Utah Hockey Club @ Toronto Maple Leafs
07:00 PM at Scotiabank Arena
Watch on: NHLN, TVAS, TSN4, Utah16
The Leafs last game was at home on November 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights, which Toronto won by a score of 3-0 in regulation. The Leafs have a record of 12-6-2 for a 0.65 Points %.
The Utah Hockey Club last played away on November 23 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Utah won by a score of 6-1 in regulation, and their current league record is 8-9-3 for a 0.475 Points %.
Them
Utah is not the Coyotes, but they are a very unusual team. At the end of the Coyotes rampage through hockey history, they had hired a good GM and coach, and had stacked up a lot of draft picks. This enabled Utah to sign players, draft good players and trade for players with an eye to being competitive. Their points say they aren't, but it's not quite that simple.
At five-on-five, Utah have the fourth best Corsi % in the NHL. Their Expected Goals % is in the middle of the pack, virtually identical to the Leafs' number. They struggle to score, like the Leafs, and they are good at limiting goals against, but not excellent like the Leafs are. Their power play is poor, and their goaltending is actively hurting them.
Now, that said, it depends on the goalie. Karel Vejmelka has been excellent in nine games and Connor Ingram has been dreadful in 13.
Utah is dealing with a rash of injuries on defence, which is why they traded for Olli Määttä and recalled Maveric Lamoureux, so they might be a little less gifted at keeping the puck than they have been.
Tourigny on #UtahHC Vejmelka (and if he will play tomorrow):
— Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) November 24, 2024
"He radiates confidence."
"We will surely talk about it. I don’t know if it’s the right move because it’s four [games] in six [days]. Probably the answer will be no, but we’ll see."
It seems unlikely that Utah will play Vejmelka two nights in a row.
UPDATE: I missed the Ingram is injured, so the issue is more complex. Jaxson Stauber or Vejmelka, and at their late availability today, it was confirmed Vejmelka will start.
Lines
Belle Fraser via Daily Faceoff
Clayton Keller - Barrett Hayton - Nick Schmaltz
Jack McBain - Logan Cooley - Dylan Guenther
Matias Maccelli - Nick Bjugstad - Lawson Crouse
Alex Kerfoot - Kevin Stenlund - Michael Carcone
Mikhail Sergachev - Olli Määttä
Ian Cole - Maveric Lamoureux
Michael Kesselring - Robert Bortuzzo
Connor Ingram - likely starter
Karel Vejmelka - confirmed starter
Jaxson Stauber
Us
Everything is coming up Nylander on the Leafs. The constant discussion that with a handful of regulars out of the lineup, the Leafs lines look a little thin got silenced by an excellent game against Vegas. All Toronto has to do is do it again.
Lines
Nick Barden via Daily Faceoff
Bobby McMann - John Tavares - Mitch Marner
Nicholas Robertson - Pontus Holmberg - William Nylander
Nikita Grebenkin - Fraser Minten - Alex Nylander
Alexander Steeves - Connor Dewar - Steven Lorentz
Morgan Rielly - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit - Conor Timmins
Anthony Stolarz
Joe Woll
The Game
My advice to the Leafs is to pressure that weak defence, and listen to Matt Knies when he tells you to watch out for Logan Cooley. Utah has some very legitimate forwards, and their record lies a little about how good they are.
