I hope you all got a good night’s sleep. The Maple Leafs will continue their tour of the Southwestern US tonight with a stop in Las Vegas. Puck drop will be shortly after 10:00 p.m. EST, so perhaps you should take a nap in the evening and then get up to watch the game.
Well have a preview of the game and news on the lineups later this morning, or possibly in the afternoon as it’s not yet clear at what time the Leafs will have their “morning” skate out in that time zone.
The Marlies played last night against the Hartford Wolf Pack. We received some bad news before the game that top goal scorer Chris Mueller is out injured and it will likely be “weeks” before he is back. The Marlies lost the game 3-2 and will contiue their Atlantic Division road trip tomorrow against the Providence Bruins.
"You look at it and I feel like we had the puck a lot today. I don’t know if we did a good enough job creating quality chances."
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) February 14, 2019
Sheldon Keefe on tonight's game. #MarliesLive pic.twitter.com/WVRJUP8VZB
ICYMI
Here’s what we wrote about yesterday.
WHW: Team USA beats Canada 1-0 to begin Rivalry Series - Annie and Nafio
Hilary Knight the difference maker in the goalie duel.
Rivalry Series Game 1: On the (Slushy) Ground in London - Bonny Lohonos
"I look forward to Team Canada's inevitable victories in the next two games! I'm only bummed that I didn't get to cheer a goal by Poulin or Spooner or Nursey."
Maple Leafs reportedly talked to LA about Clifford - Katya
31 Thoughts has another example of some tire kicking from the Leafs, this time for Kyle Clifford.
Other News
The Oilers lost again last night. No surprise there. What was fun is the turning point in the game when Bryan Rust scored a short-handed goal.
Fun fact: @rustyyy_92's shorthanded goal extends his point streak to three games (2G-2A). It was his second shorthanded goal of the season. pic.twitter.com/iUy6LsUMik
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 14, 2019
Also this happened.
And then look at Connor McDavid’s defensive coverage here.
He’s given up. And why shouldn’t he?
You know it’s bad when even Mike Harrington trashes your team.
People who gripe about the #Sabres really should watch an #Oilers game. These guys play with absolutely no pride, especially in their own zone. They're an embarrassment. Hitch should retire again. I know he's from Edmonton but he doesn't need this.
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) February 14, 2019
Meanwhile Jake Virtanen was trucked by Ryan Getzlaf last night. Was it an accident, or an ”accident”?
Mike Babcock on Muzzin: - MLHS
Babcock talked about the addition of Jake Muzzin yesterday.
”We are way deeper one through six, so you are not as paranoid about who is on the ice when they are out there.”
Rangers’ Can’t Kick D-Can Down the Road Next Season - Blueshirt Banter
With room needed to grow, bringing back Adam McQuaid will hurt more than it helps.
Artificial intelligence, algorithmic pricing, and collusion - VOX, CEPR Policy Portal
Antitrust agencies are concerned that the autonomous pricing algorithms increasingly used by online vendors are actually learning to collude with each other to keep prices high, not low.
