On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the New Jersey Devils will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time this season. The Devils are on a three-game losing streak after their shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Dec. 27. The Devils will try to get back in the win column for the first time since their West Coast road trip on Dec. 19.
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The Maple Leafs also lost their last game in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 28, their first loss in three games. In the first meeting of the season series on Oct. 21, the Devils beat the Maple Leafs 5-2 with the help of a Jack Hughes hat trick. Here’s what to look for heading into tonight’s game.
Devils Storylines
Due to the travel, the Devils held an optional morning skate instead of a full practice. Several players were seen on the ice, including goaltender Jake Allen, which likely means that Jacob Markstrom will get the start tonight against the Maple Leafs. He was injured for the Devils’ first meeting with Toronto, so Allen was the starter for that game.
Johnathan Kovacevic, who has not played a game this season after undergoing knee surgery during the summer, was at practice on Monday; however, he only took part in some non-contact drills. He is nowhere near a full return, but the fact that he is on the ice is a good sign for his recovery process.
The player to watch in this game is Jesper Bratt. He scored two of the Devils’ three goals against the Capitals to break a five-game point drought. He also recorded an assist on each of Hughes’ three goals against the Maple Leafs in October.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 20-16-2
Top Scorers:
- Jesper Bratt – 8 goals (G), 23 assists (A), 31 points (P)
- Nico Hischier – 10 G, 20 A, 30 P
- Dawson Mercer – 10 G, 14 A, 24 P
- Timo Meier – 11 G, 12 A, 23 P
- Jack Hughes – 11 G, 10 A, 21 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jake Allen – 10-8-1, 2.54 goals-against average (GAA), .910 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 9-8-1, 3.33 GAA, .883 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Toronto Maple Leafs
Season Record: 17-15-2
Top Scorers:
- William Nylander – 14 G, 27 A, 41 P
- John Tavares – 15 G, 20 A, 35 P
- Matthew Knies – 10 G, 24 A, 34 P
- Auston Matthews – 15 G, 12 A, 27 P
- Morgan Reilly – 5 G, 20 A, 25 P
Goalie Stats:
- Dennis Hildeby – 2-5-4, 2.95 GAA, .912 SV%
- Anthony Stolarz – 6-5-1, 3.51 GAA, .884 SV%
- Joseph Woll – 7-4-1, 2.73 GAA, .915 SV%
- Artur Akhtyamov – 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.00 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Arseni Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Stefan Noesen
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon — Colton White
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Juho Lammikko, Dennis Cholowski
Injured: Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, Marc Mclaughlin, Simon Nemec, Johnathan Kovacevic
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies — Josh Tavares — Max Domi
Matias Maccelli — Scott Laughton — Bobby McMann
Nicholas Robertson — Nicolas Roy — Easton Cowan
Steven Lorentz — Jacob Quillan — Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Reilly — Philippe Myers
Jake McCabe — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit — Troy Stecher
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Scratched: Matt Benning, Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, William Nylander, Auston Matthews
Injured: Brandon Carlo, Dakota Mermis, Anthony Stolarz
Next Up for the Devils
The Devils will play one more game in 2025, when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 31, in the second half of a back-to-back.
