Martin Jones has allowed only one goal on 59 shots in back to back starts for the Leafs, William Nylander now has 51 points, and Auston Matthews scored his 30th in the Leafs 36th game of the season.

Recap: Auston Matthews scores 30th in arid win over Anaheim
Forget about the journey, the destination has 2 points and a flight out of Anaheim.
PPP LeafsHardev

Some thoughts from MLHS on the Leafs win the night before, among other things.

Maple Leafs Notebook: A model game vs. LA, Mitch Marner’s ice time, power-play tweaks, and the (reportedly) nearing William Nylander contract
First and foremost, Happy New Year to the MLHS community! I hope the holidays treated you all nicely. For the Leafs, the holiday break was not particularly kind: three losses between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, last year’s starter, Ilya Samsonov, was put on waivers, and a veteran forward, David Kampf, was healthy scratched. Some […]
Maple Leafs HotstoveAnthony Petrielli

Brian has the prospect highlights from last night, Noah Chadwick with a trio of assists.

Topi Niemelä got some love from some young Finnish hockey fans who made their way to the Marlies rink to support him.

You've probably seen this story already, but the Leafs young prospect Dennis Hildeby was recently Team Sweden's mascot in the summer!

Minnesota beat Boston 3-2 on the third night of PWHL hockey in another heavy, dramatic, and fun game. Highlights below, as well as the full game replay if you have the time.

No. 1 overall pick Heise leads the way as Minnesota tops Boston in PWHL debut for both teams | CBC Sports
Taylor Heise and Sophia Kunin each scored less than eight minutes into the game, Nicole Hensley made 33 saves and Minnesota beat Boston 3-2 on Wednesday night in Lowell, Mass., in the Professional Women’s Hockey League debut for both franchises.
CBC

I wholeheartedly agree with Devin here. Top quality hockey on a nightly basis has been wonderful. I've watched every game so far and intend to keep going. Next game is Friday night, Toronto getting a rematch on the road against New York and at the very least score – but for crying out loud it's only one game, why am I talking like a team with Nurse and Spooner and Turnbull and Fast and Howard and Compher can't score.

My suggestion to improve the NHL is calling all the penalties that already happen, grandfathering in full face shields, and seeing what it does to the product.

Discussing a potential NHL rule change: Pre-faceoff movement
The PWHL is setting itself apart with some interesting rules for the new league, which got Justin Bourne thinking about what the NHL should change. With help from Andrew Brewer, they explore one idea on faceoffs.
Sportsnet| January 3, 2024, 4:40 PM

Minnesota has the 2026 Men's World Juniors.

Minneapolis/St. Paul to host 2026 World Juniors
Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci will be the primary sites for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, which will be held in Minnesota for the first time since 2005.
The Rink LiveJess Myers
From The Branches