Giordano closes in on NHL’s shot block mark
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The Maple Leafs held an optional skate at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.
The National Hockey League started consistently tracking blocked shots in the 2005-06 season. Since then, Kris Russell leads the way with 2,044. Mark Giordano enters Friday's game against the Minnesota Wild with 2,041.
"I haven't called Russy yet or texted him, but I will soon," said Giordano, who played three seasons with Russell in Calgary. "Just waiting to get a few more blocks and then I got some ammo."
"Hopefully he gets it tonight," said fellow defenceman Morgan Rielly. "It's a tough thing to track. You can't really stop the game and acknowledge it. Maybe we'll get him a golden shin pad or something."
It's an achievement that may fly under the radar. It's not Auston Matthews chasing 60 goals or Mitch Marner going for the franchise point streak record, but among teammates it's a chance to pay tribute to one of the game's great warriors.
"Just a guy that plays the game hard, wears his heart on his sleeve and just competes and does whatever he can to help the team have success," said captain John Tavares. "That's always been him as a player."
Giordano, the oldest skater in the NHL at age 39, brings an old-school mentality to the Leafs. He's been wearing the same shin pads for as long as he can remember.
"At least 10-plus years," Giordano said after taking the ice, as always, at the optional skate. "I don't really like the feel of all the new ones coming out. I just feel like they're a little bit thinner than the older ones. The older ones have a little bit more thickness to them. As long as you switch out the padding on the inside you can keep them for a long time with the shell."
The shin pads have held up just fine. It's the higher shots that have caused Giordano issues over the years.
"I got hit by a Mathieu Schneider slap shot on the side of the head," Giordano recalled when asked about his most painful block. "I got a pretty good scar from it. That one hurt. It took me down for a bit. That's one that really sticks out as one not being pleasant."
The undrafted Giordano needed to fight his way into the NHL with a tour of the KHL early on in his career. Tavares thinks the battle just to make it contributed to the toughness Giordano has exhibited throughout his career.
"I don't know," said Giordano, who won the Norris Trophy in 2019. "I've always tried to take a lot of pride in defending. Nobody likes getting scored on or having to pull the puck out of your net, and any time you can eliminate that you try and do that … I've always had that mentality."
Blocking shots is about courage and toughness, but also smarts. A skater needs to work with a goalie to make sure attempted blocks don't end up being a screen or accidental tip.
"It's an instinct thing," Giordano agreed. "High-danger chances, if you're there and able to sort of rush the shot I think you want to try and do that, but it's a fine line. It's a really fine line. Trust me, I've tipped in my fair share over the years that you're not proud of, but most goalies will tell you they'd rather you try for the block."
Giordano is quick to point out one obvious reason for his run at the record.
"You play a long time and you'll get up there in those numbers," he said. "I played penalty kill pretty much my whole career, so you better be blocking shots on the kill or you won't be out there much because they'll be scoring."
Giordano has been good enough to play 17 years in the NHL. He leads the Leafs with 110 blocks this season and he's the only defenceman to play every game for the team this season.
"He's such a heart-and-soul guy and does so many things well," said rival-turned-teammate Ryan O'Reilly. "He does everything. He's hard to play against. He's so good with the puck and makes good plays. A Swiss Army knife kind of guy that does it all and to be able to see him get close to that [record] is amazing. It's a special thing."
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Do the Leafs need to add another defenceman before the trade deadline?
"I mean, that's not up to me," said Rielly. "We have a lot of confidence in our group … We like our personnel a lot and we'll continue to push each other to be better."
Burly blueliner Jake Muzzin sustained a cervical spine injury in the fourth game of the season and will not return this year. The Leafs defence has found a way to fill the void so far.
"It's more just adjusting and handling more responsibility and having guys taking bigger roles," Rielly said. "Muzz was a big part of our team ... He played hard and was a big part of what we're doing, a big voice in the room. He was important to the PK, but in his absence you have other guys that need to take on more responsibility and play more minutes in different roles. Guys like Timothy [Liljegren] can take that opportunity and really enjoy it and thrive and, I mean, that's often what it takes for young guys to get an opportunity."
The Leafs forwards have also raised their defensive game. Tavares calls this the best defensive team he's played on during his five-season run in Toronto.
