On to New Jersey.
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Rather than come home for a couple of days before facing the Devils on Tuesday, the Maple Leafs spent a day off on Sunday on the road and will practise in Newark on Monday to prepare for their second game of 2024-25 against former coach Sheldon Keefe.
After losing to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday night to cap a back-to-back set that resulted in zero points for Toronto, we look at some areas of interest to keep an eye on this week as the month of December rolls on:
REINFORCEMENTS ON THE WAY
The Leafs got Max Pacioretty back against the Penguins, and the 36-year-old veteran played 14 minutes 34 seconds in his first game since Nov. 9, when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens. A couple of roughing penalties on the part of Pacioretty came as he tried to strike a balance between playing hard but not with too much exuberance.
“I know it wasn’t going to be easy, missing that much time,” Pacorietty told media in Pittsburgh afterward. “I think I faded a little bit, but that’s how the first one goes sometimes.”
Next up in the way of return, the thinking goes, are forward Max Domi (lower body) and defenceman Jake McCabe (head). Coach Craig Berube indicated both will join the Leafs for practice on Monday, and if so, they could be in the lineup against the Devils.
McCabe’s return would probably see Philippe Myers return to spectator duty.
At forward, Domi could take the lineup spot of Alex Nylander, who played in Pittsburgh in place of a scratched Nick Robertson.
Robertson has struggled to provide substance, scoring two goals in 23 games, and Nylander hasn’t been a contributor in five games.
When Domi does start playing again, he’s going to have to start holding up his end after signing a four-year, US$15-million contract extension in July. He has no goals and six assists in 19 games, numbers that would bother a fourth-line skater.
Winger Bobby McMann (lower body) could work his way back later in the week, perhaps against Anaheim at home on Thursday or in Detroit on Saturday.
FIND OFFENCE
Scoring at five-on-five continues to be an issue.
With 50 goals in 27 games, the Leafs were 23rd in that category before games on Sunday. By comparison, the Washington Capitals, who also have played 27 games, led the NHL with 75 goals at five-on-five.
Perhaps once Pacioretty finds a groove and Domi and McMann return, Berube should have more equality among his top-nine forwards.
Get past Mitch Marner, captain Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, and there has been offensive misfiring from the bottom six. Berube acknowledged late on Saturday night in Pittsburgh that it’s an issue.
In losing to Washington on Friday and then to the Penguins, the Leafs scored just two goals, one in each game, while both teams had five skaters on the ice.
Squeezing offensive water from a stone is not a factor that the Leafs have had to overcome in the past. We won’t argue with the defensive inroads that Berube has made with the group, and you would think at some point that consistent production will come in the offensive zone. The Leafs don’t have a choice but to find a better footing in that regard.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
We note that the Devils had an NHL-best power play before they played host to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, clipping along at 33.7%. In their previous four games, the Devils were 7-for-13 with a man advantage.
It’s pertinent heading into Tuesday.
The Leafs have been sharp on the penalty kill, sitting at sixth at 82.3%, but they have been giving themselves a lot of work.
Toronto has been shorthanded 96 times, and through games on Saturday, only Boston, San Jose and Utah had to rely on their penalty killers more.
The expectation during the off-season was that Keefe was going to slide nicely into his new job behind the Devils’ bench, and that’s what has transpired, as New Jersey has been battling the Caps for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Devils have been spreading it around with a man advantage, as five players have at least four power-play goals. The Leafs have two — Nylander (seven) and Marner (four).
There’s no sense in giving players such as Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton more chances on the power play.
The Leafs have to start getting in better control of themselves on the whole. Taking the number of penalties that they have been won’t fly in the playoffs.
NOT ROAD WARRIORS
A goal for the Leafs should be to establish more superiority on the road. Two opportunities come with visits to New Jersey and Detroit, followed next week with a trip to Dallas and Buffalo.
The Leafs’ overall record is good. At 16-9-2 and a points percentage of .630, they’ve worked themselves into a top-10 spot in the National Hockey League.
In 11 road games, though, the Leafs have an uninspiring 4-5-2 record and are minus-9 in goal differential.
A win against the Devils, who had a middling home mark of 7-5-2 prior to Sunday, would put the Leafs in a good spot coming home to face the Ducks on Thursday.
Toronto might keep in mind what occurred on Oct. 10 in its second game of the season, when it opened a 3-0 lead in the first period in Newark and won 4-2.
X: @koshtorontosun