Chris Tanev, William Nylander, Dakota Joshua, and Auston Matthews are all out. Just as the Maple Leafs were nearly fully healthy and were collecting points, the injury bug has struck again ahead of this battle between two clubs just two points apart in the Eastern Conference standings (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario).
Game Day Quotes
Troy Stecher on the Leafs picking up five points out of the last six:
It feels like our whole team game has been a little bit better. It’s funny when you get some power-play goals. It brings some life to the group. You want the best for your teammates and want them to succeed every time, but sometimes, you go through stretches where it felt like we were having a power play, and nothing was going to come of it. When you get three, it brings some life to the group and improves your overall five-on-five play even.
We’ve been running well the past three, but we keep stressing that there is no time for complacency. If you lose two in a row, you are out of the race. Points at this time of year are so critical, which is pretty unique in a hockey season. In the long run, it is going to be great. It prepares you for those tough moments.
Stecher on the team’s injury adversity:
It is just the position we’re in. It is obviously unfortunate when you lose guys, especially key players, but it is an opportunity for other guys to step up. Sometimes, that works in your favour. Guys get confidence from playing a bigger role, and they bring some life to the group. You just try to find the positives in a tough situation.
John Tavares on the drivers of the team’s improvement in the last few games:
We are just skating better. Some things structurally have been a little more sound for us, and it has allowed our game to speed up so we can utilize the skill sets we have. There is continuity building from line to line and pairing to pairing. And we’ve had great goaltending here.
There is the speed and tenacity that we’ve played with, and the attitude and mindset of, “Whatever happens, good or bad, we’re just going to respond and keep competing, and not let our momentum swings be as much of a factor.”
It is important to keep that up and continue to be better over 60 minutes. We still feel there is more of a complete game there for us. We have to continue to stay at it and do a good job of putting ourselves in spots to earn points and win hockey games.
Tavares on the team’s injury adversity, and if he’s experienced a season with so much of it:
Not off the top of my head, but sometimes, for whatever reason, it happens in bunches. It is unpredictable, obviously, but it seems to be kind of common around the league. We just have to continue to battle through it. Those are some real important players for us, but it continues to emphasize the team game and our depth.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe on facing a banged-up Leafs team:
You know you are going to have a hungry team on the other side. I mean, we have played with as many as eight guys out of the lineup at different times this year and played some really good hockey at different points there. Nothing should change from our standpoint.
Keefe on his team’s second-period success (four goals) in the Devils’ 5-2 win over the Leafs on Oct. 21:
When we have played our best hockey, the second period has been the separator for us. We talk a lot about that right from training camp on through. A lot of the best teams in the league really pull away from you in the second period. We talk a lot about it, how to manage it, and how to create sequences that can allow us to take over games and pull away from teams.
The model was there the last time we were in here, and we’ve seen it at different times, but we just haven’t seen it enough. We are hoping it can come together here, but the first and third periods are equally important. We have to get those right, too.
Craig Berube on the message to the team after another rash of injuries:
We talked this morning. Everybody needs to step up, for sure. We might have a couple of different younger guys in there tonight, but the team game is what it’s all about for us when there are injuries like this. We don’t know if Matthews will play tonight. We need a strong team game. A team game can take care of these injuries and get you through.
Berube on the opportunity for call-up Jacob Quillan:
I love Quillan’s energy and speed. He is a young kid, but he can come in and provide what we need tonight and going forward. He is getting close to being an NHL player and a full-time one with the ability he has. It is a good opportunity for him tonight.
Berube on Scott Laughton’s ability to elevate in the lineup during times of injury:
He has played up in the lineup over the years in different roles. I don’t think his game needs to change, though. But he can be used more and in different situations going forward here. He has been in those before. He has played in them.
Maple Leafs (17-15-6) vs. Devils (20-16-2): Head-to-Head Stats
via NaturalStatTrick.com & AdvancedHockeyStats.com
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #11 Max Domi
#63 Matias Maccelli – #24 Scott Laughton – #74 Bobby McMann
#53 Easton Cowan – #55 Nicolas Roy – #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz – #26 Jacob Quillan – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe – #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#44 Morgan Rielly – #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit – #28 Troy Stecher
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#35 Dennis Hildeby
Extras: Matt Benning
Injured/Out: Auston Matthews (day-to-day), William Nylander (day-to-day), Chris Tanev (TBD), Dakota Joshua (TBD), Brandon Carlo (IR), Dakota Mermis (IR), Anthony Stolarz (LTIR)
New Jersey Devils Projected Lines
Forwards
#18 Ondrej Palat – #86 Jack Hughes – #63 Jesper Blatt
#28 Timo Meier – #13 Nico Hischier – #91 Dawson Mercer
#81 Arseny Gritsyuk – #12 Cody Glass – #16 Connor Brown
#47 Paul Cotter – #14 Luke Glendening – #11 Stefan Noesen
Defensemen
#43 Luke Hughes – #22 Brett Pesce
#71 Jonas Siegenthaler – #7 Dougie Hamilton
#5 Brendan Dillon – #45 Colton White
Goaltenders
Starter: #25 Jacob Markstrom
#34 Jake Allen
Injured/Out: Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, Simon Nemec, Johnathan Kovacevic
