The Maple Leafs have one big slog of games to get through as we march toward December. The schedule doesn’t give the team more than a single day off between games for the next two weeks; the 1st and 2nd of December.

It’s a rough schedule too. While the next three games are at home, the Leafs then take off to play four games in six days on the road, including the stop in Minnesota on Black Friday where they will play at 2:00 p.m. ET. That will also be the only TSN game in this mix through early December as they turn over most of their broadcast schedule to covering the FIFA World Cup games. This means all weekday games through the end of the month, other than that one Friday next week, will be on Sportsnet Ontario or SN1 only, including tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. The Saturday games will still be available on CBC for Hockey Night in Canada.

We’ll have our preview of tonight’s game out around noon.

Other News

This is the obligatory LOLOILERS moment from last night, featuring an ex-Leaf you will know (no, not in the Oilers net):

And here’s the state of the Blackhawks offence right now. Yikes! They’re so far below average in front of the net the blue goes into the purple range!

REPORT: Sharks, Sens Have Talked Karlsson Trade Back to Ottawa - San Jose Hockey Now
Per Elliotte Friedman, the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators have talked about an Erik Karlsson trade, but it doesn't seem feasible.

'Shocking and unexpected,' Hamilton Bulldogs owner says of FirstOntario Centre demand to vacate for years - CBC
"We had been told that the renovations would occur in a manner that would allow hockey to continue," says the Hamilton Bulldogs owner. Now they have to find somewhere else to play until 2024.

NHL vice-president delivers message of diversity, inclusion to Manitoba youth - CBC
NHL executive vice-president Kim Davis spoke to a crowd of more than 100 youth in Winnipeg at a conference with the theme "Raising our Voice," and that's exactly what Davis encouraged all of the youth in attendance to do, even when it might be scary to do so.

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for November stew - The Guardian
[SPECIES: If you have a pressure cooker, this recipe is for you, and it uses the vegetables you can buy in bulk pretty cheap right now. I substituted out the pumpkin for butternut squash, which is only $1/pound or less now at most grocery stores. A super secret is that most canned pumpkin actually is butternut squash anyway because they are almost the exact same, so substitute away!]

Yes, Canned Pumpkin is Actually Just Squash, Regardless of Whether the Label Says “100% Pumpkin”

Would you substitute squash for pumpkin?

I only use real pumpkin in November, when it matters!15
This isn’t news to me. I’ve been on to the lies from Big Squash for years.23
I don’t care. Pumpkin is a fourth line gourd in my kitchen even when the Acorn Squash goes on LTIR.45
Look, it’s my lunch time right now, and all I want is to have some of Species’ delicious November Stew.22
From The Branches