Maple Leafs at Devils
The skidding Toronto Maple Leafs limped into the All-Star break having lost six in a row and 14 of their last 17 games to plummet 10 points behind in the race for a wild-card spot. To make matters worse for the Maple Leafs, they learned that captain Dion Phaneuf is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury as the club visits the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Toronto has struggled to adjust to interim coach Peter Horachek's defensive-minded system, getting outscored 20-5 during the six-game slide while winning just one of eight games since he replaced Randy Carlyle.
Phil Kessel was one of just three players held off the scoresheet in Sunday's NHL All-Star Game, but he did record a tally in Toronto's 5-3 setback to New Jersey on Dec. 4. Mike Cammalleri scored in the first meeting with the Maple Leafs and has four goals and two assists in his last eight contests for the Devils, who need to make quite the push if the postseason is in their plans. Although New Jersey entered the All-Star break with a 4-2-1 mark, it resides 15 points out of a wild-card spot with just 35 games remaining.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, RSN (Toronto), MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (22-23-3): Phaneuf injured his hand in a fight with Carolina captain Eric Staal on Jan. 19, according to TSN's Darren Dreger, and then got into another altercation with Milan Michalek in last Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Ottawa. James van Riemsdyk recorded his first point in six games when he scored versus the Senators to claim the team lead in goals with 20. Kessel, who secured his first point in six games as well with an assist against Ottawa, scored in the first meeting with New Jersey.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (17-22-8): Patrik Elias notched a pair of assists in the All-Star Game, but it was the 38-year-old's penchant for playing defense in the exhibition contest that raised a few eyebrows. "I was backchecking and (Washington's Alex Ovechkin) was like, 'What are you doing? I had a breakaway.'" Fellow veteran Jaromir Jagr missed the first meeting with the Maple Leafs due to flu-like symptoms but declared himself healthy from both the flu and mumps and expects to compete on Wednesday.
OVERTIME
1. Toronto C Nazem Kadri also scored in the first meeting with New Jersey and tallied in consecutive contests heading into the All-Star break.
2. The Devils are 4-for-9 on the power play over their last three games after going 1-for-26 in the previous 10.
3. Maple Leafs G James Reimer, who is expected to start on Wednesday, yielded three goals on 10 shots before being pulled in his last meeting with New Jersey.