The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to avoid losing three straight games when they face their former head coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs, who lost three games in a row (0-2-1) from Oct. 22-26, lost 3-1 to the Washington Capitals on Friday and 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins the next day.
Mitch Marner scored and assisted on a goal on Saturday, raising his team-leading total for assists (28) and points (38). Team captain Auston Matthews also had a strong game, recording two assists against the Penguins.
Max Pacioretty, who was returning to the lineup after missing nearly a month due to a lower-body injury, struggled with penalties. He was called for two minor roughing penalties in the second period.
“I got to be probably smarter there. But, you know, the right intent is there,” Pacioretty said, per The Hockey News. “I just got to be a bit more disciplined.”
Pittsburgh took advantage of two power-play goals, which hurt the Maple Leafs despite their even-strength success. Toronto head coach Craig Berube shared his thoughts on Pacioretty’s return.
“I thought Max did a good job (Saturday) with them guys,” Berube said. “I thought he kind of maybe died off later on in the game. He hasn’t played in a while.”
William Nylander scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season on Saturday.
Pacioretty had scored one of Toronto’s three first-period goals in a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Oct. 10.
Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier scored for the Devils in that game, and both came close to scoring again in Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Bratt had an apparent goal called off due to a high stick, and Meier’s goal was disallowed after the play was ruled over before the puck crossed the goal line.
New Jersey couldn’t break through former goaltender Scott Wedgewood on Sunday, marking their fifth shutout loss of the season.
“We didn’t skate (on Sunday). We didn’t win enough puck battles,” Keefe said. “They do a good job. They’re up tight on you, the gap is tight. We didn’t play through that well enough.”
Captain Nico Hischier had a stronger opinion on the team’s performance.
“The energy wasn’t there,” Hischier said, per The Hockey News. “It’s an individual thing. You have to find a way to bring life back to your game.
“When teams take our rush away, we have to find other ways to score. When we don’t have an answer, it’s not a good thing.”
Before the loss to the Avalanche, the Devils had won six of their previous eight games.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, had won seven of their last eight before losing their last two.
Bratt leads the Devils with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists), while Jack Hughes has 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists). Nico Hischier leads the team with 15 goals.
