LGD: Dealing with the Devils (again)
7 years ago
The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils faced off, the red and black did the blue and white a solid favour and let Auston Matthews tear down his scoring wall. That was just about the only positive in the game, as the Leafs saw their 3-0 lead evaporate and turn into a shootout loss.
Tonight, they’ll be looking for the full two points as they aim to jump into a playoff spot.
The Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Leo Komarov |  Nazem Kadri |  William Nylander |
 Zach Hyman |  Auston Matthews |  Connor Brown |
 James van Riemsdyk |  Tyler Bozak |  Mitchell Marner |
 Matt Martin |  Frederik Gauthier |  Nikita Soshnikov |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Morgan Rielly |  Nikita Zaitsev |
 Jake Gardiner |  Connor Carrick |
 Matt Hunwick |  Roman Polak |
The Leafs have been playing well of late, and they’ve been getting results, and everybody’s healthy. Why mess with that? That’s the feeling right now, and while there was a quick morning skate scare with Morgan Rielly getting a day off, it appears to just be a maintenance situation and he’ll be good to go today.
The Devils
New Jersey Devils lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Michael Cammalleri |  Adam Henrique |  Kyle Palmieri |
 Taylor Hall |  Pavel Zacha |  P.A. Parenteau |
 Sergey Kalinin |  Travis Zajac |  Nick Lappin |
 Miles Wood |  Devante Smith-Pelly |  Beau Bennett |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Damon Severson |  Kyle Quincey |
 Jon Merrill |  Ben Lovejoy |
 Seth Helgeson |  Steven Santini |
That first line was the one that really did the Leafs in last game, and with this one also being in New Jersey, they’ll have the opportunity they need to pick their matchups. The hope will be that there was a bit of luck involved and that a well-rested Leafs roster is more prepared to contain them and the rest of the squad.
Starting Goaltenders
Last time the two teams faced off, Jhonas Enroth started for the Leafs and it didn’t go so well. Today, it’ll be Frederik Andersen. He’s been a workhorse for Toronto this year, but his first two starts of 2016 haven’t gone great, with him allowing 10 goals on 66 shots. I’d likely chalk that up to an outdoor game and an outlier night; hopefully he can bounce back.
Cory Schneider will return to the net for the Devils, like he did in the last matchup and like he does in most games. He had a slow start to his year but has stopped 51 of 52 in his last pair of games. He gave up four in 31 in their last game but ultimately got the W.
What To Look Out For
Don’t take off the gas at any point in this one. I mean it. The last matchup was one of the worst of these “epic collapse” games this year and the players can’t be thinking about coughing up the lead again. Play every minute like you’re down by two, desperately needing to get another.
Also, I hope everybody has a secret shootout move up their sleeve, just in case. Schneider proved he knew the book last time, even re-watching footage before it all went down. Don’t give him that chance again.
Puck drop for tonight’s game is at 7:30 EST. Catch it on Sportsnet Ontario.
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