The New Jersey Devils (37-37-5) continued their homestand and coming to town was the Toronto Maple Leafs. New Jersey defeated the Maple Leafs the first time around but the second time netted different results.
In the second of a back-to-back for the Maple Leafs, they came into New Jersey and won convincingly 5-2. The loss eliminated the Devils from playoff contention as the team is also already without Jack Hughes for the remainder of the season.
Game Recap
First Period
This period saw both teams find their way onto the scoreboard. Like many times this season, the Devils allowed the first goal of the game. Over eight minutes into the contest, Nick Robertson buried one past Jake Allen to give the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead. The Devils would respond and with the captain leading the charge. A pass by Dawson Mercer found Nico Hischier, who carved his way through the Maple Leafs defense to tie the game. When the horn sounded, the two teams would head to the second period tied.
The Devils escaped with a tie, but the Maple Leafs were the better team at five-on-five play. They out-attempted the Devils (14-8), and had the edge in scoring chances (7-4). Generating anything of high quality was challenging for both teams but the Maple Leafs held the edge in expected goals as well, 0.64-0.31.
Second Period
The second period featured more goals than the first period and did so more towards the back half of the frame. The Devils struck first and on the power play, as Dawson Mercer put himself in good position to get to that loose puck and put it past Joseph Woll.
It was the Maple Leafs turn to strike, as they scored two goals in a span of ten seconds. The first was Tyler Bertuzzi, who buried a chance off a pass by Max Domi to tie the game. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Leafs dumped the puck into the offensive zone and Mark Giordano slapped a bouncing puck past Allen to take the lead. That would do it for this period, as the Leafs found themselves in front 3-2.
This period was much more dominant for the Maple Leafs than in the first period. The Maple Leafs had dominated the shot attempt share (62.50 Corsi-for percentage) and heavily outshot the Devils 11-5 at five-on-five. Furthermore, the Maple Leafs generated a lot more scoring chances (12-3) and dominated the expected goals share (0.88-0.31).
Third Period
The final period was all Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews added to the lead and his goal total, as he buried goal No. 66 on the season to give the Maple Leafs a commanding 4-2 lead. In what was a back-and-forth period of generating chances, Tyler Bertuzzi sealed the deal with an empty net goal and the Maple Leafs skate out of Newark with a 5-2 victory.
In a period where the Devils needed more, the Maple Leafs controlled things at five-on-five. They finished with their best shot attempt ratio of the game (65.85%) and out-shot the Devils 14-6. The scoring chances piled on top of the Devils (17-6 in favor of the Leafs). Toronto had easier access to the high-danger areas, with seven attempts to two against. The expected goals share was the biggest differential of the game, with Toronto dominating 1.31-0.26.
Game Notes
- Despite the score, Jake Allen was still serviceable for the Devils. In all situations he faced 36 shots and stopped 32. He finished the night with a .889 save percentage and -0.13 goals saved above expected. Given the team’s performance in front of him, he played as expected and did what he could.
- The Devils got crushed when it came to five-on-five play, specifically in the high-danger zones. In all situations, they had 17 high-danger attempts and 15 of them reached the goal. Fortunately, Allen was able to stop them all but the Devils inability to keep the opponent out of the area was noticeable in this game.
What’s Next?
The home and home continues as the Devils travel to Toronto to take on these same Maple Leafs on Thursday.