The New Jersey Devils’ franchise-record-tying 13-game winning streak came to an ugly end in a controversial 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Matt Murray made 34 saves, helping the Maple Leafs defeat the Devils in a game marred by three disallowed goals for New Jersey. The final overturned goal caused fans to throw debris onto the ice, causing a delay of over five minutes.
“Nobody feels good. I don’t feel good,” said Devils coach Lindy Ruff, whose team also hit two goalposts. “I don’t like the feeling. I don’t like losing. Now, we must get over that and prepare for our next game.”
The Maple Leafs, enjoying their seventh win in 11 games (7-1-3), saw goals from John Tavares and Pontus Holmberg. However, they were disturbed by the debris, including beer cans, thrown by angry fans.
“You take cover,” said Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe. “It’s all you can do. I’ve been through that experience a few other times … but I felt like it could get dangerous.”
The sellout crowd at the Prudential Center was upset, but the three disallowed goals appeared correct upon review. Goals by Nate Bastian and Damon Severson were nullified for goaltender interference. Erik Haula’s short-handed tally was overruled for a kicking motion, even though the puck deflected off a Leafs player.
Haula attempted to calm the crowd.
“I don’t care if I get a beer spilled on me, but there are other people there, and you’d hate to see somebody get hit in the head,” said Haula, who added he was struck by a chicken finger.
Toronto became the first team to beat the Devils (16-4) since Washington on Oct. 24.
“We needed to win here today, no matter who we’re playing,” Keefe said. “That’s a tremendous hockey team over there. And they deserve everything that they’ve gotten here to date. … This is a character win for our team.”
Dougie Hamilton scored for New Jersey with 5:08 to play, bringing the crowd back into the game. Murray made several key saves in the final minutes, stopping Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier.
“At the end of the game, it was gritty,” Murray said.
The Devils’ winning streak tied for the fifth-longest in NHL history and was four games shy of the record set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993. New Jersey’s other 13-game streak was in 2001.
“It’s definitely frustrating, 100%, but nothing we can do,” Hischier said. “Refs make the call, and there’s nothing going to change it, so we have to stick with it …”
Murray was outstanding, particularly in the final 40 minutes, stopping 29 of 30 shots.
Mitch Marner set up Tavares’ 12th goal of the season, outworking Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler along the boards and behind the net and finding the Leafs captain in front, where he beat Vitek Vanecek at 11:41.
Less than three minutes later, Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin kept the puck in the Devils’ zone. It slid to Holmberg, who scored his first NHL goal at 14:03.
TRADE
With Morgan Reilly out with a knee injury, Toronto acquired defenseman Conor Timmins from the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday for forward Curtis Douglas. Timmins had no points in two games with the Coyotes this season. Douglas, 22, was a fourth-round pick (No. 106) by the Dallas Stars in the 2018 NHL Draft.
UP NEXT:
- Maple Leafs: At Minnesota on Friday.
- Devils: At Buffalo on Friday night.
