The Toronto Maple Leafs will be on the hunt for their first win of the month when they host the surging Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
The Maple Leafs lost their fourth straight game 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored the game-winner 5:02 into the third period, just 51 seconds after Jack Roslovic tied it 3-3.
The Maple Leafs have allowed 17 goals four games into a six-game homestand stacked with many of the league’s heavy hitters. Head coach Jim Hiller outlined the mentality he hopes to see from his team in the coming games.
“You work your way out,” Hiller said. “There’s only one way. You can’t hope. You can’t be average. You gotta work your way out. Every guy.”
After starting three games during this losing skid, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
Toronto traded Joseph Woll, 28, to the Philadelphia Flyers during the offseason before signing Bobrovsky, 38, to a three-year contract reportedly worth $21 million. Bobrovsky has posted a .881 save percentage through 13 games and has allowed at least three goals in all but one start.
“You definitely don’t want to be in it, but it is what it is, so one shot I am focused on the moment and the things that I can control and try to give the best chance for the team to win,” Bobrovsky said. “I feel you can overthink easily and put yourself in a hole. You have to cut it off and put that behind you and move to the next level.”
Backup Anthony Stolarz (5-2-0) could get the nod on Thursday, as Bobrovsky has lost five straight games.
Toronto will face the Central Division leader in Minnesota. Kirill Kaprizov scored the game-winner 21 seconds into overtime as the Wild extended their point streak to nine games with a 2-1 road win over the Montreal Canadiens in their last outing on Tuesday.
“Sometimes we had to bend, but we didn’t break,” head coach John Hynes said after the game. “We didn’t get ourselves into penalty trouble. I think the guys dug deep and dug in with good discipline and good structure.”
The Wild are on the opposite end of the spectrum between the posts. Jesper Wallstedt is enjoying a breakout season, with a .925 save percentage and 15.1 goals saved above average per Hockey Reference. Minnesota has allowed the fewest goals per game (2.2) in the NHL thanks in large part to his play.
“I know for fans and everything, they want the high-scoring games with a lot of goals,” Wallstedt said. “But us goalies, we love these games. Those are the best. If you’re a goalie fan, you enjoy these a lot with a lot of saves, with goalies making good ones and, yeah, it’s a fun game.”
The Wild will have plenty of firepower at their disposal against a battered Toronto defense. Kaprizov ranks second in the NHL with 17 goals, while Quinn Hughes became the second-fastest defenseman in league history to record 80 points with a franchise, reaching the milestone in 68 games with Minnesota after an assist against Montreal.
Defenseman Morgan Rielly (lower-body injury) could return to the Maple Leafs’ lineup after missing two games. Forwards Kirill Marchenko and Colton Sissons (lower-body injuries) remain sidelined. Depth defenseman Nick Blankenburg (upper-body injury) is still on injured reserve.
Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson (hip) is traveling with the team but has not yet returned to the lineup. Defenseman Brock Faber, recovering from a skull fracture, has resumed skating but is not expected to return until Saturday.