The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 and remain atop the league rankings in first place. It wasn’t the most skill-infused game we’ve seen this year. There was a lot of broken neutral zone play and there were long spells without scoring chances, but they can’t all be Picassos. The Kings have stayed true to their brand of hockey, which is north-south, straight lines with deliberate movement up the ice; a little on the slow/grindy side of things. Notes Auston Matthews – We’re not going to stop adding Matthews as a post-game talking point until he’s undeserving of it and that hasn’t happened yet — two assists on the night for him and obviously a big part in their win. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Matthews has struggled up against some of the best two-way centers in the league. It was on display for all to see in the playoffs last year as Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand effectively neutralized he and William Nylander and last night against Anze Kopitar wasn’t exactly a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. His possession statistics were somewhat embarrassing: 33 cf% — corsi, which is a proxy for possession — and struggled holding onto the puck through the neutral zone in his one-on-one battles with both Kopitar and Kovalchuk. In the offensive zone and defensive zone, he was better but he wasn’t nearly as committed to stopping and starting on loose pucks as the former Selke winner Kopitar. On a number of occasions he was watching play looking over his shoulder rather than being committed to battling to maintain possession of the puck. Part of this responsibility is his linemates. Kasperi Kapanen is the toast of the town because he scored twice and can apparently replace Nylander now, but he is struggling against the best players in the league in terms of maintaining fluid possession and generating two-three turns on the cycle in the offensive zone. His blazing-fast skating is obviously a thrill to watch and clearly in the realm of Larkin, Athanasiou, Eichel, MacKinnon and others as the fastest players after McDavid, but he’s a player that plays with tunnel vision and things rarely go up ice without some jerkiness. He, too, hardly had the puck and was able to change the narrative on the game with a bank shot from behind the net, some rush chances, and by finishing a great Matthews pass off the rush. He’s a terror on the forecheck; if he gets even one step on the D leaving his own zone, he instills panic, but his puck control skills aren’t at the level of the Matthews, Marners, Nylanders, Kadris or even Johnssons on the team. He’s a great weapon for the team, but he is not a replacement for Nylander. They’re scoring, they’re finishing on their chances well and the Toronto Maple Leafs are winning, so this may seem like navel gazing or being unduly critical of a great start to the season for the team while Matthews is putting up historical numbers, but this is the type of play that sees you exiting the first round with your tail between your legs. On TOR, the point is an interesting one. In terms of adjusted even-strength shot share, they're just a slice above break-even. But they're playing "fun" and relying on their ++shooting talent to be the difference-maker. pic.twitter.com/PNOGZbC8gj — Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) October 16, 2018 The Maple Leafs started last year with a 6-1 record — the exact same record they have this year — and were speed-bagging teams. They were looking unstoppable on some nights (the game against the New York Rangers stands out in my mind) but shortly thereafter, Babcock put an end to all the easy offence and tried to instill a harder checking mentality to their game with the playoffs in mind. This is a blast to watch for any hockey fan, but can you win by scoring off the rush and powerplay so much? It seems we’re going to find out; a President’s Trophy looks like it could be in the cards for the Leafs this season if they can maintain this form for long stretches, but it’s almost a different sport in the playoffs and you’re not going to see wide open neutral zones and defensive zone breakdowns so readily as we are seeing in the very early stages of the regular season. Babcock can come across as unreasonably hard on the star players, but he also put up one of the best modern day records in the NHL with the Red Wings and had his teeth kicked in in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers. That