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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – Days after passing the first big test of their season, there’s a potential trap looming for the Maple Leafs.

Monday’s come-from-behind overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks proved to the Leafs they can compete with any team, regardless of pedigree. On Wednesday, they’ll face a different challenge in the New Jersey Devils, a club that finished fourth-last in the league last season and lacks any of the Blackhawks’ recent success.

Yet the Devils’ 2-0 record is just as impressive as the Leafs’ 3-0 start, a fact that carries more weight now than their five-year playoff drought.

“Obviously you never want to say it, but I think people do [underestimate opponents],” said Leafs forward Mitch Marner. “I don’t know if you ever really [try to], but you can think it’s going to be an easier game than others. But [New Jersey] is off to a very hot start as well and we have to make sure we’re ready to play.”

The parallels between Toronto and New Jersey are easy to draw. The Leafs rebuilt their club through the draft and smart free-agent signings, and last year a mix of burgeoning young talent and experienced veterans powered Toronto to an unexpected playoff berth.

Now the Devils are trying to replicate that formula. Rookies Nico Hischier, the first-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher are leading the charge for the Devils, combining for nine points in two games, while veterans Taylor Hall and Marcus Johansson are right there with three points each.

“It’s a short measure, but it’s a different team,” said Mike Babcock. “They play with much more speed; they’re on top of you. I think they’re really working. It’s no different than playing the Leafs last year – when you finish where you finish, you just think [it’ll be easier]. But I’ve been watching them. They’re not the same team.”

This group of Leafs appears to be even more dangerous offensively than they were last season. They’re the first Toronto team to be undefeated through the opening three games of the season since 2010-11, when the Leafs went 4-0-1 to start. The 19 goals they’ve amassed are the most in three games since 1917-18, and they’ve second in the league in even-strength scores (12).

With so much scoring, the Leafs have had a tendency already to get sloppy in the defensive zone, which quickly hurts them on the scoreboard. Limiting the Blackhawks to just 21 shots on goal after ceding 37 and 35 shots respectively over their first two games was a step in the right direction. The Devils have put up 39 and 31 shots against their first two opponents, the Avalanche and Sabres, while giving up just three goals to the Leafs’ 10.

“We approach this like every game – your opponent changes but your game plan is pretty close to being the same,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “We want the puck in their end creating opportunities and limiting their chances. When you look at their lineup they have a lot more speed and a lot more skill than they have in years past. They’ve had an outstanding start to the season so we’re expecting a hard-fought game.”

Ice Chips

- Defenceman Connor Carrick will miss his second straight game for the Leafs with an upper-body injury. Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen will make their second start as the team’s third-pairing.

- Frederik Andersen will make his fourth consecutive start of the season on Wednesday. He’s a perfect 3-0 against the Devils, posting the second-highest save-percentage of his career (.949) over those starts. His stats so far (3.28 goals-against, .892 save percentage) aren’t where he’d like to them to be, but the result has been victories. Andersen doesn’t expect that keeping the Leafs’ win streak alive will be any easier based on his past success against New Jersey. “I don’t even know what my record is against New Jersey,” he said. “It’s a new game. They have a young team too. They’re building through the draft and added some good players in the summer, so they’re hungry just like we were last year. They’re going to come hard.”

- Wednesday will be Toronto’s first look at Hischier, who was Auston Matthews’ successor as the draft’s first overall pick. The Leafs players and coaches don’t know much about him, but Babcock identified how he’s helped elevate the Devils already. “I know he’s got good speed, good skill. Looks like he has ability,” Babcock said. “What they have on their three lines here is you’ve got two significant players on each line and a worker and then their fourth line really plays fast, so they’ve got skill on their top-three group that can make it hard on you.”

- Special teams are poised to play a major role in Wednesday’s game, with the two best power plays in the league colliding. Both the Leafs and Devils are operating at 37.5 per cent success overall with the man advantage, but New Jersey has yet to have a power play on the road this season while the Leafs home power play is tied for sixth best in the NHL. New Jersey’s penalty kill has been more effective than Toronto’s, sitting tied for eighth in the league at 90 per cent success, while Toronto is 19th at 82.3 per cent. The Leafs are tied for fourth-most penalties in the NHL so far (18), while the Devils have been called for just 10.