Although small, Dreger also provided an update on Anthony Stolarz, who's been out with a knee injury since Dec. 12 against the Ducks. "End of January, first week of Feb," Dreger said of Stolarz's reported return date.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe appears to be closing in on his return to the lineup soon. He has been an active participant in the regular jerseys at recent practices and morning skates, including Wednesday’s practice where he was once again skating with the main group.

Keefe spent parts of two seasons coaching McCabe and McMann, leading them to career-high point totals last year.

With McCabe out with an injury until at least Jan. 14, the upcoming slate for the Leafs could test their mettle as a contender.

Jake McCabe confirmed that he plans to play against the New Jersey Devils after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury.

Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe exited the first period with a head injury and didn't return, sparking concern across the fanbase following the 3-2 win. In a scary moment, the veteran defender hit his head on the ice following a fight with Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway.

Returning against Devils

Late in the first period, McCabe engaged in a fight with Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway. The altercation stemmed from an earlier collision between Hathaway and Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby. McCabe, defending his teammate, initiated the fight but quickly found himself on the losing end with the fight ending in a worrying way.

The Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. The team is off on Friday as they travel to Montreal.

Jakub Dobes, a 23-year-old from Czechia has created wild-card wildfire talk for his team with four wins in as many starts, a club-record fewest four goals against for a newbie and a sparkling .963 save percentage.

Alex Ovechkin's OT goal was his 874th career goal, putting him 20 away away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894.