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The Toronto Maple Leafs will face a significant challenge against the New Jersey Devils in the first of a three-game homestand at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. The Leafs have effectively course corrected after a disastrous Western road swing, going 5-1-1 in their last seven games, but the Devils are the hottest club in the NHL currently, with 10 consecutive victories and a 13-3-0 record.
Toronto will not make any changes to their lineup, including going with Matt Murray in goal after the veteran made 34 saves for his first victory as a Leaf on Tuesday, while Vitek Vanecek (7-1-0, 2.17 GAA, .915 save %) will make the start for New Jersey.
The Leafs are hoping that they can compensate for the absence of veteran Jake Muzzin internally in the short-term, by relying more on youngsters Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin, but while Liljegren’s steady play has earned more of head coach Sheldon Keefe’s trust, Sandin’s play has been erratic at times.
Jake Muzzin is still around the team. Watching #Leafs morning skate today. pic.twitter.com/N8aUmtIHuk
— David Alter (@dalter) November 17, 2022
“(Sandin’s performance) hasn’t blossomed to the point you’d like it to. I think he is a little low on confidence at this time. We need to help him get back to being himself.… Keefe said. “Confidence is a strength of his. It allows him to play his game and feel good about getting involved offensively. As that happens, it is just natural that you feel better defensively. I spoke with him again today about clearing his head and getting back to being the player he knows he can be.…
Sandin’s giveaway on Sidney Crosby’s goal early in the second period resulted in the young blueliner playing just 14:24 on Tuesday. Liljegren has played much better since returning to the lineup two weeks ago, playing at first on the top pairing with Morgan Rielly, and averaging just over 17 minutes per game.
"I think he's doing really well. Defensively, he's done a good job.....I would say the Vegas game, he made an impact offensively and we think there's some contributions he can make there more consistently for sure," Keefe said. "(Liljegren is) a young player. It's a lot to adjust to, to kind of get yourself going and I'm really happy with what he's done and what he's brought to the group coming back in."
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