JETS @ LEAFS
What to watch for in Saturday’s tilt between Canada’s lone playoff-bound clubs, by Ken Wiebe and Lance Hornby:
Although neither TORONTO player has any interest in the comparison, whenever the top two picks of the 2016 NHL draft get together, the spotlight shines on Jets sniper Patrik Laine and Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews.
Laine is among the NHL leaders in goals, but has gone five games without a point. Matthews missed 20 games due to injury, but has also hit the 30-goal plateau.
In three games against one another, Laine has five goals and six points and Matthews has a goal and six points.
And don’t forget Mitch Marner, who is on the verge of becoming one of the youngest leading scorers in Leafs history.
Mark Scheifele scored his 23rd goal in Thursday’s 6-2 loss to Chicago and has seven points in six games since returning from injury. He’ll see a steady dose of Nazem Kadri on Saturday. Kadri has consecutive 30-goal seasons and relishes going up against the best.
1. Stastny soaring Forward Paul Stastny has made the most of the trade from St. Louis, notching 10 points in 14 games and working well with Laine. He’ll be up against old off-season friends Tyler Bozak and Roman Polak.
2. Solve the backup The Leafs are expected to turn to backup goalie Curtis McElhinney, who is having an outstanding season — posting a record of 10-4-1, with a 2.09 goals-against average and .935 save percentage with three shutouts in 16 games (13 starts).
3. Beware of JVR Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk is expected to cash in this summer after putting together an outstanding season. Going into Friday’s game, van Riemsdyk led the Leafs with a career-high 35 goals. He has four goals and 17 points in 23 games against the Jets.
4. Streak over Jets captain Blake Wheeler had his sevengame point streak snapped by Chicago. Add in losing to the Blackhawks’ unlikely goaltending combination of rookie Collin Delia and 36-yearold emergency replacement Scott Foster and the Jets might have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
5. Long memories? These teams haven’t met since opening night in October, when Toronto withstood eight power plays and romped 7-2. kwiebe@postmedia.com lhornby@postmedia.com