Leafs bounce back and beat the Panthers 6-2: Game Highlights

The Leafs bounced back from their worst loss of the year with a dominate win over one of the NHL’s hottest teams, the Florida Panthers. Auston Matthews struck twice, John Tavares assisted on three goals and Matt Murray broke his six game streak of letting in four goals per game. Below are the highlights from the game.
Toronto got started early with a powerplay goal from Matthews. He beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a perfect wrist shot from the top of the circle to put the Leafs in front…

TONE STRIKES FIRST 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XdiR3zW5ND
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 23, 2023

Calle Jarnkrok nearly added an insurance marker halfway through the first. Matthews hit him with speed entering the offensive zone but Bobrovsky denied him in tight…

good drive by Jarnkrok pic.twitter.com/8EbfXnWY5B
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 23, 2023

The Panthers barely tied it up with a goal from Matthew Tkachuk. Murray made a sprawling save with his back then somehow gloved the rebound. The review confirmed the puck completely crossed the goal line. 1-1…

Count the goal for Matthew Tkachuk! ✅ pic.twitter.com/dM0tYPJLPU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2023

William Nylander put the Leafs back on top early in the second. Him and Tavares did work down low to get the puck to the net. Nylander cleaned it up to make it 2-1…

WILL NY! 😎 pic.twitter.com/m1LJLe3RKQ
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 24, 2023

A couple minutes later Matthews did it again with another beauty wrist shot. He circled the net, turned and fired. 3-1 Leafs

💥 DOUBLE DIP PAPI 💥 pic.twitter.com/FkF6WttgYF
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 24, 2023

Nick Cousins got the Panthers back in it. The Leafs made some sloppy plays in the defensive zone and he made them pay by scoring a slick backhand from the slot…

Cuz is cookin’ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zDohH8HHFZ
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 24, 2023

Late in the second period Toronto finally got their first 5-on-3 …

Read More

Author: Scott Ony / The Leafs Nation

Former Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Pat Tabler lands new role in the booth with Cleveland Guardians

From the booths of the Rogers Centre to the booths of Progressive Field, Pat Tabler has a new broadcasting role.

Tabler, 65, joined TSN as a studio analyst covering the Jays back in 1993, and got his start in the booth working alongside Dan Shulman all the way back in 2001. This past year, Tabler and Sportsnet parted ways.
But now, according to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, Tabler will be pinch-hitting for some broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians…

The Guardians are adding former players Pat Tabler, Ellis Burks and Chris Gimenez to their broadcast lineup this season. Tabler will join the booth for certain games and Burks and Gimenez will join the pre- and postgame shows. The broadcast regulars will also return.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 23, 2023

Tabler’s longevity has been a calling card for the Blue Jays nearly becoming synonymous with the team. He’s been a huge part of the media landscape in Toronto surrounding the team.
Tabler, a native of Hamilton, Ohio, played 1,202 Major League games over 12 seasons and 707 of them came while playing in Cleveland. He joined the Blue Jays in the 1991 season and helped them win their first-ever World Series the following year.
Here’s some of what Blue Jays Nation writer Evan Stack wrote about Tabler last December:
Tabler, who has as many home runs as a Blue Jay as Munenori Kawasaki, spent two seasons with Toronto as a player. He was a part of the 1992 World Series club, serving as a utility man. One of the more unique assets of Tabler’s game was his ability to come up in the clutch; Tabby was a career 43-for-88 with the base …

Read More

Author: Zach Laing / Blue Jays Nation

booths Centre from progressive Rogers

Jose Berrios tosses five innings in return from WBC, Daulton Varsho hits his first homer of spring, and more as the Blue Jays beat the O’s 2-1

I’m not going to lie, it’s incredibly difficult to go from last night’s World Baseball Classic finale back to following along with Grapefruit League games. Just one more week to go!

The Blue Jays sent what might be their Opening Day lineup to the field in Dunedin on Wednesday and beat the Orioles by a score of 2-1. Let’s go through the noteworthy things from the game…
Things worth mentioning…

Jose Berrios returned to the mound for his first start since the disastrous inning he tossed for Peurto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Berrios getting lit up by Venezuela generated some panic among those who follow the Blue Jays but Pete Walker wasn’t overly concerned about it, saying on Blair and Barker “I didn’t get to watch it live, so at first I was a bit concerned, but after I replayed the entire game I wasn’t concerned. The pitch selection and sequencing was nothing like what we’ve been working on all winter.”
Berrios went five innings against the Orioles and allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out five. It’s also worth pointing out that this was much like how a lot of his “good” starts went last season, as Berrios would look dominant at times but also had a lot of loud contact resulting in outs because of the play of the defence behind him.

