Road trip wraps in Toronto

The Manitoba Moose (19-25-2-2) close the book on their six-game road swing this afternoon as when they face off with the Toronto Marlies (25-22-3-1) at 2 p.m. CT.

Last Game
Toronto used its powerplay to build a lead on the way to a 5-2 win over the Moose. The Marlies built up a 2-0 lead in the first on goals from Dmytro Timashov and Trevor Moore with the man advantage.  Manitoba cut Toronto's lead to one when Quinton Howden blistered a shot off the post and in. The Marlies expanded their lead with three unanswered goals before Chase De Leo brought Manitoba back within three with a powerplay goal at the mid-point of the third period. That was as close as the Moose would come, falling 5-2, despite outshooting Toronto 37-24.

Flash Back
This is the sixth chapter of the all-Canadian matchup between the Moose and Marlies. Manitoba is 1-4-0-0 against their Canadian counterpart this season with their lone victory coming on Jan. 3 in a 2-1 fashion.  Chase De Leo has been productive against Toronto, scoring goals in each of his last three games versus the Marlies.

Through 50 games
Last night's game marked the 50th on the Manitoba Moose schedule. Through 50 contests the Moose sit with a 19-25-3-3 record. This season's record is ahead of the pace Manitoba set in 2015-16. At the 50 game mark last season, the Moose were 14-27-4-5. Two players have appeared in all 50 games so far, defenceman Kevin Czuczman and forward JC Lipon. The Moose have already matched their road win total from last season, capturing their 10th victory away from MTS Centre last Saturday in Cleveland.

Either Or
Quinton Howden's production this season has followed odd trends. Tied for Manitoba's lead in goals, Howden started the year with seven goals and just two assists in his first 10 games. Over his next 20 games, Howden posted exclusively assists, racking up seven. Over his last 16 games, the Oakbank, MB product has been back on the goal-train, picking up five over that stretch to pull even with Dan DeSalvo with 12 on the year, one back of his career high.

Toronto’s Story
The Toronto’s Maple Leafs’ affiliate enters this afternoon’s game with a 7-2-1-0 record in its last 10 games. Through 52 games the Marlies sit third in the North Division. Scoring goals is something Toronto does well as they lead the division with 159. A pair of Manitobans lead Toronto’s scoring race. Winkler, MB product, Byron Froese, leads Toronto with 39 points through 48 contests.   Froese leads the AHL in goal scoring with 24 on the year.  Winnipeg’s Brendan Leipsec is second on the Marlies with 38 points in 34 games, but has been out of the lineup due to injury.  Toronto’s powerplay is something the Moose will have to avoid. The Marlies have the AHL’s fourth ranked PP, operating at 24.6 per cent.

What’s Next?
The Moose head back to MTS Centre for the first time since Feb. 4 as they open a back-to-back set with the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday night (Feb. 21) at 7 p.m. CT. For tickets to all Manitoba Moose home games, visit moosehockey.com/tickets.