Preview: Coyotes Square Off Against Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena

Oct. 17, 2022 | 4 pm MST | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, OntarioTV: Bally Sports Arizona | Radio: ESPN 620 AM

The Arizona Coyotes’ power play has come out of the gate strong, scoring on three of their eight opportunities with the man advantage so far this season.

That trend will be put to the test on Monday against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that’s allowed just one power-play goal over three games.

Both Nick Ritchie and Clayton Keller have scored goals with the man advantage for Arizona (0-2-0), a great sign for a team that ranked 30th with the power play last season. Keller’s goal against Boston was particularly pretty, the culmination of strong puck movement throughout the offensive zone.

Interestingly enough, the Coyotes have experienced a fair amount of success in Toronto in recent memory, as the team has earned at least a point in 11 straight trips. It’s been 20 years – to the day – since the last time it lost in regulation to the Maple Leafs in Toronto: Oct. 17, 2002. 

Arizona won both meetings between the two teams last season.

Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has continued his strong play from last season, and currently leads Arizona with three points, including a shorthanded goal, in two games this season. Nick Ritchie, Clayton Keller, and Josh Brown have also scored for the Coyotes.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka (0-2-0) is expected to make his third straight start in net. 

Player to Watch: Gostisbehere has the most points of any Arizona player against the Maple Leafs, having logged five goals and seven assists in 17 career games against them. Combine that with the fact that he’s notched at least one point in each game this season, and Ghost is your player to watch tonight.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFSToronto (2-1-0) is looking for its third-straight win after dropping its season-opening game against the Montreal Canadiens. Captain John Tavares leads the way with four points in three games, while forward William Nylander’s two goals are best on the team.

The Leafs were dealt a tough setback after losing starting goalie Matt Murray following the first game of the season, but Ilya Samsonov hasn’t missed a beat. In two games he’s posted a goals-against average of 2.00 and save percentage of .926.

The Leafs finished with 115 points last season, but dropped their first-round playoff meeting against the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Forward Auston Matthews had a season for the ages, recording 60 goals and 46 assists in 73 games. The 25-year-old has 459 points in just 410 career games.

Player to Watch: Who else but Matthews? The dynamic forward has had a perfectly fine start to the season with one goal and one assist over three games, but that offensive output is a little low considering what he’s capable of. So far this year he’s averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game (19:47).