Overview
The Devils had a chance to bounce back immediately after Monday’s 6-4 loss at Toronto with the Maple Leafs visiting the Prudential Center on Tuesday. However, New Jersey came out of the gates slow and this one got ugly early. The Maple Leafs went on to win 7-1, handing the Devils a sixth consecutive regulation loss heading into the All Star Break.
Game Summary
First Period
After outscoring the Devils 4-0 in the final frame Monday night, the Maple Leafs picked up right where they left off early in this one. Jon Gillies misplayed a puck behind his own net, allowing Pierre Engvall to take the puck away and find an open Jason Spezza in the slot. Spezza found an opening under Gillies’ pad to give Toronto a 1-0 lead 2:13 into the game.
New Jersey had a chance to get back into the game after Wayne Simmonds tripped Janne Kuokkanen 17 seconds after the goal. With the man advantage, the Devils could not take control of the game. A miscommunication off the faceoff led to a breakaway for Mitchell Marner that was stopped by Gillies. Toronto got another odd-man rush later on the penalty kill, but Ondrej Kase fired wide.
Shortly after the game was back to even-strength, Nathan Bastian was stopped on a partial breakaway by Campbell. Bastian was sprung on a two-line pass from Jesper Boqvist. Marner had another glorious opportunity after a defensive zone turnover from New Jersey, but Gillies made the save.
Then, after winning a board battle, Marner found Auston Matthews in the high slot and the Arizona-native made no mistake. He ripped it through a partial screen for his 29th goal of the season and fourth goal in as many periods against the Devils.
26 seconds after Matthews made it 2-0, David Kampf made it 3-0 Toronto after PK Subban lost an edge along the boards. Once again, the defensive-zone coverage from New Jersey was abysmal and Kampf found himself all alone in front of the net. Alain Nasreddine opted to call timeout just 9:04 into the contest.
Things calmed down a bit after the timeout. However, another brutal turnover behind the net, this one by Damon Severson, cost New Jersey. Matthews found Marner in front to make it 4-0 Maple Leafs with 4:29 left in the first. That made it goals in seven straight games for Marner.
Toronto had a chance to add another before intermission after Pavel Zacha went to the box for tripping at 16:29. Then, Severson took a cross checking minor with 20 seconds left on the kill, giving Toronto about 20 seconds of 5-on-3 time. Jason Spezza hit the post, but New Jersey was able to get to the locker room down 4-0.
Second Period
It was a slow start to the middle period. The Devils had the better of the play early, but never seriously tested Jack Campbell in the Toronto net. Then, a Jack Hughes turnover at center ice led to a 2-on-1 for Marner and Michael Bunting. Bunting finished it off for his 13th of the year, making it 5-0 Toronto with 11:35 to go in the second.
The Devils had a chance to answer with 1:46 of 5-on-3 time, but generated very little with the two-man advantage. Campbell robbed Bastian with a stick save. He had another decent chance down low that was snuffed out, but that was all for the powerplay.
Late in the period, the Leafs made it 6-0 when Pierre Engvall scored. The forward found a loose puck in the slot and ripped it past Gillies. New Jersey went to the second intermission trailing by that scoreline.
Third Period
In the final 20 minutes, Akira Schmid relieved Jon Gillies after the latter allowed six goals on 28 shots. The only drama remaining was whether or not Jack Campbell would pick up his fifth shutout of the season, but Jack Hughes squashed that with his career-best 12th goal of the season 3:31 into the third. Hughes fired a wrist shot low blocker past Campbell that rang off the post and in. Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt picked up assists on the goal.
However, Devils’ excitement was short-lived. Mitchell Marner got his second of the night two minutes later off another giveaway. From there, it was fairly uneventful with the Maple Leafs cruising to a 7-1 victory. The six goal defeat was the largest for New Jersey this season.
Game Notes
- It was a tough night in net for Jon Gillies, who was hung out to dry by his defense all night long. Gillies allowed 3.73 goals above expected, per Natural Stat Trick.
- Per Natural Stat Trick, Toronto’s top line of Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner dominated at 5-on-5. The line had a Corsi-For Percentage of 66.7%, meaning they had two-thirds of the shot attempts while they were on the ice at even strength.
What’s Next
With the All Star Break around the corner, the Devils have some time off before heading to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Monday, February 7th at 7 pm. The game will be on MSG+.