Devils Continue Road Trip, Start Season Series Against Toronto  | PREVIEW

New Jersey is in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs Tuesday night for the first of three regular season meetings between the teams.

You can watch on ESPN+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below presented by Eleven Sports Media.

PRE-GAME STORY

TORONTO, Ont. - The Devils are in Toronto to start their season series against the Maple Leafs. It’ll be a challenging matchup for New Jersey but the Devils continue to focus on their game and how they’re showing up to these contests.

“They’ve got some really skilled players on that team,” defenseman Luke Hughes shared pre-game. “We just have to play our game, play a full 60, and do it as much as we can. They’re really good and we have to have a good game.”

“It’s a great challenge, we haven’t seen these guys all year, it’s kind of crazy with the schedule,” forward Curtis Lazar shared pregame. “(Toronto has) a lot of skill, they play with a lot of pace. Any turnovers that we have they look to attack right away. For us, the puck management side very important. Then again, playing to our structure. I think you can tell, we’re assertive, we’re hunting pucks, we’re checking well. Kind of finding that identity, these past few games, good things are going to happen. The belief in our room is that we can beat anyone on any given night once we show up so mentally be ready, physically we need to execute, and be ready to skate.”

“It’s no secret they’re one of the better teams in the league,” interim head coach Travis Green shared. “They have a lot of skill, they’re fast, they can make plays. We’ve been talking about our game a lot in the last 10 or 11 games, and how we have to play to have success. And we’re going to have to be on the top of our game. There’s not just one area you have to be good at, you got to be good in all areas to beat teams like this.”

Morning Skate Health Updates:

Forward Kurtis MacDermid (lower-body) was on the ice before morning skate started but then left before the on-ice session began. MacDermid missed the Devils game against the New York Islanders on Sunday. Forward Jack Hughes did not participate in morning skate but is available to play against the Maple Leafs.

Curtis Lazar, who also missed the game against the Islanders, was a full participant at morning skate and it looks like the forward will be good to go tonight.

“This time of year bumps and bruises are a thing,” Lazar shared following morning skate. “Just got to manage the pain to get out there. Happy to be back. The team had a gutsy effort in Long Island, we’re looking to keep it going here in Toronto.”

Morning Skate Workflow

This was the Devils workflow at morning skate:

Meier - Hischier - Bratt
Halonen - Haula - Holtz
Palat - Nosek - Mercer
Willman - Tierney - Lazar

Bahl - Marino
Hughes - DeSimone
Hatakka/Smith - Nemec

Jake Allen is expected to start with Kaapo Kahkonen backing up.

Back in Toronto

For part of their growing up, Jack, Luke, and Quinn Hughes lived in Toronto. Although he hasn’t been back in years, Luke will have his first opportunity in his NHL career to face the team he grew up watching in the arena he’s spent a significant amount of time.

“I haven’t been here in like five years, but growing up here I came to a lot of Leafs games when I was younger,” Hughes shared pre-game. “Toronto’s always (been) a great place for me and my family to live.

“A lot of really good memories,” Hughes continued. “Pretty cool to be out there and it’s going to be pretty cool to play the Leafs tonight,” “My first time playing them but at the end of the day it’s just another team and we need the points, it’s a big game for us.”

They Said It

Lazar on the response of Timo Meier after a hit on Nico Hischier in the Islanders game:

“The buy-in from guys up and down the lineup throughout the game was awesome. Talking with (Meier), stepping up for (Hischier) in that situation. I don’t think any of us liked that hit. But the response was awesome. Just shows we’re a tight knit group in this locker room.”

Green on his return to being in charge as he serves as the Devils interim head coach:

“I think it’s like anything in life, you get better the more you do things. I had a good break, you get to look back at yourself and evaluate yourself in certain areas. I think that’s important not just in hockey but in all ways of life to improve and I think I am a better coach today than I was.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (35-33-4) vs. MAPLE LEAFS (40-21-9)

Head-to-Head

This is the first of three meetings between the Devils and Maple Leafs this season. New Jersey will host Toronto on Apr. 9 before both teams meet for one final game up North on Apr. 11.

