Early look · NHL 2026-27

Toronto Maple Leafs at New Jersey Devils: game preview

TorontoMaple Leafs2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 32-36-14 · 78 pts · 28that

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21st

Puck drop20 Mar · 7:00 PM ET

VenuePrudential Center

All-time meetings146 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Nine points apart last season

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

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

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

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

DateTorontoNew Jersey

21 Oct 20253-3-1 · 7 pts18th5-1-0 · 10 pts4th

30 Dec 202518-15-6 · 42 pts18th20-17-2 · 42 pts19th

4 Mar 202624-19-9 · 57 pts18th27-23-2 · 56 pts20th

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

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.

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

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

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.

TorontoNew Jersey

3.40xG for per game3.52

3.21xG against per game3.01

51.4%xG share53.9%

−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.5

+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.0

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 3 for New Jersey. 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

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

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

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 →

Toronto

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Mar

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.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Mar

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.

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

Toronto2.752.753.093.65

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

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

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct

Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct

Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar

Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov

William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

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.

Injury report

Toronto · 2026 draft

See all: Toronto · 2026 draft →

#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW

#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD

#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD

#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW

Full draft

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Saturday 20 March · the full slate

See all: Saturday 20 March · the full slate →

NJDThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Toronto Maple Leafs at New Jersey Devils: game preview

Nine points apart last season

Meeting number 147

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

New Jersey out-attempted Toronto 211 to 163

Toronto Maple Leafs

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Toronto

New Jersey

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Toronto crease

New Jersey crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

10 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

New Jersey · injuries

Latest moves

Toronto · 2026 draft

New Jersey · 2026 draft

Saturday 20 March · the full slate