G73 New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: String 'em together

The Devils have won three of the past four games but are only scratching the surface of what is needed to get to the dance.

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey, and everything else, with our writers and subscribers.

---

A few notes to get you set for a big clash between New Jersey and Toronto:

Shooting the lights out

I know it’s not exactly bold to suggest Timo Meier and Auston Matthews will feature prominently in this game but, well, the stars are aligning for that to be the case even more than usual.

We’ll start with Timo. He has taken his game to another level over the last month, playing the best hockey we’ve seen since joining the Devils.

He has piled up 13 goals, 21 points, and 57 scoring chances over the last month.

For perspective, that puts him on even terms with Filip Forsberg for 2nd in goals, Brayden Point and Artemi Panarin for 7th in points, and Nathan MacKinnon – who seemingly puts up two or three points every night – in scoring chances. He is performing like a near $9 million player and then some.

He is in a good spot to have another impactful performance against the Maple Leafs. They’re missing two of their most utilized defensemen in Morgan Rielly and Joel Edmundson, which makes the Leafs weaker with and without the puck.

The Maple Leafs have also given up a lot of volume to opposing wingers of late. In fact, only five teams have conceded more shots per game to the position over the last 10.

Meier is at the top of his game and should flirt with 20 minutes in a matchup that seems to be setting up nicely for him. I expect another active performance this time around.

On the flip side, Auston Matthews has Max Domi on his right wing with Mitch Marner sidelined due to injury. His shot rates with Domi by his side are insanely high.

Matthews averages 15.81 shots and 27.11 attempts per 60 minutes of 5v5 play Domi on his wing. Those are by far the highest shooting outputs he has with any of the seven forwards he’s spent at least 50 minutes with at 5v5 this season.

The Devils have also given up a ton of shots to opposing centers of late, ranking 30th over the past 10 games.

Both of these guys are in great spots to pile up the shots and, given their talent levels, perhaps net another goal or two.

Will Allen rebound?