Maple leaves from Toronto
Toronto improved slightly in the standings with 6 wins in their last 9 matchdays, once again in the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. But the Maple Leaves lost the last game. In Vancouver, the local “orcs” forced the surrender of Maple Leafs goaltender Murray four times, allowing the visitors to score only the prestigious goal. Three of Toronto’s previous four games were no different, with no more than six goals scored.
New Jersey Devils
But New Jersey has won four of the last five battles, and the audience, along with its rivals, did not let them get bored in the stands, giving them spectacular shows. 3 of these 5 goals scored more than six goals, the other two exactly six. However, there and the rivals of the “devils” were such that he is by no means against open hockey, Toronto in the current championship cannot be attributed to them.
Forecast
Toronto conceded just 168 goals in 63 regular season games. Only two leaders in the East have fewer passive targets. Meetings with New Jersey in the current championship, there were two of them, took place in a rather boring form and they ended up with 3 and 4 goals. Surely this time the Canadians are going to the “devils” den for points, not for the entertainment needs of their fans. It is likely that Toronto will play defense against Newark as they do in most away matches. He will try to protect his goaltender as much as possible from contact with the puck and home attackers. As you can see from the number of goals conceded and recent meetings with Jersey, he is not doing badly. But even with such a strategy, the Canadians will not have the strength or time for regular offensive actions. And finally, the rivals are likely to cross the six-shot mark against each other again.