DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
Matthews beats sprawling Severson in Leafs’ 7-2 victory in New Jersey
Auston Matthews’ 17th goal in 20 games — despite defenceman Damon Severson’s best efforts — was the Leafs’ second of the night at the Prudential Center. The Leafs scored three times in the opening period, including Patrick Marleau’s career No. 544 to tie Rocket Richard, and cruised.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said he’d like to see his team “machine-like” rather than “fun to watch.” The Leafs were just that in a 7-2 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark on Tuesday night, snapped a twogame winless skid in the process. John Tavares and Auston Matthews scored 1:57 apart in the first period, while Patrick Marleau, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly (with 0.8 seconds left in the second period) and Tyler Ennis (with a late pair) had the other goals for the visitors.
á Offensive stars: Marleau’s goal was the 544th of his career, tying Canadiens legend Maurice Richard for 30th all-time … Tavares has seven goals in his last 10 games, and at least 20 goals in each of his 10 NHL seasons … Matthews’ goal was his first in four games … Marner has three goals in his last two games after none in the previous 13 … Rielly’s goal gave him 36 points in 34 games, tied for first among NHL defencemen with Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot … Ennis’ first of two goals capped a tremendous response shift by the fourth line moments after the Devils’ second goal. á Defensive stars: Tavares, in addition to a goal and an assist, did a solid checking job on Devils star Taylor Hall, last season’s Hart Trophy winner who was back after missing two games with a lower-body injury. Tavares was the best player on the ice … Rielly broke up a Devils two-on-one, a play that reversed the flow and turned the Leafs up the ice for the Tavares goal … Ron Hainsey made a similar play in the first period to break up a New Jersey chance.
á Takeaways: Toronto did not cash in on a pair of power plays and is now 1-for-24 over the past six games … The Leafs were perfect, however, on three penalty kills … Babcock stresses strong starts, and the Leafs held an 11-8 edge in shots in the first period while owning 62 per cent of puck possession. Toronto also won 16 of 21 first-
period draws.
á Talking point: Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen had allowed 15 goals in his last four games (.3.25 average/.866 save mark) in part because the penalty kill was struggling. On Tuesday night, he was beaten only twice in a solid performance. His best save was a glove-hand robbery of Kyle Palmeiri, the Devils’ leading scorer, on a breakaway at 11:54 of the second period.
á They said it: “I think a little adversity is so important in your life and it’s so important in the season, and we need to dig our way out of a little adversity and play well.” — Babcock, on the Leafs’ recent two-game slide before Tuesday
á Up next: The Leafs will be home for the first time in more than a week to face the Florida Panthers, Thursday at 7 p.m.