NEW JERSEY DEVILS (30-29-2) vs. LEAFS (27-24-10)

New Jersey continues its seven-game homestand, hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center. 

Read below for your game preview presented by Integrate Comfort Systems and check back for the pre-game story.

SHELDON KEEFE MEDIA AVAILABILITY

NEWARK, NJ. - The Devils did not hold a morning skate due to playing on back-to-back nights. Head coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media prior to the game to discuss a few topics.

Pesce Out

Keefe announced off the bat that Devils defenseman Brett Pesce will not play in tonight’s game due to an injury.

“Brett Pesce sustained an injury last night. He’s unable to play today,” Keefe said. “He’s going to get evaluated and we’ll figure out the exact timeline from there.

When asked the status of the injury, Keefe elaborated.

“It just happened last night. He completed the game,” he said. “We knew he was dealing with something through the game but the got through it no problem. The nature of the back-to-back, we weren’t able to get it sorted out to know exactly. But I think we’ll have that in the next day or two.”

Blueliner Johnathan Kovacevic will enter the lineup.

Trending

The Devils had one of their most complete games in the 5-1 win against Florida on Tuesday night. It was also its second straight win with an impressive showing on the ice. Though the Devils are 2-2-0 since the Olympic break, there are good signs of how the team’s play in trending.

“I’ve liked how we played coming out of this break,” Keefe said. “We didn’t get the results in the first two games, playing Pittsburgh and Buffalo, two of the top teams in the league these days.

“Certainly, St. Louis and Florida looked great. Can we do it again here on a back-to-back?”

THE SCOOP

The Devils began their season-high seven-game homestand with a decisive victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win was their second consecutive victory after picking up a win in St. Louis earlier in the week. 

There's not a lot of runway left in the season, and stringing together a run of victories is at the top of their minds. New Jersey is 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot, and 13 out of third in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday will mark the Devils final game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which is on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a down year, based on where the expectations were set heading into the season. The Leafs have struggled to gain any traction in their season and sit just two points ahead of New Jersey with 64. Toronto is 12 points out of third in the Atlantic Division, and nine points out of a Wild Card spot. 

The Leafs have a tendency to give up an abundance of shots to their opponents, ranking first in the league in shots against, per game with 31.8, which bodes will for a Devils team that averages 29.4 shots per game, ranking sixth in the league. Despite their overall struggles, the Leafs do have the league's fourth-best penalty kill, working at an 83.1 percent efficiency.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Dougie Hamilton, named First Star against the Panthers, is riding a three-game points streak, including his two-point performance (1g-1a) against Florida. Hamilton has two goals and two assists in his last three games. 

Leafs: John Tavares is having himself another stellar season. At 35-years-old, Tavares is still a force to be reckoned with, with his 50 points in 61 games played. Tavares has led the Leafs over the past five games in goals, scoring three, while also added an assist against the Flyers in their last game.

INJURIES

Devils:

MacEwen (upper body)

Leafs:

Tanev (groin)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec. 30 at Toronto, 4-0 L
• Mar. 3 vs Toronto

GAME NOTES

• Expect Jake Allen to get the call in net after Jacob Markstrom backstopped New Jersey against the Panthers. 
• The last time the Devils had a seven-game homestand was during the 1979-80 season. This seven-game stretch at home marks just the fourth time in franchise history that the club has played seven consecutive games at home in a single season. 
• The Devils are 20-0-0 when leading after two periods. They are one of three teams this season who are undefeated after taking a second period lead (Colorado, Anaheim)
• Jack Hughes's two assists against the Panthers was his team-leading 12th multi-point game of the season.