Update: The Leafs have activated Joffrey Lupul from injured reserve and he will be in the lineup tonight vs Arizona.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs emerged from a week-long respite with the same offensive problems they encountered prior to the All-Star break, as the Blue and White had difficulties with goalie Cory Schneider in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark on Wednesday night.
The loss was the Leafs seventh straight since a 5-2 win over Columbus on January 9 and their eighth under interim coach Peter Horachek.
Toronto was stymied by the former Vancouver Canuck netminder, who made 29 saves in regulation/overtime and stopped both Mike Santorelli and Tyler Bozak in the shootout. The
Leafs were quicker and had the better of the scoring chances against the aging and ponderously slow Devils, but could not convert on five opportunities with the man advantage.
New Jersey native James van Riemsdyk scored the Leafs only goal midway through the third period on a breakaway, but the Leafs could not hold onto the lead, as Adam Larsson tied the game with 2:50 remaining in regulation.
Goalie Jonathan Bernier was steady in a 22 save effort, but again fell victim to an anemic Leafs offense. Bernier is 1-7-0 in his last eight games and in the seven losses Toronto has scored just six goals.
Horachek shuffled line combinations throughout the game in hopes of finding a unit with chemistry, but the only combination that enjoyed some success was the unit of Daniel Winnik, Peter Holland and Mike Santorelli. The top line of Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and Phil Kessel struggled to get any traction and their only accomplishment was Kadri drawing two minor penalties.
The Leafs defense had a fairly uneventful debut without team captain Dion Phaneuf, as the ice time normally allocated to Phaneuf was split equally between sophomore Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Cody Franson and Roman Polak.
Gardiner led Toronto in TOI with 26:49, while Rielly, Franson and Polak all exceeded 24 minutes on the night. Korbinian Holzer saw 17:03 and rookie Petter Granberg played just 9:45 in his second NHL game.
While Gardiner had his usual defensive gaffes, including a third period pinch that resulted in a 3-on-1 break for the Devils, Rielly impressed in his increased role, nearly scoring the winning goal on a lengthy offensive chance in overtime.
Indications from the morning skate are that there will be no lineup changes for Thursday’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes, including Bernier making the second of back-to-back starts coming off the long break instead of backup James Reimer. Forward Josh Leivo was sent back to the AHL Toronto Marlies for cap purposes.
Injured winger Joffrey Lupul is still not ready to return from a knee injury suffered on New Year’s Eve in Boston, but may make his return in Philadelphia on Saturday.
The Coyotes were off on Wednesday after a 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia on Tuesday and are expected to go with Mike Smith in goal. The 2014 Olympic gold medalist has had a rough season with Arizona(7-20-4, 3.49 GAA, .889 save %) but played well on Tuesday, making 39 saves in the loss to the Flyers.
Smith is 4-1-2, with a 2.35 GAA and .924 save % in his career vs Toronto.
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Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that two or three Western Conference clubs are looking into the possibility of acquiring Dion Phaneuf prior to the March 2nd trade deadline. Phaneuf has six years remaining on his seven-year, $49 Million contract and has a limited no-trade clause, giving him some control over his destination.
The Los Angeles Kings reportedly balked at a deal involving Phaneuf and recently demoted center Mike Richards, as the Leafs wanted young forward Tyler Toffoli included in an expanded deal.
One of the Western Conference clubs is likely the Dallas Stars, who are in the race for a wild card spot and have been looking to add to their blueline since trading veteran Sergei Gonchar early in the season.
Another possible interested club are the Anaheim Ducks, who have veterans Sheldon Souray, Francois Beauchemin and Eric Brewer dropping off the payroll at the end of this season and a bevy of young assets that would allow them to trade prospects and/or picks in a deal for Phaneuf.
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