On Sunday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were shut out 4-0 by the New Jersey Devils, losing both legs of their home back-to-back and dropping their fifth game in the last six. Many were quick to pile on the Leafs after another difficult defeat, but it's worth noting how good the Devils were and have been, as well as the hurdles Toronto faced.
Penalties were a constant momentum killer for the Leafs, many of them coming at crucial moments. With the game scoreless in the first period, Easton Cowan was called for slashing on what looked like a fairly standard stick check, after New Jersey's Timo Meier whipped his head back, a reaction that appeared to sell the call and put the Devils on the power play.
Early in the second period, captain Auston Matthews was sent to the box for tripping on a play in which he didn't appear to hardly touch Devils captain Nico Hischier, who went down.
The call swung momentum toward New Jersey, who scored twice later in the frame. Toronto also took legitimate penalties, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson called for tripping and Cowan for roughing, but the earlier calls dealt major blows to a team already facing a tough game in which to score.
Devils finally deserve some credit
Toronto is being criticized for failing to score even a goal against New Jersey, but the Devils have been elite this season. They sit at 13-5-0, a record built largely on a defense that has limited opponents' shot attempts and scoring chances in nearly every game.
New Jersey is among the league leaders in wins when outshooting its opponent, and it has been outshot in just one of its 18 games. The Devils rank first in shots on goal per game at 33.7, second in the league with 84 takeaways, and have the fourth-lowest shots against per game at 24.8 this season.
When shots do get through, they now have three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck turning them away. It isn't just Toronto that has struggled to score on New Jersey.
The Devils' 2.83 goals-against average ranks seventh in the NHL, and since acquiring Hellebuyck in a blockbuster trade, it has improved to 2.71, with the team winning six of its seven games since the deal. They have held even the best of teams to low totals, including two goals against the Vegas Golden Knights and one against the Dallas Stars earlier this season.
Hellebuyck has allowed just ten goals on 115 shots, an average of two per game, through his first five starts as a Devil although his numbers have been slightly inflated. New Jersey has largely prevented high-danger chances, and he sits at a mild 0.8 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.
It was a difficult spot for Toronto every way you slice it. Sunday was the second leg of a back-to-back, and Matthews said after the game that the team is severely banged up, missing Kirill Marchenko, Jack Roslovic, Max Domi, Morgan Rielly and depth defensemen Nick Blankenburg and Marshall Rifai, while also being hurt by arguably questionable calls and had to face one of the hottest teams in the East.
The Maple Leafs will have a chance to bounce back with three more games on their current homestand although competition won't get any easier as they are set to face the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
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