Devils to Conclude Season Series with Toronto | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils (2024)

New Jersey is in Toronto taking on the Maple Leafs to wrap up a home and home series and the season series against the Leafs.

You can watch on MSGSN2 or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below, presented by Cuttler Produce.

Clarke jumps into the lineup a day after his callup

PRE-GAME STORY

TORONTO, Ont. -The Devils are in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs one more time this regular season. They will be without forward Tomas Nosek who is unavailable to play.

“He went out and tested (his injury) and it was obvious that he can’t play so he won’t be in tonight,” Interim head coach Travis Green shared after skate.

Similar to last game, Green will focus on pairs of one center and one wing and swap out for the third winger based off of matchups and chemistry.

“We’ll put (Shane) Bowers in the middle there and put (Ondrej) Palat with Bowers, (Erik) Haula with (Timo) Meier and we’ll shift it around based on how we look.”

Graeme Clarke will play tonight for the Devils after he was recalled from the Utica Comets on Wednesday. During morning skate Clarke was on the top line with Nico HIschier and Jesper Bratt, although that might change during the game.

“It’s special,” Clarke shared following morning skate. “Just happy to get the call-up and be able to try to play my game up here and do the best I can. I’m really excited to be here in Toronto and it’s going to be fun.”

Clarke is from Ottawa but has family in Toronto, and for his first NHL game in his home country, this is an extra special experience.

“I have family that lives here and then I’m from Ottawa which is four hours down the highway. It’s pretty special, it’s an exciting building to play in, and I’m just ready for it.”

“It’ll be an exciting game, I talked to him quickly out there to get him laughing a little bit and smile,” Green joked. “But whenever you’re an Ontario kid getting to play in Toronto is going to be special for him. He might be a little bit nervous but I told him to enjoy it, take it all in. He looked good in the morning skate. We had him playing with Hischier. Our wingers might shuffle around a little bit with some young guys in the lineup, might adjust as we go.”

Although Green may make adjustments throughout the game, here’s how the Devils lined up during morning skate.

Here was the workflow at morning skate:

Clarke - Hischier - Bratt
Meier - Haula - Mercer
Palat - Bowers - Holtz
MacDermid - Tierney - Foote

Hughes - Marino
Bahl - Smith
Siegenthaler - Nemec
DeSimone

Jake Allen was in the starters net in Toronto and the first goaltender off the ice so he will likely get the start against the Maple Leafs.

Taking the Opportunity

For Shane Bowers and Graeme Clarke, being up with the Devils is an opportunity to show their game and development this season.

“I’m just excited to be here, so you can just ride that energy from the call-up,” Bowers said. “A little bit of nervousness but being able to ride that energy, I’ve just been trying to help wherever I can, wherever I’m put in the lineup. Bring my speed and energy and help my line mates and just help the team win here.”

“I think it’s just figuring out everything in your game,” Clarke said about his development this season. “What details are going to make you successful and what aren’t. So I think finding that out and knowing what game I need to play to be successful at the AHL level and then the NHL level as well. Just about doing the right things to be able to take that step and I think I’ve worked towards that this year and it’s been good.”

Speaking of opportunities, with Jack Hughes' absence on the top power play unit, Dawson Mercer has filled in. Against Toronto on Tuesday, Mercer scored a power play goal. Green discussed the forward's ability to jump into that spot.

“He’s a tenacious kid,” Green shared on Mercer. “He’s got good hands around the net. Good to see him get rewarded (last game). Mercer’s still learning a lot about the game and he’s still growing and getting stronger and there’s no reason that, hopefully in time, he grows into a top line, power play guy with strength, knowledge of the game and learning the power play itself.”

Staying Focused

Although the Devils are out of playoff contention, the focus remains on playing the right way down the final stretch.

“You always worry when you’re coaching a team, when that time does come that you’re not in the playoffs, you worry about a little bit of a mental letdown," Green stated. "But it goes back to what we’ve talked about from day one, our identity and being a team that can win long-term, win in the playoffs. For me that comes from a natural willingness to win, no matter what you’re doing.