"Whether it's personnel or just maybe the strength of the team or identity of the team, [it] has probably come together more so than any time I've been here," the centre said.
When Rielly and T.J. Brodie joined Muzzin on the injured reserve in November, something clicked in.
"Our identity was really born out of how we played and competed when things were the worst here in terms of injuries and depleted lineups and times when you really have to find your game and we really pulled together," said Sheldon Keefe.
But the coach sees a defensive decline of late. The Leafs rank sixth overall in goals against per game (2.67) this season but they are actually 13th overall (2.9) since the calendar flipped to 2023.
"We've slipped in some areas and given up more than we had certainly before Christmas, so that's something we've been talking about a lot," said Keefe.
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Left-shot defenceman Rasmus Sandin will miss a third straight game with an undisclosed injury.
"He's really close though," stressed Keefe. "At this point, I would be surprised if he's not available for the Seattle game [on Sunday]. We thought giving him another couple days would be beneficial in addition to another practice tomorrow. A little more time to add some additional strength will be beneficial."
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Matt Murray took part in Friday's optional skate. It was the first time the goalie skated alongside teammates since an ankle injury flared up and forced him to miss a scheduled start on Jan. 27.
"I think you'll see him in practice tomorrow with us and the expectation is that he'll join us on the road trip coming up," Keefe said.
Murray is on long-term injured reserve. The first game he's eligible to dress in is Wednesday in Edmonton. He hasn't played since Jan. 17.
Ilya Samsonov starts on Friday against the Wild.
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The Leafs are looking to build on the momentum created during a win in Buffalo on Tuesday.
"We were able to transition really well," said Auston Matthews. "The first period, especially, we probably transitioned the puck as well as we have all season and counter attacking really strongly and just playing quick. When we're doing that we put a lot of pressure on the other team."
Toronto led 4-0 after the first period.
"That's how you want to play," said Giordano. "I thought we played with a lot of pace and good detail. We're getting there. We've had some good examples all year and when we're successful it's just all about us playing well defensively, taking away the middle of the ice, and then going the other way."
O'Reilly notes that Buffalo is more of a rush team while Minnesota will be heavier and look to grind down low.
"They're a very hard team to play against," said O'Reilly, who matched wits against the Wild in the Central Division over the past five seasons. "They defend very well. They defend well as a unit. They keep you to the outside. At all times they're playing hard and that's the kind of mindset you have to have going into it, expecting a hard game. It's not going to be a track meet. This is going to be one with competing, competing at both nets. It's fun. I've always enjoyed playing against them and usually more sore than most games after because of the physicality and intensity."
After six straight games against teams outside a playoff spot, the challenge will be different on Friday. Minnesota has won four straight allowing just five goals in that stretch.
"How they've played of late, every game is extremely tight, very close," said Keefe, "not unlike playoffs in that way. It's one mistake one way or the other, special teams, those kind of things, those are the difference in games against Minnesota. We have to have that level of detail and mindset all through the game."
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Wild sniper Kirill Kaprizov is heating up with seven goals in 10 February games.
"He's a very deceptive skater," said Tavares. "He doesn't look like he's moving that quick, but he can skate really, really well and is great on his edges. Just a dual threat, who can score and pass with poise. That line has developed some really good chemistry especially him and [Mats] Zuccarello. They play the two-man game really well."
O'Reilly, the Selke Trophy winner in 2019, considers Kaprizov among the most dangerous offensive players in the league.
"He's right up there with the best of them," said O'Reilly. "So dynamic. You think you have him squeezed out and he makes a little touch, and he burns you. You just have to be so sharp with him and be aware where he is at all times because he gets into those good scoring areas too and is just deadly that way."
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Kaprizov has 108 goals in 194 career games. Among players who made their NHL debut over the past 30 seasons (since 1992-93 season), only four players scored that many goals through their first 200 career games: Eric Lindros (136 goals), Teemu Selanne (134), Alex Ovechkin (123) and Paul Kariya (115).
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Projected lineup for Friday's game:
Bunting - Matthews - Nylander
Tavares - O'Reilly - Marner
Engvall - Kampf - Jarnkrok
Aston-Reese - Acciari - Kerfoot
Rielly - Holl
Giordano - Liljegren
Brodie - Timmins
Samsonov starts
Woll