Devils @ Maple Leaf Preview

[00:00:05] Hey everyone, Mr. Devil here, Kenny Danico, three-time Stanley Cup champion of the New Jersey Devils, and you're listening to the Uncle Puckers, New Jersey Devils Podcast. Let's go Devils! What is up Devil fans? This is Chris from the Uncle Pucker, New Jersey Devil Podcast, doing a quick preview, going to try and get back into these things.

[00:00:28] I was doing them on a pretty regular basis before the holidays came, but then the holidays came, and life gets a little crazy, but now we can kind of put the brakes on a little bit and get back to what's really important in life, and that's New Jersey Devils hockey and the NHL in general. But the other 31 teams, they don't matter a whole lot. This one team does. So let's talk. We got a huge game coming up on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[00:00:55] This will be Sheldon Keefe's first game back in Toronto since leaving there and taking over as our head coach here in New Jersey. We played the Maple Leafs twice. Both were victories for Toronto. We're going to kind of break down these two teams a little bit by the numbers. New Jersey and Toronto are really, really close on a little... They're very evenly matched in a lot of different areas.

[00:01:21] New Jersey coming off the overtime loss or shootout loss last night against the Champs at the Rock against the Florida Panthers. Very good game. You know, I thought that the New Jersey... We're going to dive into that. We are doing a show after the Maple Leafs game, and we'll talk more about the Florida game. And it's just, you know, we play very well against them. And I know that maybe they haven't kicked it up to their, you know, the level that they're used to.

[00:01:52] I think that the Panthers kind of wait until playoff time to do that. But we're going to talk more about it. But this Devil team is so different from last year's Devil team. Because last year's Devil team, and the year before that, had no answers for the mouth breather that is Matthew Kachuk. But last night, it was a different story. Again, we're going to dive into that. I'm getting ahead of myself or behind myself. It doesn't really matter. The game at hand is the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[00:02:22] So Toronto right now is sitting at 27-15-2 at 56 points. Juxtapose that to New Jersey, sitting at 26-15-5 for 57 points. So even on their schedule and their points, these guys, they're matched up good. So let's talk a little bit of numbers, right? Toronto goals four. They are 135 goals four. That's good for 11th in the league. New Jersey, 143. And that's good for ninth in the league.

[00:02:51] Goals against Toronto, 124. They're 13th in the NHL. And the Devils are 115. And that's fifth in the NHL. Goal differential, plus 11 for Toronto. That puts them 10th in the league. And plus 28 for New Jersey. That puts them sixth in the league. The power play for the Maple Leafs is clicking at 20.6%. That's 18th in the league, as opposed to New Jersey's 27.9% on the extra man.

[00:03:19] And that's good for third in the league. They have kind of been slipping a little bit, the Devils. But I'll take third in the league. Penalty kill. Toronto, 83.6. That's good for third. New Jersey, 82.7. That's good for seventh. That right now is the first category out of these stats that New Jersey or that Toronto has the better numbers on. And it's only by a tick, right?

[00:03:45] 83.6% for Toronto on the PK to 82.7. I don't know what that averages out to, but probably, you know, what? One goal every 10 power plays or something like that. Save percentage, 904 for team save percentage, this is. A 904 for the Maple Leafs, that's sixth. A 902 for the Devils, that's seventh. So again, they are right there. This is a big game for Sheldon Keefe, you know.

[00:04:14] Faced his former team twice and both times Toronto has gotten the upper hand. A 4-2 loss at the Rock. First game, I think, at the Rock. That was the home opener. I was there. And a 2-1 overtime loss also at the Rock. So we're going to Toronto to play this game. You know, he shouldn't have, like, I mean, I guess by the time the second game at New Jersey

[00:04:40] took place, he, you know, kind of got all those jitters and everything and kind of just feeling a little weird, right? Playing your old team. I think you probably got that out of their system. But this is a big deal because you are going back to Toronto. You're going to the main media market there that they're just going to, you know, it's a big difference for, sorry about this.

[00:05:05] It's a big difference for Sheldon Keefe answering questions from, you know, Amanda Stein and the half a dozen reporters that are there after a New Jersey Devil game to Toronto who's got, you know, dozens of them in the media room hanging on every word and asking every stupid question imaginable. So New Jersey came off the four game losing streak on their road trip, salvaged a little

[00:05:30] bit in Seattle, gets the one point against the Rangers and overtime win against the Lightning and then the overtime shootout loss to Florida. But the Devils have been playing a lot better. So that to me is something to kind of lean on there. They're getting into kind of playoff hockey. These last few games have really felt like playoff hockey. Toronto's lost three in a row. This worries me. All right.

