The Maple Leafs only have one day off after defeating the Bruins on Saturday night before starting another set of back-to-back games today.

It’s two teams the Leafs have already seen before this season too, the Blue Jackets and... the Bruins again!

Tonight it’s the Blue Jackets whom the Maple Leafs defeated 4-1 back on October 4th and, wow, that game feels like it happened ages ago even though it was less than three weeks. A lot has happened to this team already in the early days of this season.

The Blue Jackets AHL team was in town to play the Marlies this weekend and the Marlies kept their season win streak alive, defeating the Monsters in two games. Hardev was there on Saturday and has his recap here.

Marlies recap: Kaskisuo, Liljegren dominant in 2-0 win over Cleveland Monsters

I was there on Sunday and will have a recap out later this morning of their 6-5 shootout win. In the meantime, enjoy this video of our favourite giraffe scoring the shootout winning goal.

The Marlies are going to be displaced from Coca-Cola Coliseum in a few days for the Royal Winter Fair. They will go on a long series of away games, probably broken up into three mini-trips through New York State, Quebec, and Michigan. They will play their next home game on November 16th.

ICYMI
Here’s what we wrote about on the weekend.

Back to Excited Episode 77: Leafs Usage, Evaluating Kerfoot + Barrie - Arind and Fulemin
How does the trade look nine games in.

HNIC reports that the Maple Leafs are open to trading Nic Petan - Katya
With the roster about to get smaller within a couple of weeks, Nic Petan has been the odd man out.

Mike Babcock leaned on Matthews against the Bruins - Katya
Auston Matthews played more and tougher minutes than any Maple Leafs forward. How did it go?

Other News

I hate showing Habs doing something good, but this move by Keith Kinkaid is quite something.

Florida Panthers sign Boyle to one-year deal - Litter Box Cats
Cats improve center depth with crafty veteran pivot to Brian Boyle.

In today’s NHL, skating is king. And Dawn Braid is a kingmaker - Sportsnet
Part of a group of figure skaters-turned-hockey coaches pushing the game to new levels, Dawn Braid makes sure NHL stars keep up. This is her story.

The 43rd Canadian general election

We know our commenters love to talk politics and we here at the Kitten Ranch do as well. In fact, our kitttens are busy rigging the election right now for a surprise victory by the Feline League. Err, wait. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that last part.

Since today is a game day, we will have multiple open posts before, during, and after the election, so we have created a Fanpost which where you can talk about the election and the results all you want, in one single place. It’s right at this link. Go there to chat politics, but first you should vote. Go and do that as soon as you can!

From The Branches