José Berríos got up to 77 pi …

Read More

Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

difficult from going I’m incredibly It's

Looking at Timothy Liljegren and if he mets the higher standard for staying in

One of the things that could be seen from miles away is the inevitable controversy over who would be scratched on the Leafs blueline as the Leafs carry nine NHL defenseman and come to the realization that an 11F/7D model doesn’t work when your coach loves rolling four lines and three pairings at even strength. We all knew that Conor Timmins would be screwed with the nine defenseman approach, but I guess there is still a bit of a surprise when it comes to Timothy Liljegren, and seeing him get scratched for two consecutive games wasn’t something Leafs fans were prepared to see at the same time when pitchforks are out for Morgan Rielly and Justin Holl.
Sheldon Keefe probably didn’t help things with this comment:

Sheldon Keefe on Timothy Liljegren:
“He’s an important guy for us, but, as I’ve talked to him about … our team is deeper on defence now. The standard is higher in terms of staying in. He was in a similar situation last season.”
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 7, 2023

Now, I’ll start with the fact that this isn’t some form of attack on the defenseman, I do think to some extent it is a coach taking the easy way out. As he begins to sit defensemen from time to time, it probably made sense for him to start with the youngest one in the current lineup. Also, the one that took a tough hit that almost made it seem like Liljegren would be questionable for the first game he was scratched for an …

Read More

Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

could from miles seen That things

Eyes on Knies, Grebyonkin’s great season, Tverberg on the board: Leafs Prospect Roundup

We are now less than a week away from the NHL trade deadline, and with the Leafs having already taken their big swing with the Ryan O’Reilly trade, the focus has shifted from whether or not top prospect Matthew Knies could be on the move to if and when he’s going to sign with Toronto.
Knies and the Gophers wrapped up their regular season schedule with a weekend set against #3 Ohio State. After a relatively quiet one-assist showing in Friday’s win, he was in the middle of everything on Saturday.
Things didn’t start off so great as Knies was assessed a five-minute major for checking to the head in the first period, and linemate Jimmy Snuggerud earned a five-minute major of his own. The infractions allowed Ohio State to get out to a two-goal lead early in the second, but Knies and his linemates made amends and then some.
After Sabres prospect Aaron Huglen brought the Gophers within one, Minnesota’s top trio got to work and quickly tied the game. Logan Cooley made a heads-up play in the neutral zone to spring Snuggerud for a clean entry down the right wing, and sensing an opportunity, Knies darted past his man to the far post, arriving at the per …

Read More

Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

away from less than trade Week

10 Things to consider about the Leafs and the trade deadline

We are less than five weeks from the trade deadline. It feels like we are at least halfway through the nonsense that starts around the beginning of the calendar year and so far has yielded just a Ryan Merkley/Matt Nieto trade. It’s an interesting time that never lives up to the hype that goes into it, but the trade deadline is the last barrier between Leafs fans and confronting the existential dread that is playoff time, so admittedly I try to enjoy it even knowing that it will be underwhelming.
There are a lot of quantitative elements that go into the trade deadline and throwing mass quantities of numbers at you about random players on random lottery teams is fun, but today I thought I’d just ramble on about 10 qualitative things that warrant a bit of discussion heading into the trade deadline as well.
1. If a player’s numbers say they are playing badly, trust the numbers
There is always a belief that the player that you want the Leafs to acquire who is having a down year is having that down year because they are playing on a bad team. There is one major flaw in this way of thinking and that’s the obvious, “what if the player I like i …

Read More

Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Five from less than trade week’s

Up and down weekend for Knies, Abruzzese stays hot for Marlies: Leafs Prospect Roundup

We are now just a little over a month away from the NHL’s trade deadline, and much of the talk surrounding the Leafs has been centered on how they can improve their current roster before March 3rd.
Speculation about potential trade targets naturally leads to discussion regarding exactly what the Leafs have in terms of trade assets and which ones they might be willing to move. The Leafs will almost certainly have their 2023 and 2024 first-round picks on the table, but will they will be willing to move off the organization’s top prospect in Matthew Knies if that’s what it takes to land an impact player for a crucial playoff run? What about other highly regarded young pieces like Nick Robertson, Topi Niemelä, or Fraser Minten?
What the Leafs have working in their favor is that despite a lack of high draft picks in recent years, there is depth in their prospect pool, and many of their recent picks have performed well enough to raise their stock, not only in the eyes of the Leafs but amongst other NHL organizations as well. Will other teams have interest in some of the Leafs’ middle-tier prospects like Ty Voit or Nick Moldenhauer, who are both putting toget …

