The New Jersey Devils have been attempting to get back on track and into a playoff position for weeks, but they’ve been hampered by injuries over the last month, losing starting goaltender, Cory Schneider, and the defending Hart Trophy winner and the team’s leading scorer, Taylor Hall, in December. They’ll need to find a way to overcome those losses if they hope to squeak out a victory against the second-best offensive team in the NHL in the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
The Devils are coming off of a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and find themselves in 13th-place in the Eastern Conference. At press, they sit 12 points out of a playoff spot at the half-way mark of the regular season. While their season certainly isn’t over, they’ll need Schneider and Hall back if they have any chance of making a run in the second half.
The Leafs are also dealing with their fair share of injuries. They’ve lost their first and second-string goaltenders over the last two weeks, and are running with journeyman Michael Hutchinson as their starter following a trade with the Panthers. While things aren’t as desperate for the Leafs as the Devils, they’ll be eager to capitalize on a struggling New Jersey club. Game time is 7:00 PM ET.
