The Utah Hockey Club won’t be able to celebrate its 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins too hard on Saturday night. They’ve got another job to do on Sunday, and it’s a big one: face the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are known as one of the most polarizing teams in hockey. You either love them or you hate them. Regardless, their games are consistently some of the most watched in the league.
That will be especially true on Sunday, as it’s the only NHL game of the day.
What to know about the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs have been one of the best regular season teams in the last decade, but their haters love to point out that they’ve won just one playoff series in the last 20 years. At this point, the regular season is just an inconvenient hoop they have to jump through on their quest for playoff success.
They’re heavily aided in that quest by some of the league’s greatest talents.
Mitch Marner, the 2015 fourth-overall pick, is just outside the league’s top 10 scoring list with 26 points. William Nylander, who’s also lighting it up for the Leafs, will play with his brother, Alex Nylander, on Sunday, for the first time since the 2016 World Junior Championship.
Alex Nylander was playing for the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, but the Leafs signed him to an NHL contract on Friday.
Reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews seems to score on every shot he takes, though he’s currently out with an injury. He just got back from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment. He told reporters on Saturday that he probably won’t play on Sunday, but he might return against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
A number of other Maple Leafs are having excellent seasons, which combine to put the team in first place in the Atlantic Division.
This will be a tough test for a tired, traveling Utah team.
Utah Hockey Club’s key to victory
Utah HC’s power play was hot against the Penguins. While they still would have won without their three power play goals, the same can’t be said about every game.
The key to victory on Sunday is simple: They have to keep scoring on the power play. They can’t let Saturday be nothing more than a flash in the pan.
It’s a tall task against the Maple Leafs, whose penalty kill is currently the sixth-best in the league at 84.5%. But then again, the Penguins’ penalty kill was the 10th-best in the league — 81.8% — before Saturday and Utah found ways to get through it.
It will also be important for Utah HC to play smart, efficient hockey. They’re playing back-to-back games in two different countries, and with goaltender Connor Ingram out, Karel Vejmelka will likely play both games (although Tourigny has not declared his starter yet).
On the flip side, the Maple Leafs haven’t played since Wednesday. They are well-rested and they’ve had plenty of time to get to know their opponent.
Former Maple Leafs of the Utah Hockey Club
A number of Utah Hockey Club players and staff have been involved with the Maple Leafs in one capacity or another:
- Alex Kerfoot played for the Maple Leafs from 2019-2023.
- Sean Durzi was drafted by the Maple Leafs, but they traded him before he ever played a game.
- Michael Carcone played for the Marlies in the 2018-19 season but was never called up to the NHL.
- Goalie coach Corey Schwab played 30 games for the Maple Leafs in the 2001-02 season.
- Assistant general manager John Ferguson Jr. was the general manager of the Maple Leafs from 2003-2008.
- Color analyst Dominic Moore played parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs: 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2017-18.
A number of other Utah HC players and staff are from the Toronto area — so many, in fact, that I’m not going to try to list them all because I know I’ll miss some.