Read More

Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

away from just little month over

Reliving a chaotic night at Scotiabank Arena with guest Anthony Stewart: Leafs Morning Take

From a goalie pull to a penalty shot to a parade to the penalty box, Tuesday night’s tilt between the Leafs and Panthers had a bit of everything. Simply put, it was a hot mess.
Despite flying solo for the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take, there was no shortage of talking points to tackle ..with a little help from my friends.
After giving my individual thoughts on the 5-4 OT victory, I turned things over to Rosie for another terrific edition of 3 Hits With Rosie. After last night’s antics, you just knew he would have a lot to say. And unsurprisingly, he did not hold back when talking about Radko Gudas.

Presented by @PointsBetCanada..
“This guy has no reason to be submarining a guy and blowing him up like that. It’s not a skill, it’s not something to be proud of.”
– @Jay_D_Rosehill on Radko Gudas
Leafs Morning Take – Jan. 18 @TLNdc
📱 https://t.co/VaPAFBdmMq pic.twitter.com/LZPn5hwxA5
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) January 18, 2023

Additionally, I broached guest Anthony Stewart on the hot button topic coming out of last night’s game as well.

Also, here’s @StuMunrue on Gudas’ antics from Tuesday night. #HockeyTwitter #LeafsForever | #TimeToHunt | #TORvsFLA pic.twitter.com/kfb6lqw2Kf
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) January 18, 2023

At any rate, it’s always great to get the perspective of players who actually played in the league. Big win for the Buds!
Lastly, I wrapped with the PointsBet Canada bet of the day:

.@thegoldenmuzzy is all over another Pete DeBoer @NHLRevenge game tonight in San Jose👀
💰💰💰@PointsBetCanada is live in Ontario!
Details -> https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr#ad #pointsbetcanada
Full Show📱: https://t.co/1yiu1iZD7g pic.twitter.com/F7CDqTWWeL
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) January 18, 2023

Be sure to join us on Thursday at 11 AM ET as we preview Leafs and Jets from Scotiabank Arena.
Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and leave us a review wherev …

Read More

Author: Nick Alberga / The Leafs Nation

from Goalie” parade penalty pull shot

Five of the best Toronto Maple Leafs-themed gifts to get this holiday season

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a gift to, or from, one of your loved ones that was Toronto Maple Leafs-themed, would it?

It’s two days before Christmas — I know — but if you’re a last-minute shopper like me, or still haven’t found the right gift for someone you’re buying for, this could be the perfect article for you.
Some of these gifts can be found at multiple sports stores, and some are just found at Real Sports Apparel, online or in-store.
Either way, these are the best gifts that I found for that special Leafs fan in your life.
(Click on the photo of the gift if you’re interested in seeing more information.)
Borje Salming ALS Patch

This is the perfect gift to get any Maple Leafs this holiday season.
If you have a friend or family member who has a jersey, you can buy this patch for them. It comes in at $19.99 and would be an incredible stocking stuffer or little gift for that special person this holiday season.
And guess what? All net proceeds will be donated to ALS Action Canada, “Canada’s only ALS patient-led nonprofit organization building a movement to ensure urgent, equitable access to promising therapies for Canadians living with ALS; more and better clinical trials for ALS therapies throughout Canada; and increased federal and provincial investment in ALS research.”
Even if that friend or family member doesn’t have a jersey, this patch is a nice little memento to have for keepsake.
Matthews 60-goal net twine puck

Who wouldn’t want a piece of history?
This puck has a snippet of twine in it from Auston Matthews’ 60th goal, scored on April 26th, 2022 in Toronto against the Detroit Red Wings.
The puck comes in at $79.99 at Real Sports Apparel and could be the perfect gift for the diehard fan, or for someone who enjoys memorabilia. And hey, …

Read More

Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

from gift holidays without wouldn’t your

3 All-NBA players Raptors star Pascal Siakam is outperforming

The Toronto Raptors haven’t shied away from letting Pascal Siakam be the main offensive force that drives Toronto’s entire operation. The results have not only been acceptable, given Toronto’s 3-2 start, but they’ve been nothing short of jaw-dropping and record-setting. Siakam has averaged 25.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game in the first […]
3 All-NBA players Raptors star Pascal Siakam is outperforming – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

away from haven’t Raptors shied Toronto