The Maple Leafs penalty kill and power play were sharp last night, helping the team to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. It was a fun game of goals on the rush, and Auston Matthews doing Auston Matthews things.

Oh, and JvR scored again. Ho hum. Another game, another goal. That’s 34 this season.

Leafs vs. Predators Recap: Return of the King

The Leafs don’t have long to revel in their victory. As mentioned earlier the schedule is now on crazy mode. Their next game is Saturday night against the Red Wings. They have Sunday off and then face another stretch of four games in six days.

The Marlies travel to Belleville tonight to face the Senators. They will play them here in Toronto on Saturday. Don’t forget the Clarkson Cup is also here in Toronto on Sunday at Ricoh Coliseum.

ICYMI

Here’s what else we wrote about yesterday.

Toronto Marlies add Solar Bears forward Hunter Fejes on a PTO - Katya
The scoring forward is very good in the ECHL. Does he have it in the AHL?

Recap: Marlies defeat Penguins 4-3 in OT thriller - Me
Ben Smith and Adam Brooks left the Penguins defenders in the dust to score the game winner in overtime.

Other Hockey News

Poor Cam Ward. You can bet this will be number one in every one of those “Top 10 NHL Bloopers” and own goal compilation videos for years to come.

Eddie Olczyk announces he’s cancer-free - Second City Hockey
The Blackhawks’ color analyst made the announcement during the first intermission of Thursday’s game.

Schenn will not face discipline for hit David Krejci - St. Louis Game Time
Brayden Schenn hit David Krejci in the head during last night’s game against the Bruins.

Winter 2017-2018 Radio Ratings – Toronto Sports Media Blog
TSN1050 continues to have almost zero listeners through much of the day.

Numbers Behind Blue Jackets Late-Season Transformation - The Cannon
The Columbus Blue Jackets have completely flipped the switch — and the story — as we head into the final days of the regular season.

From The Branches