PREVIEW

DEVILS (37-37-5) vs. MAPLE LEAFS (46-23-9)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Maple Leafs are facing off for the final time this season. In the first meeting, also in Toronto, the Devils beat the Leafs 6-3. In their most recent meeting, at Prudential Center, Toronto picked up a 5-2 win.

Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes have each scored two goals against the Maple Leafs this season, while Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier, and Max Willman have all scored once in this season's series.

Devils Team Scope:

As the Devils enter the final three games of the 2023-24 season, they're looking to snap a two game losing skid and rebound from a 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs just two nights ago. In that matchup, the Maple Leafs did take a 1-0 lead; however goals by Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer put the Devils ahead 2-1 early in the second period. Toronto would go on to score four unanswered goals to win the game, including two by Tyler Bertuzzi. The loss eliminated the Devils from playoff contention.

The lineup has had some changes this week as Jack Hughes had shoulder surgery on Wednesday and missed Tuesday night's game as well. The forward is expected to be back during the Devils training camp in fall of 2024. Nolan Foote and John Marino did return from their respective injuries for Tuesday night's game. On Wednesday, the Devils also recalled Graeme Clarke from the Utica Comets ahead of their two-game road trip.

Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are tied for the team-lead with 27 goals. Hughes is second on the Devils with assists, 47, and points, 74, through the 62 games he played this season. Hischier is third in assists (38) and points (65). Jesper Bratt has the most assists (54) and points (79) on the Devils.

Jake Allen continues to play significant minutes for the Devils and has played 11 games for New Jersey so far. With a 5-5-1 record, he's averaging 2.86 goals agianst and has a .911 save percentage. Kaapo Kahkonen was injured in the Devils game against the Nashville Predators and the team recalled Akira Schmid from Utica to back up on Tuesday night. However, Schmid was reassigned to the Comets on Wednesday afternoon.

Following their game against the Maple Leafs, the Devils will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers for New Jersey's final road game of the season. In their season finale, the Devils will host the New York Islanders on Monday, Apr. 15. That game will be Jersey Appreciation Night presented by MSG. More details available here.

Maple Leafs Team Scope:

The Maple Leafs are looking to keep things rolling as they're riding a three-game win streak and have won seven of their last 10 games. In addition to beating the Devils Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs picked up a 3-2 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday and a 4-2 win in Montreal on Saturday. Toronto only has four games left in the regular season and have clinched a playoff spot. Currently they're in third place in the Atlantic Division.

Auston Matthews leads the Maple Leafs with 66 goals and 104 points, while his 38 assists are fourth on the team. William Nylander's 56 assists are a team-high while his 40 goals and 96 points are second. Mitch Marner is third on the Leafs with 25 goals and 79 points while his 54 assists are second most on the team. The Maple Leafs have turned to Joseph Woll for the two previous meetings between these clubs. In the first game he stopped 19 of the 24 shots he faced before stopping 18 of 20 in the second game.

After their game against the Devils, the Maple Leafs will play one more home game in the regular season as they host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Following, Toronto heads south to wrap up their season with a back-to-back against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

By the Numbers:

Dawson Mercer's 20th goal of the season on Tuesday night made him the fifth Devils player to have 20 or more goals this season. He joins Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt in this category.

In his 691st game, defenseman Brendan Smith recorded his 100th career assist. Smith has been producing quite a bit in recent contests as he has five points in his last four games, including his first three-point night on Apr. 6 against the Ottawa Senators.

Auston Matthews cannot be stopped. The forward scored his 66th goal of the season against the Devils on Tuesday which extended his goal streak to six straight games (7G). With that tally, he became the first active player to score more than 65 goals in a single season, a record previously held by Alex Ovechkin (2007-08 season). Matthews also is the first player to score 66 or more goals since the 1995-96 season when Mario Lemieux scored 69 goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Injuries:

Devils

Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle, LTIR)
Bastian (lower-body, IR)
Kahkonen (lower-body)
J. Hughes (shoulder)

Maple Leafs

Edmundson (undisclosed, week-to-week)
Jarnkrok (hand, week-to-week)
Klingberg (hip, LTIR)
Liljegren (upper-body, week-to-week)
Murray (hip, LTIR)
Muzzin (neck, LTIR)