Maple Leafs at Devils preview

MAPLE LEAFS (27-13-2) AT DEVILS (16-19-7)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+, TSN4, NHL.TV

The 6-foot-1, 209-pound left wing, who has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 32 games this season, was activated from injured reserve after the morning skate and will likely play on the top line with center John Tavares and right wing Mitch Marner.
The Devils will try to end a two-game losing streak. Goalie Keith Kinkaid will make his third straight start. Left wing Taylor Hall will miss his eighth straight game with a lower-body injury.

Players to watch

Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his past nine games.
Devils center Nico Hischier has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past nine games.

They said it

"There's skill, and there's different kinds of skill, and (Hyman) is tremendous. He plays heavy, he plays on the penalty kill, takes right-hand-side face-offs. All of that is important for us," -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock
"[Hall] is not a player you can replace. We didn't ask anyone to step up, play his role or take his minutes, but we've done it by committee and the nice thing is we've had guys step up and contribute and take advantage of different opportunities, whether it's power play time or (even strength)." -- Devils coach John Hynes

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Andreas Johnsson -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen
Patrick Marleau -- Nazem Kadri -- William Nylander
Par Lindholm -- Frederik Gauthier -- Connor Brown
Morgan Rielly -- Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Igor Ozhiganov
Michael Hutchinson
Kasimir Kaskisuo
Scratched:Martin Marincin, Justin Holl, Trevor Moore
Injured:Tyler Ennis (ankle), Frederik Andersen (groin), Garret Sparks (concussion)

Devils projected lineup

Jesper Bratt -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Miles Wood -- Travis Zajac -- Blake Coleman
Blake Pietila
-- Brian Boyle -- Stefan Noesen
Brett Seney -- Pavel Zacha -- Drew Stafford
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Sami Vatanen -- Steven Santini
Will Butcher -- Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Cameron Johnson
Scratched:Mirco Mueller, Egor Yakovlev
Injured:Joey Anderson (ankle), Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body), Taylor Hall (lower body), Marcus Johansson (upper body), Cory Schneider (abdominal strain)

Status report

Andersen will miss his seventh straight game but could return Saturday against the Boston Bruins. Hutchinson will make his fourth straight start. ... Blackwood participated in the morning skate and will be re-evaluated Friday. Schneider skated and took shots. Hall is expected to begin skating soon.

Stat pack

The Maple Leafs are 8-3-1 against the Devils under Babcock. Tavares has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in his past 10 games. Rielly is first among NHL defenseman with 13 goals and second to Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks with 45 points. ... Palmieri has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past 11 games.