The Canadian Press
Neil Davidson
TORONTO–Coach Mike Babcock warned his Leafs about the danger of the young Devils but the message apparently did not get through.
Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha each scored twice as unbeaten New Jersey recorded the franchise’s first-ever 3-on-5 goal in a 6-3 win over Toronto last night, ending the Maple Leafs’ perfect start to the season.
Babcock was unimpressed by a 50-shot barrage on Devils’ goal Cory Schneider, complaining instead about a lack of effort from his team.
“We didn’t have any snap, we didn’t have any juice, we didn’t win any battles,” he said in a pithy post-game news conference that lasted all of two minutes, nine seconds.
“We talked quite a lot about this game coming up and how it was going to be,” he added. “And that’s exactly what I expected.
“But I expected us to compete and that didn’t happen.
“Hockey’s fair. You get what you deserve. That’s what we deserved tonight,” Babcock added.
“I can’t remember the last time we played with that kind of effort.”
New Jersey finished 27th in the NHL last season, some 25 points behind Toronto.
But the Leafs had their hands full with the speedy Devils, who look like a different outfit this season thanks to an influx of young talent.
“A lot different, a lot more speed, a lot more skill,” said Leafs’ centre Nazem Kadri.
“They’ve got tough forwards that can skate,” he noted. “That’s their identity, similar to us.”
Tied 2-2 after 20 minutes (a score Babcock said flattered the Leafs “big-time”), New Jersey (3-0-0) pulled ahead with a pair in the second despite being outshot 17-12.
A key moment came late in the period with the Devils taking two minors on the same play.
But rather than Toronto taking advantage, New Jersey killed off the penalties and also scored short-handed at 14:54 for a 4-2 lead.
Jake Gardiner was unable to keep the puck in at the New Jersey blueline and two Devils broke in.
William Nylander’s back-check swept the puck off Adam Henrique’s stick but it went straight off goalie Frederik Andersen to Brian Gibbons in front and the Devils’ winger made no mistake.
“That’s a huge one,” said Leafs’ winger James van Riemsdyk.
Babcock said he didn’t know if he had ever seen a 3-on-5 goal before.
Blake Coleman added an insurance goal early in the third.
Auston Matthews, with his third of the season, cut the deficit to 5-3 with 6:26 to go and the Leafs on a two-man advantage.
But despite a 20-9 edge in shots in the third, Toronto’s comeback fell short and Zacha rubbed salt in the wound with a late tipped goal.
Van Riemsdyk and Dominic Moore also scored for Toronto (3-1-0) before 19,103 at the Air Canada Centre.
Outshot 50-31, New Jersey got a sterling performance in goal from Schneider, whose 47 saves were a career high.
It’s the Devils’ first 3-0-0 start since 2014-15.
Both teams had good scoring chances early but Andersen and Schneider held firm. Then the floodgates opened with four goals in five minutes in a back-and-forth first period.
After Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring on the power play at 8:33, New Jersey answered with two Wood goals before Moore tied it up at 2-2.
New Jersey went ahead 3-2 at 9:58 of the second on the power play, with rookie Jesper Bratt finding Zacha left alone in front of goal to complete a sweet tic-tac-toe passing sequence.
Van Riemsdyk was in the box for slashing.
Elsewhere in the NHL, Calgary beat L.A. 4-3 (OT), Pittsburgh nipped Washington 3-2, Colorado doubled Boston 6-3, and Anaheim edged the N.Y. Islanders 3-2.
