Frist Period

Tyler Betuzzi! On his first shift of the game from a bit of a slo-mo break off a pass from Max Domi.

1-0 Leafs

See, other teams have defensive breakdowns too.

The game is all Leafs until Luke Hughes shoots the puck right through Ilya Lyubushkin.

Tie Game

New Jersey comes back with a couple of counterpunches, but Woll has it.

Leafs counter with a flurry of shots from the best players. Matter of time before one goes in.

The Matthews line end up hemmed in largely because Domi can't handle the Devils' forechecking at all.

Pontus Holmberg with a chance, Matt Knies with a great chance, Nick Robertson with a chance. Bang. Bang. Bang.

The game is all Leafs until they allow a two-on-one.

2-1 Devils

See the Leafs can still do defensive breakdowns.

New Jersey takes a retaliation penalty on Simon Benoit in the final minute, but it takes almost 30 seconds for the Devils to get a touch.

Thoughts

That was the most "hockey is stupid" period I've seen in a very long time.

Second Period

The power play continues for a minute and a half, and it's not good. Alas, that's how it is these days.

Willy! He just walks in and scores. No muss, no fuss, no special sauce.

Tie Game

Number 40 for him. Of course he had all these advantages what with his father and all, so...

59!

3-2 Leafs

This game. Timo Meier ties the game in less than a minute.

Tie Game

I don't want to even talk about the defending there.

Woll forced to make a good save on a break from the Devils. He's been fine, none of this stuff is on him.

Lyubushkin takes a tripping call, so the PK gets to give this game a try.

Holmberg avoids a holding call by a miracle, and the Devils don't get any real chances.

Benoit fails to clear the puck out of the zone, and that's the sort of thing that's going to see him sit when Joel Edmundson is better.

Sure, some guy gets his second goal of the year.

4-3 Devils

Crowding the net is standing in for defending.

Lyubushkin looks half dead on the bench after a 2:30 shift.

Devils take a penalty with just over a minute left. Oh goody, the Liljegren power play again. Liljegren with the only shot.

Thoughts

I can't believe how much I miss Edmundson here (not to mention Rielly).

The Leafs took their foot off the gas and the Devils dominated in their gently low-event counterpunching way.

Third Period

The power play carries over. This seems to be happening a lot, and split power plays just aren't very useful. Well, none of them are with the personnel they have right now.

Leafs lose a bunch of seconds of this hopeless PP when a Devils player falls awkwardly off the faceoff and the refs blow it dead.

The pace of this period is almost as slow as the second until a Matthews-line shift just goes to town, and Jake Allen is up for it.

Bobby McMann takes a penalty to kill the brief moment of offensive goodness. At least it's not a Leafs power play, though. McMann and Holmberg both take a lot of AHL-esque penalties under pressure.

Lyubushkin is hustling all over the place on this PK. He's earned his pay in this game one way and another.

Allen with even more great saves. He must really be happy to not be a Canadien, he's been playing like the best goalie in the NHL in NJ.

Refs miss a two many men call on the Devils. I guess they're counting down to the end of this long, long season as well.

Knies dumps the puck in, but it's icing. How do you manage to do that down by one with five minutes left? What are you thinking?

Allen with yet another stop on Matthews.

Jack Hughes scores on a breakaway to nail this win down for the Devils.

5-3 New Jersey

ENG for Hughes so it's 6-3.

Thoughts

I liked Timmins in this game, so there's that. Otherwise a combination of a good goalie and some lacklustre play by the Leafs in the back half gave this to the Devils.

Next game is Thursday vs another Metro playoff contestant: the Washington Capitals.

Game Coverage