Here’s why the Leafs are playing another afternoon game today

“Typical” start times haven’t been all that typical for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the month of November.

In fact, Toronto hasn’t played a night game since November 11, when they hosted the Vancouver Canucks and defeated their Canadian rivals by a 5-2 score.

If you checked the schedule today, you might have noticed that the Leafs are playing against the Chicago Blackhawks at 2 pm ET, which isn’t exactly the usual start time for a Friday game.

But while the Leafs’ morning and afternoon contests last week had to do with a time zone difference while playing in Stockholm, Sweden, today’s match is part of the NHL’s slate of 15 games to coincide with Black Friday in the US, the day after American Thanksgiving.

With most of the country off, the NHL has games running from 1 pm ET to 10 pm ET throughout the day. While it may not exactly be convenient for many Canadian fans, it’s quite the lineup of action for those Americans looking for something to watch on their holiday weekend.

Today’s contest is Toronto’s first since flying home from Stockholm, where they last played on Sunday. It’s also expected to be the first game of the season for defenceman Conor Timmins, who’s slotting in on Toronto’s third pairing.

“The energy was still good today. It was a short but hard practice. I like the tempo and pace of where the guys are at. We are excited to get playing games,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters at yesterday’s practice.

Ilya Samsonov starts in goal for Toronto, while Arvid Soderblom will tend the net for Chicago. It’s also the second chance for Toronto to see 2023 first overall draft pick Connor Bedard, who has put up 10 goals and six assists in 17 games so far.

Today’s game will be broadcast on TSN4 in the Leafs region.

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