[00:05:56] Because I hate when teams are on a losing streak and they're playing a good team. It's a game that you can easily get up for if you're the Maple Leafs, right? It's against Sheldon Keefe. It's against a, you know, premier NHL team in the Devils, a team that has cup aspirations. So you're going to get yourself up for those games. They did lose four to one. Their most recent loss was a four and one defeat at the Dallas Stars. Rigby, please be quiet.

[00:06:26] A three nothing shutout loss to the Vancouver Canucks, a six three loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Their last win. Excuse me. Wow. My voice got all wacky there. My last, their last win was January 7th. And that was a three to win against the Philadelphia Flyers. So let's just go back to the two one overtime win for New Jersey or two one overtime win for Toronto against New Jersey. That was the Anthony Stolar show.

[00:06:55] I mean, you guys remember that, right? He had a point nine five goals against average. He had a save percentage of nine, seven to nine, seven, four in that game. The man literally stood on his freaking head and just stopped nearly everything that came his way. You know, he's a great goalie. They have two very good goalies in Wall and in Stolarz. And if we want, we can look at their numbers real quick.

[00:07:20] So right now they have run four goalies so far this year because Anthony Stolarz was injured. But he has played 17 games. He's got an Anthony Stolarz. This is a nine five and two record and a save percentage of nine to seven. And he has a goals against average of two point one five. Joseph Wall, 21 games start played. He started 20 of them.

[00:07:45] He's 14 seven and oh with a nine twelve save percentage and a two five three goal, two five eight rather goals against average. We know who the guys are that we got to watch out for right on Toronto. I mean, they're loaded their core four and they have some other guys like Matthew Nyes and stuff that just, you know, these are great players. Mitch Marner right now is sitting at 59 points. He has 14 goals and 45 assists. William Nylander or Nylander, however you want to pronounce it.

[00:08:14] He's sitting at 44 points with 24 goals or I'm sorry, 20 goals and 44 assists. John Tavares is having a huge resurgence now under Craig Berube and that style that they're playing a lot more. He has really kind of gotten back to being John Tavares. He's having a great season so far. He's sitting at 22. 22. Let's see. Where is he? 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points.

[00:08:44] I'm sorry. I said Nylander had 24 goals, 20 assists and 44 points. My bad. Austin Matthews missed a ton of time. He's still sitting at 14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points. In my opinion, the best natural goal scorer in the game today. Sorry, Ovechkin. It's Austin Matthews. Matthews, again, and Matthew Nyes is having a great year. He's sitting on 16 and 11 for 27 points. So they have a deep team.

[00:09:10] Their defense is a little bit meh, but under Craig Berube, they've been playing a heck of a lot better. So if you look at the statistical categories, right? New Jersey and Toronto are very evenly matched with the edge in a few of these categories. Most of these categories going to the Devils, they outplayed us in game one, which was only the third game of the season off of that road trip from Prague. Let's not count that game. Throw it out. It was bullshit. All right.

[00:09:40] But the 2-1 overtime loss, that was the Anthony Stolar show. I mean, he just came in and he took that game. He stole it, plain and simple. Is he going to have a game like that tomorrow night against the Devils or Wall, whoever they end up playing? I don't know. I doubt it. And let's talk a little bit about New Jersey and their scores and, you know, our depth because our depth is actually starting to come around.

[00:10:09] You know, Stephon Nason's having a great season. And he's been playing really well. He was out with the explosive diarrhea last night against the Florida Panthers. But hopefully his tum-tum's better and he'll be back in the game. And, you know, we got Jack Hughes sitting on 17 and 35. He has 52 points. Jesper Bratz right behind him with 15, 36, and 51 points. I'm curious now, right? So I'll ask you, Devil fans.

[00:10:36] And let me know or let us know in the comments. Or you can reach us at UnclePuckers at gmail.com. You can find us on Blue Sky. You can find us on X, wherever, you know, social media, Instagram, all that stuff. The Devils have never had a 100-point goal or 100-point guy on their team ever. At 46 games played, right? So now we are, what, 40, no, 30, 30, I don't know the math, 34 games left in the season, I think. Something like that.

[00:11:06] 30, 36 games left. Doesn't matter. But they have a good chunk of the season. A little less than half left. At 52 points for Jack Hughes and 51 points for Jesper Bratz. Do one or both of these guys make 100 points this year? I'm going to go out on a limb and say, I think they're both going to do it. I really do. But if I had to pick just one, I think it's going to be Jack. Nico Heischer, again, just what a great game against the Panthers last night.

[00:11:36] I mean, he was just the heart and soul of that team last night. You know, going after Kachuk on the hit that, yeah, it's questionable. You know, he got it. We're going to talk about it in the next full podcast. But Nico Heischer has just been an absolute dog. And he's got 20 goals. He leads the Devils, 17 assists, 37 points. Timo Meyers sitting on 14. And he has 16 assists and 30 points. And then there's Stephan Nason, right?

