Woll Shines as Maple Leafs Shutout Devils 4-0

The Toronto Maple Leafs were back in action tonight as they hosted the New Jersey Devils. These games are always interesting because it marks the return of former head coach Sheldon Keefe, who is now working his magic in New Jersey.

Tonight’s game was a difficult one for the Maple Leafs, as they are once again being bitten by the injury bug. In their last game against the Detroit Red Wings, they lost Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, and their captain Auston Matthews. This was something the Devils were looking to take advantage of, but the bigger question was whether they would take their foot off the gas against a lineup missing both Matthews and William Nylander.

Let’s get into the game recap.

Game Recap

1st Period

When these two teams play each other, it’s usually one of two things. Either it’s a very back-and-forth game, or the Devils’ goalie stands on his head and that alone beats the Maple Leafs. Tonight, it was more of a back-and-forth style game right from the jump. The Maple Leafs opened the scoring with a goal from Bobby McMann at 14:21 of the period. There was some physical play, but nothing overly serious, and the first frame ended with Toronto holding a 1-0 lead.

2nd Period

In the second period, it was much of the same. The Devils had some pushback, but Joseph Woll was taking a page out of the Devils’ goalie playbook and standing on his head. The Maple Leafs were eventually able to extend their lead with a goal from Nicolas Roy at 14:24 of the period, which immediately put pressure on New Jersey to respond. They weren’t able to find one, and Toronto carried a 2-0 lead into the second intermission.

3rd Period

In the third period, the game’s intensity picked up significantly. A fight between Matthew Knies and Nico Hischier turned up the temperature in the building. Just seconds later, Calle Jarnkrok found the back of the net at 6:35 to make it 3-0.