The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to snap their three-game losing skid when they face off against the New Jersey Devils at home tonight. After a road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and back-to-back home losses to the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks, the team has been unable to find its rhythm. The losses have been surprising because the team hasn’t shown the ability even to make games close. They’ve been embarrassed and are likely entering the game frustrated with something to prove to their fans and themselves.
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On the other hand, the Devils are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers. However, they were on a six-game home winning streak before this loss. If Toronto is to win, it has to pull up its socks on the power play. Special-team struggles have been a key factor in the team’s losses. With John Tavares sidelined, the pressure is on the Maple Leafs to find an added way to generate offense.
Item One: Matthews Has Nine Points in Last Six Games
While Auston Matthews hasn’t been a factor in helping his team win games recently, he still has made an impact since returning from injury. In his last six games, he’s put up nine points (four goals, five assists,) bringing his season totals to 15 goals and 17 assists in 20 games. Surprisingly, his current 12.9% shooting percentage is under his career average of 16.0%. His goal-scoring could surge if things return to normal in the coming weeks.
Given the team’s recent struggles, fans should expect Matthews to enter the game with a chip on his shoulder. If he finds his rhythm again and his shooting percentage rises, Maple Leafs fans should see an offensive uptick from the captain. He has some scoring to do if he hopes to enter the Rocket Richard race to lead the league in goals. Right now, he sits 16 goals behind the scalding-hot Leon Draisaitl, who already has 31 goals in the bank.
Item Two: Tavares Out with Lower-Body Injury Hits IR
John Tavares was placed on injured reserve after a lower-body injury resulting from an accident during Wednesday’s practice. Coach Craig Berube reported the injury to be “week-to-week.” The Maple Leafs ex-captain has been a key contributor with 20 goals and 42 points in 44 games this season.
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With Tavares sidelined, Max Domi is expected to jump into the second-line centre role. He’ll probably line up next to Max Pacioretty and William Nylander. With Tavares missing, Morgan Rielly might jump to the top power-play unit in his place. The team needs to adjust quickly if they hope to rebound from their recent losses. Winning tonight against the Devils would be a nice start.
Item Three: McCabe Set to Return Against Devils
Jake McCabe (out with an upper-body injury) will return to the lineup tonight. The 31-year-old, who spent four games on injured reserve but participated fully in practice earlier this week, will provide a needed boost to Toronto’s defense. Before his injury, McCabe had been adding offensively with six points in his last 13 games. That’s been a notable improvement over a November streak where he went pointless.
With McCabe back, Simon Benoit is expected to be a healthy scratch. Perhaps his reliable blue-line presence can be the difference for the Maple Leafs as they look to rebound from their recent losses.
Item Four: Woll Will Start Against the Devils
Joseph Woll is set to start in net for the Maple Leafs tonight. Despite recent struggles in his last two games, where he allowed nine goals on 56 shots (.839 save percentage, SV%), Woll has been solid this season. He holds a 14-8-0 record with a 2.65 goals against average and a .908 SV% in his 22 starts.
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Woll will seek to help Toronto break its three-game losing streak, but the Devils will be a tough challenge. The 24-year-old netminder must improve his recent games to help carry his team through the second half of its season.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
In a move initiated by Tavares hitting the injured reserve, the Maple Leafs recalled Fraser Minten from the Toronto Marlies. Minten has shown promise during his previous call-up, scoring two goals and adding two assists in 11 games with the team. He’s been solid at the American Hockey League level, putting up five goals and 10 points in his 16 games with the Marlies this season.
With Tavares sidelined, Minten could draw into a middle-six role for tonight’s game against New Jersey, offering the team a potential spark. It will be fun to see how the 20-year-old plays. His mix of offensive talent and size could be what Toronto needs to shake off their recent slump and bolster their lineup moving forward.
