Connor Hellebuyck didn’t need much help to make this one look easy.
The Devils’ goaltender stopped 23 shots for his first shutout since arriving in New Jersey, and the visitors rolled past the Maple Leafs 4-0 on Sunday night to stretch their winning streak to five. New Jersey got goals from Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Connor Brown, while Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt kept the offense humming with multi-point nights.
Meier was the first to break through, scoring 8:28 into the second period after an offensive-zone faceoff win. Hischier controlled the draw, Declan Chisholm pushed the puck through traffic, and Meier finished the play with a one-timer from the slot.
The second period kept tilting New Jersey’s way. Hughes took a no-look feed from Bratt, froze Toronto defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson with a sharp move to his forehand, and Meier got a piece of the wrist shot for his second goal of the night at 12:44. It was Meier’s first two-goal game since April 2025.
Hischier added the dagger 9:49 into the third, cashing in on a power play with a rebound at the edge of the crease. Brown then closed it out with an empty-net goal with just under three minutes left, and the former Maple Leaf didn’t miss his chance to finish the job.
Hellebuyck’s shutout came in his fifth game since New Jersey landed him on Oct. 23 in a blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets. He spent his first 11 NHL seasons in Winnipeg, where he won the Vezina Trophy three times, and he also took home the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 2024-25 season as league MVP.
Anthony Stolarz made 25 saves for Toronto, but the Maple Leafs dropped their fifth game in six tries and fell in the first three games of their six-game homestand. They also spent the night shorthanded on the blue line, with Morgan Rielly out after leaving Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and Chris Tanev missing his 10th game of the season for maintenance. Cole McWard, who played last season for the New York Islanders before signing with Toronto, made his Maple Leafs debut in their place.
Toronto also scratched Jack Roslovic late with a lower-body injury, never earned a power-play chance, and lost Colton Sissons to a lower-body injury late in the second period.
In Other News...
Devils Just Handed Riley Tufte A Chance Fans Have Waited On
An injury to Anthony Mantha opened the door for the Devils to make a move on November 9, and Riley Tufte was the one summoned from Utica. The call-up gives New Jersey a look at a big-bodied power forward who has shown he can bring some scoring touch, while also offering the kind of presence the bottom six has been built to absorb in Manthas absence.
Tufte is not arriving as a blank slate, either. He has already appeared in 28 NHL games and has spent much of his time in the AHL as a steady scorer and a leader, which is part of why this promotion matters beyond just filling a temporary roster spot. For a Devils team looking to keep its depth intact, the question now is how quickly Tufte can translate that lower-level production into the role the club has carved out for him. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Send A Clear Lineup Signal Before A Tough Winnipeg Test
With the Devils heading into a difficult matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, the club made a roster move that suggests it wants a little more depth and flexibility up front. New Jersey recalled forward Riley Tufte from its AHL affiliate ahead of the game, a call-up that comes at a time when the team is trying to keep its lineup sharp against a heavy opponent.
The move lands in a stretch where injuries are already forcing other teams to shuffle their rosters, with the Rangers losing defenseman Alberts Smits for several weeks and the Blue Jackets waiting on the timeline for Conor Garlands upper-body injury. For the Devils, the Tufte recall is less about the headlines elsewhere and more about what it says about how they plan to manage a demanding test in Winnipeg, where every available body can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Sends A Frustrated Message After Devils Loss
The Devils 4-0 win over Toronto did more than add another result to the standings. It pushed the Maple Leafs deeper into an early-season slide, with the loss stretching their skid to three straight and leaving them at 8-9-2 after a stretch in which they have dropped five of six. With injuries already complicating the picture, captain Auston Matthews and head coach Jim Hiller both pointed to the same issue afterward: the group needs more accountability and a better collective effort.
For New Jersey, it was the kind of complete performance that can expose where an opponent is still searching for answers. For Toronto, the concern is less about one bad night than the larger trend, especially with the team already trying to manage absences and keep pace in the standings. Matthews frustration was clear, and the message coming out of the locker room was just as plain, even if the fix is still a moving target. [Read more 🡒]