesday's trek-opening 4-2 triumph at Edmonton.
The first overall draft pick this past June, Matthews — who has recorded four tallies during his run — is tied for the team lead with 10 goals, and his 18 points put him one behind James van Riemsdyk and fellow rookie Mitchell Marner for first on the Maple Leafs. Toronto will be seeking its third consecutive victory and fourth straight game with a point when it visits Calgary, which is beginning a three-game homestand after completing a 3-2-1 road trip with a 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Monday. Sean Monahan, who had scored just once in his previous 15 contests, netted the lone tally — his sixth of the season — for the Flames to grab a share of the team lead. Wednesday's game will be just the fifth for Calgary this month at Scotiabank Saddledome, where it has gone 3-7-0 for the worst home record in the league.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (10-8-4): Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri maintained their shares of the club lead in goals, as they also reached double digits in Tuesday's victory. Kadri joined Matthews in extending his goal-scoring streak to three games and has notched a point in four consecutive contests while van Riemsdyk has tallied in back-to-back matches after enduring a three-game drought. Matthews paid a visit to the penalty box for the first time in his career Tuesday as he was called for hooking 3:16 into the contest, but he atoned for the miscue by opening the scoring 29 seconds after the infraction expired.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (10-13-2): Mark Jankowski made his NHL debut Monday, winning five of his eight faceoffs while receiving 10 minutes, 18 seconds of ice time on 13 shifts. "Obviously, I've dreamt of this ever since I can remember," the 22-year-old center, who was a first-round pick in the 2012 draft, told the team's website. "It was really cool to be out there. There were definitely a little bit of nerves at the start of the game, but I felt as the game went on, I got a little more comfortable and confident out there." Michael Frolik leads Calgary with 14 points and is tied for first in goals with Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk but is mired in a seven-game drought and has tallied just once in his last 14 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Flames D Dougie Hamilton has recorded six of his team-high 10 assists over his last six contests.
2. Three of Marner's seven goals this season have been game-winners.
3. Calgary D Dennis Wideman has scored both of his goals this season on the power play, tying him with LW Micheal Ferland for the team lead.