team was so good they never had to check much throughout the year. They had the puck the whole time, they were never really in the trenches, and — no doubt — he has PTSD over letting a dominant regular season turn into big black mark on his coaching career. Perhaps this is why there is a low correlation between winning a Presidents Trophy and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Watching Matthews rip things up on a historical level is never going to get tired, but he needs to dominate the #1 center that he lines up against each night. He can outshoot pretty well any player in the league right now (jeez… is it too early to say “ever”?) and his puck control/stickhandling requires slow motion see how he is actually beating players. He’s a bull on the puck and his passing vision is really-good-and-getting-better but he needs to get better defensively. This is fun, wide-open early season hockey, but you’ve got to learn how to check and fight through checks, which isn’t happening right now. The Leafs have been beating up on tin cans, for the most part, but the competition is going to rise and Matthews is going to have to remember what it’s like playing in quicksand in the dzone and through the neutral zone like it is in the playoffs. I don’t need to tell Babcock this.<doc-sep>Los Angeles Kings vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Game #7 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Downtown Toronto in one of the bank buildings. Broadcast/Streaming: Sportsnet Ontario and Fox Sports West Opponent SBNation Site: Jewels from the Crown This game gives Toronto fans their first chance to see Ilya Kovalchuk in a long, long time. He’s been busy scoring a lot in the KHL since he last played in the NHL. He had 63 points in 53 games last year, and so far in the NHL he has one goal and two assists in five games played. The Kings have been renowned for years for a very high Corsi percentage and some really bad (relatively speaking) results. They suffered first from what we’ve come to think of as Carolina disease — lots of shots, not many good ones. Carolina seems to have gotten over the second part, and the Kings seem to have just given up on the first. After five games, they sit at 24th in the NHL in Corsi with 45 per cent as the measure of their inability to win the shot battle. They’ve played the Sharks, the Red Wings, and then they came east to play the Jets, the Canadiens, the Senators, and now the Maple Leafs. It’s okay, we understand how hard the Sens are to beat this year. And there’s the trouble, after beating the Habs 3-0, they lost 5-1 to the Sens who were icing Dion Phaneuf’s retained salary as their highest-paid defender. The Kings didn’t lose the shot battle on this one, they won it by a huge margin, even when you account for score effects. That is not shot quality. From either team, but the Kings just wailed from the points and hoped, I guess. They played okay against the Sharks, dominated the Habs, were terrible against the Jets, and repeated that with the Sens. Which team will the Leafs get? Which goalie is another good question. Jonathan Quick is out injured and Jack Campbell and Peter Budaj are the goalies on this trip. They each played about half of the last game. Maple Leafs From morning skate Forward Lines Patrick Marleau - Auston Matthews - Kasperi Kapanen Zach Hyman - John Tavares - Mitch Marner Par Lindholm - Nazem Kadri - Connor Brown Andreas Johnsson - Frederik Gauthier - Josh Leivo Defence Pairings Morgan Rielly - Ron Hainsey Jake Gardiner - Nikita Zaitsev Travis Dermott - Igor Ozhiganov Goaltenders Frederik Andersen Garret Sparks - starter Los Angeles Kings Updated to the lines from morning skate Forward Lines Alex Iafallo - Anze Kopitar - Ilya Kovalchuk Tanner Pearson - Adrian Kempe - Tyler Toffoli Nate Thompson - Michael Amadio - Jeff Carter Kyle Clifford - Jaret Anderson-Dolan - Trevor Lewis Defence Pairings Derek Forbort - Drew Doughty Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez Dion Phaneuf - Oscar Fantenberg Goaltenders Jack Campbell Peter Budaj The Leafs are bringing the same lineup that succeeded against the Capitals, and so far, we shouldn’t be too sure those depth assignments will stick, particularly the Par Lindholm as winger experiment. He has some offensive talent, so maybe given a few more games, the Kadri line will start to gel in this format. I don’t actually believe that, I’m just resigned to Kadri playing with the least talented wingers on the team forevermore. The only change for the Leafs is that Garret Sparks get his second start of the year, and his second chance to lay down a good game. If we learn more, we’ll keep a secret from you.