Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 10th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Toronto Maple Leafs are determined to avoid a season-high losing streak on Tuesday as they travel to Newark, New Jersey to face their former head coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils.
The Maple Leafs, who suffered three consecutive losses (0-2-1) from October 22-26, were defeated 3-1 by the Washington Capitals on Friday and 5-2 by the Pittsburgh Penguins the following day.
Mitch Marner scored a goal and assisted on another on Saturday, adding to his team-leading totals of 28 assists and 38 points. Star captain Auston Matthews also had a two-point game, recording two assists against the Penguins.
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Toronto's third member of the top line, Max Pacioretty, struggled to stay out of the penalty box. He was called for two minor roughing penalties during the second period in his first game back after missing nearly a month due to a lower-body injury.
"I have to be smarter in those situations. But, my intentions were good," Pacioretty said, according to The Hockey News. "I just need to be more disciplined."
Pittsburgh scored two power play goals to counter Toronto's dominance at even strength, much to the disappointment of Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.
"I thought Max did a good job (on Saturday) with those guys," Berube said. "But I think he maybe faded a bit later in the game. He hasn't played in a while."
William Nylander scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season on Saturday.
Pacioretty scored one of Toronto's three first-period goals in a 4-2 victory over New Jersey on October 10.
In that game, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, and both players came close to scoring in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Bratt's goal was disallowed due to a high stick, and Meier's was denied after the play was deemed to be over before the puck crossed the goal line.
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Sunday's shutout loss was the fifth of the season for New Jersey, as they were unable to solve their former goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
"We didn't have enough energy (on Sunday). We didn't win enough battles for the puck," Keefe said. "They play a tight game, and we didn't handle it well enough."
Captain Nico Hischier had a more critical assessment.
"The energy just wasn't there," Hischier said, according to The Hockey News. "It's an individual thing. We need to find a way to bring life back into our game.
"When teams take away our chances on the rush, we need to find other ways to score. When we don't have an answer, it's not a good sign."
Before their loss to the Avalanche, the Devils had won six of their previous eight games.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs had won seven of their last eight games before their back-to-back losses.
Bratt leads the Devils with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists), followed by Jack Hughes with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists). Nico Hischier has scored a team-high 15 goals.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils
William Nylander was credited with the winning goal 2:38 into overtime Friday night for the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, who ran their winning streak to six games by edging the New Jersey Devils, 5-4, in Newark, N.J.
The winning goal for the Maple Leafs was an own goal for the Devils. Nylander's shot into the crease bounced away from goalie Mackenzie Blackwood but New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson didn't realize how close he was to the net and his attempt at a backhanded pass into the boards instead trickled past Blackwood.
The bizarre goal provided an appropriate end to a game that featured four ties.
Zack Hyman, Ilya Mikheyev, Kasperi Kapanen and John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs. Goalie Michael Hutchinson made 24 saves.
Nico Hischier, Nikita Gusev, Kyle Palmieri and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who have lost three of four (1-2-1). Blackwood recorded 32 saves.
The Devils struck first in the back-and-forth affair 4:33 into the first, when Hischier fired a shot off the post past Hutchinson, who was screened by Tavares.
The Maple Leafs took the lead by scoring twice in 19 seconds late in the period. Hyman tied the game with a power-play goal when he shoved a rebound of a Morgan Rielly shot between Blackwood's legs with 3:04 left. Mikheyev then put Toronto ahead by redirecting a shot by Tavares.
The Devils tied the score with a 5-on-3 goal 1:42 into the second. Sami Vatanen's shot was deflected by Hutchinson and the puck bounced off the stick of Hischier and to Gusev, who fired a shot past a sprawling Hutchinson and into the wide-open corner of the net.
The Maple Leafs went ahead again fewer than four minutes later when Alexander Kerfoot's pass bounced off the left boards and to a streaking Kapanen, who sprinted down the ice to catch up to the puck before firing a shot past Blackwood and into the far corner of the net at the 5:16 mark.
The lead lasted less than two minutes as Palmieri scored at 7:01. A little more than three minutes later, Bratt gave the Devils their second lead by capping a 2-on-1 with 8:49 left.
The Devils hung on to the lead until Tavares tied the score with a power-play goal from point-blank range 8:15 into the third.