Two teams struggling to stay relevant in the playoff race will meet Wednesday night in Newark, N.J., when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the New Jersey Devils.
The Maple Leafs are nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card slot. New Jersey sits two points behind Toronto, and both clubs have 21 games remaining.
Friday’s NHL trade deadline is a more immediate concern than the postseason chase, since the Leafs and Devils already may be looking ahead to next season.
Any regulars suddenly absent from either team’s lineup Wednesday could mean those players are on the verge of being dealt. The Leafs decided to scratch forwards Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann along with veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
New Jersey is riding a two-game winning streak and hasn’t abandoned hopes of a late run. Their 5-1 win on Tuesday over the Florida Panthers matched the Devils’ season high in goals and was one of the team’s better all-around efforts of its inconsistent season.
“I thought it was a great performance for a full 60 [minutes], and we haven’t done that a while,” said forward Cody Glass, who scored his 14th goal of the season Tuesday.
“We felt like we were doing some right things in first periods, second periods, but we weren’t finishing games hard. So for the past two games, we’ve done a good job of that. … We’ve got to take it one game at a time.”
The Maple Leafs are 3-8-2 in their past 13 games and winless (0-3-1) in four games since returning from the NHL’s Olympic break.
The 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday at least earned Toronto one point, and coach Craig Berube said he felt the improved performance was a “blueprint” for the Leafs to stay competitive.
“We’ve got to go into Jersey and do the same thing,” Berube said. “They’re a fast team, [with a] lot of skill. So we’re going to have to check hard, do the right things, manage the puck, move it quick, get it up, and go to work.”
Recent trips to New Jersey have been beneficial for the Leafs, as Toronto is a perfect 9-0-0 in its past nine road games against the Devils. A victory Wednesday would tie the Maple Leafs’ franchise record for most consecutive away wins against a single opponent.
William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs in assists (36) and points (56), even though lower-body injuries have limited Nylander to 44 games. Captain Auston Matthews leads the team with 26 goals.
Since the Maple Leafs play the Rangers in New York on Thursday, goalies Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll will split the back-to-back starts. Woll could be favored to face the Devils after recording a 33-save shutout in the Leafs’ 4-0 win over New Jersey on Dec. 30.
Jake Allen likely will suit up against the Leafs on Wednesday, since Jacob Markstrom started versus Florida. Allen stopped 23 of 25 shots in the Devils’ 5-2 win in Toronto on Oct. 21.
The Devils are 4-6-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
Jesper Bratt leads the Devils in assists (31) and points (44), while captain Nico Hischier leads with 20 goals.
New Jersey is only 1-for-23 on the power play over its past eight games, but the team’s penalty kill is 32-for-35 over its past 14 games.
This strong penalty-kill unit will tested by a hot Toronto power play. The Leafs are 5-for-12 with the extra attacker over their past five games.
–Field Level Media