[00:12:05] 17 goals, 11 assists, 28 points. Has really become the catalyst on the power play. And apparently, even in overtime where, you know, Sheldon Keefe has a foresight to throw those four forwards out together in the overtime on the penalty or power play, rather, against the Lightning. And Stephan Nason is Johnny on the spot in front of the net, which he's been out of those 17 goals. I'll say 12, 13 of these goals came from just being in the net mouth.

[00:12:33] It's been really fun to watch his resurgence. We're getting closer to the trade deadline. We are going to have a lot of stuff to talk about moving forward in the next month or so. But this is where we match up. This game against Toronto, there's not a team in the Eastern Conference that I feel we match up as evenly with than the Toronto Maple Leafs. And they have gotten the upper hand now both times that we played them.

[00:13:02] I said before the Lightning game that I thought that was a must win for the Devils, just in the sense that you hadn't beaten them yet. You only play them three times. It's a team that, depending on where the Devils end up in the Metropolitan Division, you might have to play Tampa Bay in the first round. Well, you're not going to have to play Toronto in the first round, but this is an absolutely a probable or not probable. I guess probable. It's like not likely, but all right.

[00:13:30] It's a it can happen is what I'm trying to say. Sorry that this is an Eastern Conference final. Toronto versus New Jersey is definitely something that can happen. And we might have to face these guys in the playoffs. And you just got to get one win. Right. You've got to if you're going to meet these guys come playoff time, you want to at least say, yeah, remember back on January 16th where we went into Toronto and we whooped them? We can beat these guys.

[00:13:57] The Devils can beat them, especially playing the way that I think that they have been playing. I think that they have the stuff. And I didn't even get in to who I think is the MVP so far of this Devils season. And that's Jacob Markstrom. I mean, he's got 21 wins, eight losses, four overtime losses. He's sitting at a 913 save percentage, a 215 goals against average. He has just been as advertised. This guy has stood on his head.

[00:14:26] He's getting the lion's share of the starts, which I like. I'm not. I would not be shocked if he starts again tomorrow night against the Maple Leafs. The Devils then roll into a back to back against the Flyers and the Senators. So Jake Allen will get one of those starts. I'm guessing Jake Allen's going to get Florida and they'll get Markstrom back. I'm sorry, against the Flyers on Saturday. And then Markstrom will get back in against Ottawa on Sunday. But regardless of which way Sheldon Keefe decides to go.

[00:14:56] So that's it. This is how they match up. This is going to be a really fun game. I'm really looking forward to it, especially to see kind of how Sheldon Keefe is welcomed back to Toronto. Are they going to boo him? Are they going to give him a little video tribute? And he was there for a long time. He had some great numbers with them. I mean, he couldn't get over the hump as far as the playoff success that Toronto Maple Leafs want. But then again, no coach has.

[00:15:25] I think Craig Berube will change that in Toronto. So let us know what you think. I think this is going to be a big game for the Devils. They have to go into Toronto. Hopefully, Stephan Nason's butthole is feeling better. And he'll be back in the lineup. Because, you know, when you have to throw Curtis McDermott out there, you know, it's shaky. And Tatar is playing then in Nason's spot last night. Which, you know, he just really lacks what Stephan Nason brings.

[00:15:55] So we did lose a lot without Nason in that lineup. It was pretty glaring. I think that the Devils maybe would have beaten Florida in regulation if Nason was in the lineup. That's how important he's been. So I'm going to go with a double win here. I think that they've been playing hard. They've been playing good. Go into Toronto. Make a statement. It's going to be a tough game. They have great goaltending. We have great goaltending. They have great goal scorers. We have great goal scorers. They have a good defense. We have a good defense. They have the Big Mac. We have the Big Mick.

[00:16:25] You know the whole thing, right? So I'm going to go Devils win. And this time, though, we are going to do it in regulation as opposed to the last three games, which took extra time for a result. I'm going to go 3-2. New Jersey wins. That's where I'm at. That's what I'm going with. Let us know what you think. Find us in the comments. Also, if this is up on YouTube, please subscribe to the page. We're going to try and really get that going.

[00:16:52] We're going to start doing some live streams. And we're going to be posting all our stuff. And we will be doing, like I said, a lot more live streams, too, post-games. So we'd love for the listeners to hop on and talk about the game or games with us. That's it for now. So we're going to bounce. And we will be back tomorrow night after the Maple Leaf game doing a show. And we'll be back Saturday night after the Flyer game to do a show. So I look forward to that. And I'll be doing previews for all those games.

[00:17:22] Thank you so much for checking us out. And we will talk to you guys soon.