The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (4-4-1) vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-3-1)
Where To Watch/Listen: MSG+ or 660 AM WFAN
The Last 10 Games: Toronto is 6-3-1 and NJ is 4-4-1
Our NHL12 Simulation Results: Marty Brodeur almost had a shutout in this game but Phil Kessel put one past Marty with 12 seconds left in the game to get Toronto on the board. Elias and Parise scored for NJ giving the Devils the 2-1 victory.
A Quick West Coast Recap: The Devils looked fantastic against the LA Kings but couldn’t find that kind of performance or chemistry against the Phoenix Coyotes, where they lost 5-3. They finished the 4 game road trip in Dallas but didn’t skate away with a win there either so the Devils return to NJ after an unsuccessful road trip.
Tonight’s Game: Marty returns and in years past that was always a huge sigh of relief but really all that means tonight is that Johan Hedburg gets a much needed break.
Toronto is not the Toronto we have come to know over the past few seasons. The Leafs currently lead the Northeast Division by 1 point over the Ottawa Senators and sit in 3rd place overall in the East. Phil Kessel is a huge part of the Leafs success this season as he lead Toronto in goals (10) and points (18) and is second on the team when it comes to assists (8). Oh, did I mention that Kessel is also the NHL scoring leader at the moment? Toronto is 4th in the league with 35 goals for which is a good thing because they are near the bottom of the league in goals against, also with 35. So what’s that mean? If you are a New Jersey Devil, SHOOT THE PUCK!! Make that goalie work for the win. If the Devils defense can clamp down on the Toronto Offense, then the Devils should skate away with a win tonight.
The Devils also need to stop taking penalties and do more with the opportunities they get, then beating this Toronto team should be pretty straight forward. NJ has had a number of days to practice and prepare for the leafs.
Projected Lines:
Zach Parise – Adam Henrique – Ilya Kovalchuk
Petr Sykora – Patrik Elias – Dainius Zubrus
Mattias Tedenby – Ryan Carter – David Clarkson
Cam Janssen – Brad Mills – Nick Palmieri
Henrik Tallinder – Adam Larsson
Andy Greene – Mark Fayne
Bryce Salvador – Anton Volchenkov
And Finally: We know firsthand that people in the state of New Jersey have been dealing with a lot of power issues over the last few days. Between Hurricanes and an October snow storm, this state has been through a lot in the last 2 months. We hope all our readers are safe and if you are still without power, we hope that power will be restored for you very soon. Stay safe and stay warm, those things are much more important than this little game we write about every day.
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