Last year, the Devils started their season series against the Maple Leafs with a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 17 at Scotiabank Arena. The teams squared off again on Nov. 23 at Prudential Center but the Devils fell 2-1. The loss ended a 13 game win streak for the Devils. In the final meeting between both clubs on Mar. 7, the Devils fell 4-3.

Devils Team Scope:

New Jersey bounced back from a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night with a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday evening. The win was the Devils first shutout of the season and third straight win over the Islanders during the 2023-24 campaign. In the win, New Jersey had three goals in the first six and a half minutes of the second period. Timo Meier’s power play goal opened the scoring before goals by Jack Hughes and Alexander Holtz allowed New Jersey to assert a strong lead. An empty net goal by Chris Tierney in the final five minutes of the game helped seal the win. The win was the Devils third victory in their last four games.

Jack Hughes has sole possession of most goals on the Devils with 24 and is tied with Jesper Bratt for most points with 69. Hughes’ 45 assists are second on the team and the forward has 12 points in his last 11 games (4G, 8A). Bratt’s 20 assists are second on the team and he is tied with Timo Meier and Nico Hischier for second most goals on New Jersey with 23.

Kaapo Kahkonen backstopped the Devils to their first shutout of the year when he stopped all 37 shots he faced. Kahkonen has played three games for the Devils and he has a 2.17 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. Before the Islanders game, Jake Allen had started four straight for New Jersey. Through Allen’s five games with the Devils he has a 2.41 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

Following the Devils game in Toronto, the team will play the Buffalo Sabres to wrap up a three-game road trip. Currently New Jersey is five points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card spot (79 points) and seven points back from the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan division (81 points).

The Devils recalled forward Brian Halonen from the Utica Comets Tuesday morning and he joined the team in Toronto. Halonen made his NHL debut on Feb. 25 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and played 9:47. Halonen has 16 goals and 24 points through 30 games played with the Comets. 

Maple Leafs Team Scope:

The Maple Leafs look to rebound from a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night. In the loss, Nicholas Robertson had Toronto’s lone goal in the second period which wasn’t enough to overcome the two goals Carolina had in the opening frame. The Maple Leafs have won only two of their last five games but have gone 6-3-1 in their last ten.

Auston Matthews leads Toronto in goals with 58 and he is second in points with 91. William Nylander’s 54 assists and 93 points are team-highs while his 39 goals are second on the team. Mitch Marner is third in goals (25) and points (76) and has the second most assists (51).

Joseph Woll played in the Maple Leafs most recent game against the Hurricanes and he stopped 41 of the 43 shots he faced. On the season, Woll has a 10-7-1 record with a 2.90 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. Ilya Samsonov has played the majority of Toronto’s games and he has a 19-6-7 record. He has a 3.12 goals against average and a .889 save percentage. Samsonov is currently out with an undisclosed injury. Martin Jones has a 11-7-1 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

The Maple Leafs will wrap up a two-game homestand on Thursday night when they host the Washington Capitals. Following, Toronto heads to Buffalo for one final game in March. The Maple Leafs are securely in a playoff spot as they’re third in the Atlantic division with 89 points.

By the Numbers:

The Devils penalty kill continues to shine, stopping the Islanders on all five of their power play opportunities Sunday night. New Jersey’s PK has killed off all but one of the team’s last 22 penalties going back seven games (Mar. 14 at Dallas). The Devils have the 11th best penalty kill in the league, stopping opponents from scoring on the power play 81.2% of the time.

Auston Matthews’ 58 goals lead the NHL and he has eight more tallies over number two on the list, Zach Hyman. Matthews is on a three game points streak where he has nine points (3G, 6A). He has 11 points in his last five games (4G, 7A).

Injuries:

Devils

Jonas Siegenthaler (concussion, IR)
Dougie Hamilton (torn pectoral, LTIR)
Nathan Bastian (lower-body, IR)
Curtis Lazar (lower-body, day-to-day)
Kurtis MacDermid (lower-body, day-to-day)

Maple Leafs

Mitchell Marner (ankle)
Calle Jarnkrok (upper-body, IR)
Mark Giordano (concussion, IR)
John Klingberg (hip, IR)
Matt Murray (hip, IR)