<doc-sep>The Toronto Maple Leafs have not lost a game in nine days, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to slow down following a 4-1 stampeding over the Los Angeles Kings. Garret Sparks stepped up with Frederik Andersen injured and stopped 33 of 34 for the win. Kasperi Kapanen scored the first and last goal of the game, and was assisted by Auston Matthews on both of them. Jake Gardiner also picked up two assists and looked very good throughout the game. Matthews now has seven multi-point games to open the season. I hear that’s pretty good. Auston Matthews with his seventh straight multi-point game to open the season, joining Mario Lemieux (92-93), Kevin Stevens (92-93), Mike Bossy (84-85) and Wayne Gretzky (83-84) as those to do it. — Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 16, 2018 First Period 1-0 The Maple Leafs get off to an exhilarating start as Kapanen finds the back of the net from behind the net. The whole play started with a great breakout led by Gardiner, who lumbered from the defensive zone into the offensive zone and put the puck on net for the forwards to chase. The Kings did a frankly terrible job retrieving the puck from Matthews and co. allowing Kapanen to find some space behind the net and bank home the puck off a scrambling Jack Campbell on their second shot of the game. This was a play by Matthews on Drew Doughty just before the goal. Lmao. Drew Doughty trying to stop Matthews. pic.twitter.com/bPpJqSAg9I — Flintor (@TheFlintor) October 15, 2018 I can’t believe I’m saying this, but a few minutes later, Frederik Gauthier had an amazing shift. It began when the Goat dangled around a Kings defenseman at the offensive blueline as he walked in on Campbell with shockingly Matthews-like ease. His line stayed in the offensive zone for a while, doing well to create shots from the point. Eventually, Igor Ozhiganov wasn’t able to keep the puck in the Leafs possession and the play went the other way. In the high slot in the Leafs zone, Gauthier drew a high-sticking call on Kyle Clifford, sending out the Leafs incredibly potent power play. 2-0 The Kings gave the Leafs a second power play of the game (don’t do that) when Adrian Kempe got a little carried away with the holding on Par Lindholm. Lindholm has looked great in the early goings. Lot’s of drawn penalties combined with consistently out-shooting your opponent makes me a very happy fan. But back to the goal. The Leafs get yet another goal from in tight when Patrick Marleau — who was given a universe of space, and an eternity of time — whipped a shot past the far side of Campbell. Gardiner picked up his second assist of the game, along with Josh Leivo getting his second point in as many contests. After One I’ve really liked the Leafs’ third pair though one period in this game. Ozhiganov has shown the ability to play the tough game, along with being a surprisingly efficient puck-mover. His stretch pass to Andreas Johnsson — who was great in his own right — in the latter half of the period was great. Another player who stood out was Gardiner. Two shots and two assists have been well earned for the left-shooting defenceman, who’s looked like his old puck-moving self. He looks faster! The first goal of the game was a direct result of him jumping up on the rush, and he with Zaitsev keeping the scoring chances against down to a minimum. After one, the Kings had one stretch of play in the middle of the period where Matthews’ line with Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey got shelled for four shot attempts against. As a result, the Kings led in shot-attempts (12-16), shots (5-9), but not in scoring chances (6-5). Second Period 2-1 People blamed Matthews for this goal against, but a little earlier in the play, I saw a mistake by the fourth line who were just leaving the ice. Zaitsev gave Gardiner a somewhat bad pass, but Gardiner had enough space, and support in front of him to catch up to the puck and exit the zone. However, when he tried to poke the puck up to his teammates, Leivo looked completely out of the play, and didn’t even both stretching to get the puck, while Gauthier decided he didn’t want to help and went off for a line change. The Kings were able to keep the puck on the Leafs side of the ice, immediately leading to a Ilya Kovalchuk goal assisted by Alex Iafallo. Don’t blame Auston, and don’t blame Jake. They did their best, but they weren’t supported by their teammates. 