NHL Game Preview - Chicago at Toronto

Mon Oct 9, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs have had parallel starts to their seasons.

Each team has won its first two games and each has a total of 15 goals.

Something must give Monday night when they meet at the Air Canada Centre.

The difference is that the Blackhawks have allowed a total of two goals in their games and the Maple Leafs have given up seven.

"I know we scored a ton of goals, but our (defense) has been great moving the puck up, getting in the rush, ending plays quick in our zone," Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford said after the 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. "Every aspect of our game right now is looking good."

The Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 10-1 on Thursday in their season opener.

The Maple Leafs are still having the lapses of a younger, less experienced team. They blew a 5-1 lead Saturday and allowed the New York Rangers to tie the score 5-5 before using three third-period goals to win 8-5.

"I thought we had a much better third," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "The first period, technically and structurally, we played good -- we really worked and had the puck. In the second period, it was just -- I don't know what we were doing. We got away from our game.

"That's the way sports should be, when you don't do anything great you shouldn't have success and we didn't. There's lots of things we can get better at, but the way I look at it is we've played two home openers now and found a way to survive in both of them and win the game."

The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 7-2 on Wednesday in the season opener at Winnipeg.

The total of 15 goals in the first two games of the season is the second highest in franchise history. The Maple Leafs were known as the Toronto Arenas in the 1917-1918 season when they scored 20 goals in their first two games.

"Obviously, you don't want a lot of games like that," Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen said. "We've got to learn to play the right way, but right now it's positive to get the two points out of it. You're never not going to be happy about scoring goals. It's just about tightening up a little bit."

Since the expansion in 1967, the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks are the first teams to score at least 15 goals in their first two games since the Calgary Flames opened 1989-90 with 16 goals.

The Leafs are the first NHL team to score seven goals or more in each of their first two games of the season since the Penguins, who opened the 1990-91 season with two 7-4 victories.

The return of Brandon Saad has contributed to the Blackhawks' surge. He has four goals and an assist to open the season.

Saad, 24, returned to Chicago in an offseason trade that sent Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets. Saad played three seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to Columbus in 2015 in a salary-cap move.

"His quickness has been very noticeable," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of Saad. "Quick to pucks, quick to beating a guy to the net."

Then there is Patrick Kane, who has two goals and four assists.

"I thought we did some good things offensively," Kane said. "But two big wins. Hopefully we can build off this."

The Blackhawks are expected to be without center Nick Schmaltz. He suffered an upper-body injury in the first period on Saturday and left the game. He is not expected to be ready to play until Thursday.

Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick did not practice Sunday, but he is not considered to have a serious problem.

"Just not doing as good today," Babcock said. "But we think he's fine."