Devils at Maple Leafs
THE STORY: The New Jersey Devils may soon be facing a delicate situation as they head into Tuesday's game against the host Toronto Maple leafs. Martin Brodeur will get the start in goal for the Devils, and it could be an important one for the 39-year-old netminder. Brodeur has surrendered nine goals on 29 shots over his last two appearances, and lasted eight minutes in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild four nights ago. It was the first time he had been pulled all season, but the future Hall of Famer has been soundly outplayed by backup Johan Hedberg through the first two months of the season. A subpar performance Tuesday could force the Devils to decide what to do about their goaltending situation. The Maple Leafs have no such concerns. Jonas Gustavsson was sharp in Monday's 3-2 win over the New York Rangers, and will take a backseat to newly returning starter James Reimer for Tuesday's contest.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG, Rogers Sportsnet Ontario
ABOUT THE DEVILS (12-12-1): New Jersey has scored only nine goals in its previous six games, making Brodeur's recent struggles stand out even more. "We're at one of those points in the season right now where we're facing a little bit of adversity," coach DeBoer said following a 4-2 loss to Winnipeg over the weekend. "We're playing hard. We're playing the right way. It's just not going our way."
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (15-10-2): Toronto has handed the Rangers their only two regulation losses at home this season, and will look to improve its own fortunes on home ice. The Maple Leafs went only 1-4-1 at the Air Canada Centre in November, effectively wiping out the momentum of a 5-0-1 home start. It is a critical stretch for the Leafs, who play five of their next seven in their own building before embarking on a four-game road trip to end 2011.
OVERTIME:
1. Toronto prevailed 5-3 in the first meeting on Nov. 2. The Maple Leafs are 5-2-1 in the last eight encounters overall.
2. Phil Kessel, who added to his NHL scoring lead with a pair of assists Monday, has 18 points in 20 career games against the Devils.
3. Brodeur's 20 career victories against Toronto are his fewest against any Eastern Conference foe.