3-1 The Leafs fell onto their heels following that goal, giving up four shots in quick succession. However, on the last shot by Tyler Toffoli off the rush, Sparks was able to parry it away with the blocker, sending the Leafs back the other way. Hyman hustled up the ice, kept the puck within him while fighting off two guys for long enough to allow Tavares a chance to retrive the puck and send it to Marner for a tap in. Way to go Sparks, and way to go Hymns. Remember when we didn’t think Zach Hyman had good hands? Guess he worked on that. Wow. — Adam Wylde (@AdamWylde) October 16, 2018 In terms of penalties in the period, it wasn’t a great one. Marner was caught for slashing twice. One of them he deserved, the other might be a warning shot by the referees telling him to quit it. But going the other way, Kadri was subject to a clear interference penalty by Oscar Fantenberg that affected which team had possession of the puck in the latter half of the period. It should’ve been called. The Leafs should’ve been given a power play. But whatever, the Kings are still 0% on the power play this season. WE ARE THE ZERO PERCENT! After Two Boy, Sparks had to keep the Leafs in it during that period.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Sparks gets start for Maple Leafs versus Kings Sparks gets start for Maple Leafs versus Kings Article content Garret Sparks’s wait to play net for the Leafs again won’t be as long as he might have thought. But it will be a tough assignment, a Monday night start against the Los Angeles Kings. Sparks’s only game this year was a torrid shoot-out in Chicago where he survived a 7-6 overtime win. L.A. comes into town stinging from a 5-1 loss in Ottawa and no doubt hearing a lot about the Leafs winning five of their first six games. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Sparks gets start for Maple Leafs versus Kings Back to video Mike Babcock was not keen on revealing his reasons for moving Sparks up, but obviously waiting going with Frederik Andersen until Nov. 9-10 when the next back-to-back is on the schedule was too much for the coach’s liking. As for Sparks’s recovering from giving up six, Babcock would only say “the great thing is that you get evaluated every day in life. That’s pro hockey.” Andersen has an outstanding record against the Kings, with a record of 6-1-2 and a .925 save percentage. The Kings are without injured star Jonathan Quick in net and have been using former Dallas first rounder Jack Campbell. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGeMazIStQY&feature=youtu.be No other lineup change for the Leafs are planned after beating defending Stanley Cup champion Washington on Saturday, with NHL leading scorers Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly making their contributions late in that game. Igor Ozhiganov is staying as Travis Dermott’s partner on the third pairing and the fourth line continues with Frederik Gauthier between Andreas Johnsson and Josh Leivo. The 6-foot-5 Gauthier has become very useful to the coach with the departure of Matt Martin and Leo Komarov from the bottom six. “He’s different than what we have, a big man,” Babcock said of the Leafs running into ‘heavy’ teams of late. “He’s on the high side of the puck and doesn’t give up much. He’s given us another way to approach our team. “Obviously, the idea was to have Par Lindholm in that spot (the new Swede has now been elevated to third line left wing) but Lindy’s played well and we need him elsewhere.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or The Kings have two prominent defencemen, Drew Doughty, who has mused about playing in Toronto a few times in his career, and former Leaf captain Dion Phaneuf. The Leafs have not replaced Phaneuf as captain since he was traded to Ottawa in February 2016, making newcomer John Tavares one of three alternates this season with Rielly and Patrick Marleau. “It’s something teams are trying now and team to team, things are different,” Phaneuf said of more clubs going without a ‘C’. “I don’t really feel one way or the other, whether it’s four assistants, three assistants (or one guy). You look over there and they’ve had a great start. I wish their team nothing but the best, just not (against the Kings). “(L.A.) is a great organization, they’ve had a lot of success and I’ve enjoyed the transition. I get treated really well – and the weather doesn’t hurt.” lhornby@postmedia.com Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>
