The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to even their record on home ice before heading out on the road for four games as they face the New Jersey Devils at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.
The 2018 Hall of Fame class of Martin Brodeur, Martin St. Louis, Willie O'Ree, Alexander Yakushev, Jayna Hefford and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony, as well as Elmer Ferguson Award winner Larry Brooks and for Leafs play-by-play man Joe Bowen, winner of the Foster Hewitt Award winner Joe Bowen for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
The Leafs snapped a two-game home losing skid with a 3-1 win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday and with a win over the Devils (who have lost five of their six road games) can move to 5-5-0 at the Bank on Bay St, before travelling to Boston to play the Bruins on Saturday and the annual swing through California against the Kings, Sharks and Ducks next week.
Auston Matthews continues to progress in his bid to return to the @MapleLeafs' lineup.
The club held an optional skate on Friday, but are expected to go with the same lineup that won their last two games against Pittsburgh and Vegas, as well as Frederik Andersen in goal, who will be making his ninth straight start.
After going a month without games on back-to-back nights, the Leafs will have two in less than a week, which means that Garret Sparks will see some action. With Andersen having a hot hand, it is unknown whether head coach Mike Babcock will resort to his usual modus operandi of splitting back-to-back games between his starter and backup or deviate from that and play Andersen against the Devils and in Toronto’s return to the site of their Game 7 demise last season and giving him four days off, letting Sparks start against Los Angeles, who he had his best outing of the season against last month.
*******
There continues to be little news regarding the impasse between the Leafs and winger William Nylander. With just under three weeks until the signing deadline, the only visible sign of anything going on is the club’s scouts at other arenas possibly in preparation for a trade and other teams doing the same at recent Toronto home games.
A Toronto scout was spotted at the Arizona - Flyers game in Philadelphia on Thursday.. This is curious based on two Coyotes scouts being at the Leafs game on Monday and on another occasion during their heavy home schedule last month. The Flyers are also considered a team potentially interested in Nylander and Dubas did visit the Wells Fargo Center a few weeks back during his scouting sojourn after speaking with the free agent winger in Switzerland and his agent in New York.
Carolina also remains at the forefront of any potential Nylander deal and once again, Canes AGM Rick Dudley is on the list of observers at Scotiabank Arena for Friday night's game.
*******
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»