Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils - Odds and Predictions

Where: Prudential Center – Newark, N.J.

When: Friday, December 27, 7PM EST

How (TV/Radio): TVA, MSG+ | WFAN

Toronto Maple Leafs (Away)

Head Coach: Sheldon Keefe{All-Time 11-4-0 TOR}

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone 11-4 since the firing of coach Mike Babcock. Currently riding a five-game win streak, the Leafs have moved up to second in the Atlantic Division and are coming off of a wild 8-6 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Offense

The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game with a combined 99 goals this season, ranking them as the eighth-highest scoring team in the NHL.

The number of goals they have scored this season is a testament to their accuracy as their shooting percentage sits at 10.4 percent – the seventh-highest in the league.

Toronto also rounds out the league’s top ten when it comes to the power play. Eighteen of their 99 goals this season have come on the man advantage.

Toronto’s largest advantage over New Jersey in this matchup may be overall puck possession, which includes the league’s fourth-highest faceoff winning percentage at 52.3 percent.

Defense

Unfortunately for the Leafs, they have allowed more goals this season than they have scored. Toronto has allowed the fifth-most goals against this season, allowing 101 goals in their net.

The Leafs have also struggled on the penalty kill this season, ranking below New Jersey and owning the league’s seventh-worst penalty-killing unit. They have allowed 23 power-play goals against this season – five more than they’ve scored themselves. They’ve also allowed three shorthanded goals.

Toronto’s combined save percentage rounds out the league’s bottom-ten. Collectively, the team has a .900 save percentage. A large part of that statistic is due to the fact the Leafs have allowed the fifth-most shots against this season and average an allowance of 32.5 shots per game.

Goaltending

As is usually expected, Frederik Andersen is set to start in net Friday night for the Leafs. Andersen currently sits with a season record of 19-8-3, a goals-against-average of 2.64, and a .916 save percentage. He has one shutout on the season.

Head Coach: Alain Nasreddine{All-Time 3-6-1 NJD}

Like the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New Jersey Devils are coming off of a high-scoring victory, albeit a little more dominant. The Devils defeated the Chicago Blackhawks with a final score of 7-1, putting them back in the win column.

Offense

Scoring for the Devils hasn’t come easy this season and it won’t get any easier. They are ranked well behind in all offensive categories when compared to Toronto.

New Jersey has scored a combined total of just 73 goals this season. That’s the third-lowest goal total in the league. Fifteen of those goals have come on the power play where New Jersey ranks fourth-last with a 14.02 percent.

The Devils also possess the league’s sixth-fewest shot total this season, averaging 30.8 shots on net per game. They have an 8.1 shooting percentage this season which puts them in the league’s bottom-five.

New Jersey also ranks second-last when it comes to the faceoff department, rocking a mere 46.4 faceoff percentage.

Defense

Believe it or not, it’s on the defensive end where New Jersey has the advantage. If New Jersey can muster one or two goals against their opponents, they may be able to hold them off in their own end.

As mentioned earlier, New Jersey has a stronger penalty kill than Toronto with 77.08 percent. They also tend to allow fewer shots against per game.

This team does need to work on its positioning, however, as they still tend to allow a lot of goals against. The Devils have currently allowed the third-most goals against this season. That statistic leads to the fact that they also have the league’s third-worst combined save percentage, sitting with a .882 percent.

Goaltending

Netminder MacKenzie Blackwood is expected to start for the Devils against the Leafs. Blackwood has a season record of 11-10-4. His current GAA is 2.81 and he has a .909 save percentage with one shutout.

Surprisingly, these two Eastern Conference teams have yet to face each other this season. They last met on January 10 where the Maple Leafs picked up a 4-2 win over the Devils.

What’s at Stake?

There is not much at stake other than to see if the scoring can continue. This is Toronto’s game to lose. They currently sit second in the Atlantic and two points takes them one step closer to the playoff picture. New Jersey sits outside of playoff contention and in a different division. Should they pull off the upset, it is unlikely we’d see their season turn around for the better.

Questions to Answer

Can either of these teams (if not both) carry over their scoring prowess from their last game? Especially the Devils, who have been lacking in the way of offense all season long.

Will three days away from action play any role on these two rosters? Will they come in faster and well-rested or will they hit the ice sluggish?

How will young New Jersey goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood stack up against his first game of the season against the likes of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner?

Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Report

F Nathan Horton – IR/NR (back)

F David Clarkson – Ir/NR (back)

F Andreas Johnsson – DL (leg)

F Trevor Moore – OUT (undisclosed)

New Jersey Devils Injury Report

G Louis Domingue – DL (lower-body)

D Matt Tennyson – DL (upper-body)

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils – Game Odds

The odds for the Maple Leafs vs the Devils game are provided by bet365 NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and 888Sport NJ.

Good luck!

Money Line