Share this Story: GAME DAY: Kings at Maple Leafs GAME DAY: Kings at Maple Leafs Article content LOS ANGELES KINGS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 7:30 p.m., Monday We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or GAME DAY: Kings at Maple Leafs Back to video Scotiabank Arena, SNO, The Fan 590 BIG MATCHUP Ilya Kovalchuk vs. Patrick Marleau In his previous NHL life, Kovalchuk, who did not practise fully on Sunday for maintenance reasons, scored 17 goals in 40 career games against the Leafs. Lured back to the NHL by the Kings after five seasons in the KHL, Kovalchuk could find himself up against Marleau, the Leafs’ greybeard at 39. Marleau has been doing some good things for the Leafs in the offensive zone, but has yet to score a goal in six games. FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Matthews’ magic Auston Matthews, in two seasons plus six games in the NHL, has embarrassed a majority of the Maple Leafs’ opponents, though the Kings are not one of them. In four career games against Los Angeles, Matthews has one goal and one assist. Matthews, of course, has not been stoppable out of the gate, scoring 10 goals in six games. Teams like to say they worry about themselves, but Matthews will give plenty of pause for thought. Article content 2. Balance it out The Leafs were thrilled that some secondary scoring on the part of Kasperi Kapanen, Par Lindholm and Josh Leivo guided them to victory in Washington, but others remain guilty of no offence. Nazem Kadri, Zach Hyman, Patrick Marleau, Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott are among the Leafs who have yet to score. Further balanced scoring will only help, and you can bet each will be hungry to start a home stand off right. 3. Even it up The Kings rank among the NHL’s bottom teams in Corsi, coming in at 44.5% at even-strength. Still, some consistent diligence could be required by the Leafs when both sides are even, as Los Angeles has allowed just six goals against in five games in that situation, while scoring 10. The Leafs were leading on both sides of the even-strength ledger — 17 goals for and 16 goals against. Article content 4. Sputtering PP Where the Leafs are so hot on the power play they’re getting goals — or a goal — from the second unit, the Kings couldn’t be more inept. Los Angeles has had 18 power plays this season and scored on none. They’ll break through at some point. “A lot of that’s on me,” Drew Doughty said. “I’m a guy who gets put out there for a reason, and I need to make a difference.” 5. Eyes on Drew Don’t let Doughty’s slow offensive start to the season — no goals and two assists in five games — lull one into thinking he has lost a step. Not so, as Doughty can control a game as much as any of the best defencemen in the NHL, and no player gets a better opportunity to do. The Kings’ Mr. Everything on the blue line always is among the league leaders in ice time and is first in that category right now, at 27 minutes 23 seconds a game. Article content MAPLE LEAFS LINES LW-C-RW Patrick Marleau-Auston Matthews-Kasperi Kapanen Zach Hyman-John Tavares-Mitch Marner Par Lindholm-Nazem Kadri-Connor Brown Andreas Johnsson-Frederik Gauthier-Josh Leivo Defence pairs Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev Travis Dermott-Igor Ozhiganov Goaltenders Frederik Andersen Garret Sparks KINGS LINES LW-C-RW Alex Iafallo-Anze Kopitar-Ilya Kovalchuk Tanner Pearson-Adrian Kempe-Tyler Toffoli Jaret Anderson-Dolan-Jeff Carter-Mike Amadio Kyle Clifford-Nate Thompson-Trevor Lewis Defence pairs Derek Forbort-Drew Doughty Jake Muzzin-Alec Martinez Dion Phaneuf-Paul LaDue Goaltenders Jack Campbell Peter Budaj INJURIES Kings — G Jonathan Quick (lower body), F Dustin Brown (finger), F Gabe Vilardi (back), F Jonny Brodzinski (shoulder). Maple Leafs — None. SPECIAL TEAMS Power play Kings: 0% (31st) Maple Leafs: 47.1% (2nd) Penalty kill Kings: 73.3% (23rd) Maple Leafs: 81.3% (11th) Share this article in your social network LFP Noon News Roundup Sign up to receive a curated collection of links and highlights from our award-winning breaking news coverage, in-depth analysis and unmatched investigative features at lunchtime weekdays. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address.