The Maple Leafs have a few days off, continuing their NHL-mandated exile in the US on a strict Wednesday and Saturday-only schedule, waiting until they can play another home game in Toronto with at least a partial capacity crowd to get that badly-needed hockey-related revenue for the players and league to share. Their next home game is still tentatively scheduled for next week, with the Leafs hosting the Anaheim Ducks, but we’ll wait and see if that actually happens or it’s somehow changed to a Leafs game in Anaheim or otherwise postponed.

Beyond that, the official Leafs schedule for February on NHL.com still has the large break in it for the the NHL All-Star Game on February 5th which is going ahead as planned in Vegas, and after that the two week break for the Winter Olympics, which we know are not happening for the NHL players.

What games will appear in those two weeks are still up in the air, but you have to think both the dates, locations, and teams need to be confirmed in the very near future. It’s only three weeks away.

In the meantime, the Leafs will spend this week in New York City to play the Rangers on Wednesday, and then the Islanders on Saturday. We’ll have more on those games as the week goes on.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day in the US which means the NHL has a slew of matinee games in the US on the docket, starting as early as 1:00 p.m. ET, so if you want to watch some hockey while working there’s probably a game on some obscure Sportsnet channel, or you can check NHL Live.

ICYMI

The Back to Excited crew had a new podcast yesterday and they took a deep dive in to Mitch Marner.

Back to Excited Episode 164: Leafs weekly recap + Mitch Marner’s return

The Marlies are on a long road trip through the AHL Atlantic Division right now. So far they have played the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals affiliates) and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers affiliates) and they won both games in overtime.

Here’s the game winner on Saturday by Alex Steeves against the Bears:

Here’s the game winner on Sunday by Joey Anderson (his third goal of the game) against the Pokemon Phantoms:

The Marlies are off to Connecticut to play the Hartford Wolf Pack this Wednesday, and then they will swing through Pennsylvania on the weekend to play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Sounds like an exhausting road trip! One bit of news we will follow is on Kristiāns Rubīns who left Sunday’s game with an injury.

We’ll probably get more on that when they have their next practice session and Coach Greg Moore has an update.

Other News

Hockey P.E.I. revokes suspension for player who criticized handling of racist incident - CBC News
Last week, Hockey P.E.I. indefinitely suspended Keegan Mitchell after he criticized the organization for its handling of a racist incident which happened to his teammate on December 17. Hockey P.E.I. has now abruptly reversed its decision after a large outcry from across the country over their poor handling of the entire matter, which did not follow the Hockey Canada guidelines.

Oilers Season Is Riding On Ken Holland - The Copper & Blue
The Edmonton Oilers are in freefall mode and it is up to general manager Ken Holland to try and fix the mess he created.

It’s Time To Get Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Tkachuk Some Help - Matchsticks and Gasoline
These two have been carrying the Flames while everyone else on the roster is just hanging on for dear life.

AHL voices taking their talents to the show TheAHL.com
In recent weeks no fewer than seven AHL broadcasters have received a call-up to the NHL, and there may never be another week like the final week of 2021 for some of the voices that AHL fans hear each night calling games.

Eichel will play in a few weeks, Golden Knights owner says - NHL.com
Jack Eichel's debut with Vegas Golden Knights could be in "a few weeks," owner Bill Foley told "Vegas Hockey Hotline" on Friday.

From The Branches