Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 5 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Toronto Maple Leafs: game preview

Puck drop8 Nov · 7:00 PM ET
VenueScotiabank Arena
All-time meetings146 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Nine points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Toronto finished 28th on 78.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 147

Across 146 completed games, Toronto lead the head-to-head 81-48-17.

All-time record81-48-17Toronto's record in the series
Meetings played146This is number 147
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Toronto
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Mar 2026TOR 3 – NJD 4 SO——NJD
30 Dec 2025NJD 0 – TOR 4——TOR
21 Oct 2025NJD 5 – TOR 2——NJD
16 Jan 2025NJD 3 – TOR 4 OT——TOR
10 Dec 2024TOR 2 – NJD 1 OT——TOR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyToronto
21 Oct 20255-1-0 · 10 pts4th3-3-1 · 7 pts18th
30 Dec 202520-17-2 · 42 pts19th18-15-6 · 42 pts18th
4 Mar 202627-23-2 · 56 pts20th24-19-9 · 57 pts18th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Oct 2025, New Jersey were 4th in the league and Toronto 18th. By 4 Mar 2026 it was 20th and 18th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Toronto 211 to 163

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

211 att · 115 on goal · 8 G · 7.0%
Crease20 att · 0 G
Slot86 att · 4 G
Wing67 att · 3 G
Point28 att · 0 G
Neutral zone10 att · 1 G

Toronto Maple Leafs

163 att · 82 on goal · 9 G · 11.0%
Crease11 att · 3 G
Slot65 att · 5 G
Wing61 att · 1 G
Point21 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyToronto
3.52xG for per game3.40
3.01xG against per game3.21
53.9%xG share51.4%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.6
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.9

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 4 for Toronto. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 7 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 7 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Nov

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Nov

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Mar 20267 · TOR 3–4 NJD
30 Dec 20254 · NJD 0–4 TOR
21 Oct 20257 · NJD 5–2 TOR
16 Jan 20257 · NJD 3–4 TOR
10 Dec 20243 · TOR 2–1 NJD

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Toronto2.752.753.093.65

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct
27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

Injury report
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft

Updated after every final