For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs play the final road game of the regular season against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark on Thursday. Toronto is looking to ready themselves for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (which will start for them one week from today in either Tampa Bay or Boston), while the Devils are looking to lock up an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a win in regulation, overtime or shootout. Frederik Andersen will get the start for Toronto and is expected to also go in the season finale against Montreal on Saturday, with the club having four days off between the season finale and start of the postseason. The Leafs held an optional morning skate in Newark and the only participants were players who are expected to be scratches for Thursday night’s contest, including backup Curtis McElhinney, forwards Josh Leivo, Andreas Johnsson and Dominic Moore and Matt Martin, and defenseman Travis Dermott. Head coach Mike Babcock indicated on Wednesday that Dermott may be ready to play in the season finale against the Canadiens on Saturday, but in his absence it is expected that Toronto will go with the revamped defensive pairings of Morgan Rielly-Connor Carrick, Ron Hainsey-Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner-Roman Polak they used in their 5-2 win over Buffalo on Monday In the race for top spot, the Boston Bruins will use up their game in hand and try to move out of a first place tie with Tampa as they visit the Florida Panthers. Florida is five points in back of the Devils and four points in back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card spot, but is also using up their game in hand.
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