Devils 3, Maple Leafs 2: Rookie defenseman Jon Merrill recorded his first career two-point performance with a goal and an assist as host New Jersey ended its six-game slide against Toronto.

Damien Brunner and Patrik Elias also scored for the Devils, who climbed within five points of Toronto and Detroit for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Cory Schneider made 21 saves as New Jersey evened its record at 2-2-0 on its five-game homestand.

Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel tallied for the Maple Leafs, who suffered their fifth straight loss and remained one point ahead of idle Washington for a wild card. James Reimer allowed three goals on 10 shots before being replaced by Drew MacIntyre, who turned aside all 14 shots he faced.

Brunner opened the scoring with 5:22 remaining in the first period as he beat Reimer to the glove side from the right faceoff circle during a 2-on-1 rush. Elias doubled the lead 1:18 into the middle session, faking a slap shot in the left circle before deking the goaltender and sliding a backhander into the vacant net.

Merrill made it 3-0 just 32 seconds later, when he one-timed a bouncing puck past Reimer from the top of the left circle - ending the netminder's evening. Toronto got on the board during a power play at 5:26 as Bozak redirected defenseman Morgan Rielly's feed from the left point past Schneider and Kessel scored with 1:31 remaining in the third, but the Maple Leafs were unable to get the equalizer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Toronto RW David Clarkson had a disappointing homecoming as he finished minus-2 and failed to notch a point in his first game in New Jersey since leaving as a free agent last summer. ... Devils D Anton Volchenkov was scratched after suffering a lower-body injury in Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers. ... MacIntyre made both his Maple Leafs debut and his first NHL appearance since Nov. 25, 2011 with Buffalo. The 30-year-old has come on in relief in all five of his games in the league, including two with Vancouver during the 2007-08 season.