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THE DEVILS ARE ON A 13 GAME WIN STREAK!
DEVILS (16-3-0) vs. MAPLE LEAFS (10-5-5)
Head-to-Head:
This is the second of three meetings this season between the Devils and Leafs.
Last week, the Devils won 3-2 in overtime in Toronto. The Leafs tied the game late on a goal by William Nylander but Yegor Shrangovich scored 57 seconds into the extra frame to give New Jersey its 11th straight win.
The two sides will next meet on March 7 at Prudential Center.
Devils team scope:
The Devils have now won 16 of 17 games as they continue their epic run. They're eight points clear of the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division (by comparison, only nine points separates the Hurricanes from last place Columbus in the division). The Devils are also only two points behind Boston for top spot in the entire NHL.
Jesper Bratt continues to lead the Devils with 24 points (8 goals), Nico Hischier is second on the club with 22 points and leads the team with nine goals. Hischier's career high in goals is 21 but with nine in 18 games, he's on pace for over 40.
Maple Leafs team scope:
Toronto has picked up at least a point in five straight games heading into tonight. A 4-2 loss to the Penguins is their only game where they haven't picked up a point through the entire month of November, with a record of 6-1-3.
The Leafs are a bit banged up, particularly on the blueline. Jake Muzzin's spinal injury early in the season and T.J. Brodie's oblique already had the club down two of its top-four defenders but on Monday against the Islanders, their number-one defenseman Morgan Rielly went down with a long-term knee injury forcing the team to scramble for blueline bodies.
Mitch Marner leads the Leafs in points with 23 through 20 games. John Tavares tops the club in goals with 11. The Leafs will miss Rielly's contribution from the point as he had 16 points -- all assists through the team's first 20 contests.
By the numbers:
Only 10 other teams in NHL history have won 13 consecutive games or more, including the Devils who did it during the 2000-01 season. Most recently, the Florida Panthers won 13 in a row last season. If the Devils can win tonight, they would reach even more elite company as only six teams have ever won 14+. The most recent team to do that was the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets, who went on to win 16 in a row. The NHL record for most consecutive wins were the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins who won 17 in a row only to have it broken by the Devils in a 6-6 tie.
The Devils have four players in the NHL's top five in plus/minus. Jonas Siegenthaler (+19) is second, Ryan Graves (+17) is third, Tomas Tatar (+16) is fourth and Hischier (+15) is fifth.
Injury Updates:
Devils
Jonathan Bernier (Hip - IR)
Ondrej Palat (Groin - IR)
Mackenzie Blackwood (Sprained MCL - 3 to 6 Weeks)
Maple Leafs
Morgan Rielly (Knee - IR)
T.J. Brodie (Oblique - IR)
Ilya Samsonov (Knee - IR)
Jake Muzzin (Neck - IR)
Carl Dahlstrom (Shoulder - IR)
