Maple Leafs at Devils preview

MAPLE LEAFS (21-10-2) at DEVILS (11-13-7)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+, TSN4, NHL.TV

The forward, who missed the past two games because of lower-body soreness, leads the Devils with 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 29 games. He has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his past seven games and is one goal shy of 200 in his NHL career.
New Jersey, 2-4-5 in its past 11 games, has allowed at least four goals in three of its past four games.
The Maple Leafs, 1-2-2 in their past five games following a five-game winning streak, conclude a five-game road trip (1-2-1 in the first four games) and look to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time this season.

Players to watch

Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in his past seven games.
Devils forward Kyle Palmieri has five goals in his past five games and leads New Jersey with 17 goals.

They said it

"Obviously a fast team that likes to play with a lot of pace and we have to make sure we are ready." -- Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews on the Devils
"It was great to see our team play well while I was out, but you want to get back in there and against a team like the Leafs, you're always excited to play them." -- Devils forward Taylor Hall

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Andreas Johnsson -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen
Patrick Marleau -- Nazem Kadri -- William Nylander
Tyler Ennis -- Par Lindholm -- Connor Brown
Morgan Rielly -- Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Igor Ozhiganov
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks
Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin, Frederik Gauthier
Injured: None

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Marcus Johansson -- Pavel Zacha -- Jesper Bratt
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Miles Wood
Brian Boyle -- Brett Seney -- John Quenneville
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Will Butcher -- Sami Vatanen
Mirco Mueller -- Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched:Egor Yakovlev, Drew Stafford, Steven Santini
Injured: Cory Schneider (abdominal strain), Joey Anderson (broken ankle), Stefan Noesen

Status report

Schneider was placed on injured reserve on Monday and Blackwood was recalled from Binghamton of the American Hockey League. ... Hall will replace Stafford in the lineup. ... The Maple Leafs held an optional skate.

Stat pack

Andersen has allowed at least three goals in six of his past seven starts and at least four goals in three of his past four. ... Marner has 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in his past 17 games. … Matthews has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his past eight games. … New Jersey is 6-1-0 against Toronto in its past seven games at home.