There are games you walk away from feeling like you misread the script. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was one of them. On paper, the score suggested a flat night, another missed opportunity against a young team far from elite.
Still, for Maple Leafs’ fans who watched the first period, what you saw was a completely different picture. Toronto didn’t just control the play; they owned it. They dictated tempo, handled the puck with confidence, and rolled all four lines with ease. The only thing that didn’t cooperate was the scoreboard. The 3-2 overtime loss wasn’t deserved, but it exemplified the Maple Leafs’ season so far.
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And, like similar games the team has played this season, that’s where the night began to twist. Hockey isn’t a sport that rewards territorial advantage alone. You need to score goals, you need timely saves, and you need a few lucky bounces.
The Maple Leafs got almost none of that last night. Instead, they got a reminder that a good process doesn’t always survive a bad moment. They were also reminded that youth, injuries, and forced lineup juggling add cracks to even a well-played game.
Still, this wasn’t a game without silver linings. Let’s get to the three positives and three negatives the old professor scribbled in the margin as the buzzer sounded.
3 Maple Leafs Positives From the 3-2 OT Loss
Even in the loss, there were positives for the Maple Leafs. Here are three:
Maple Leafs Positive One: The First Period Was Worth Keeping
If the Maple Leafs ever want an instructional video on “how to start a hockey game,” they can use the opening 20 minutes from this one. They outshot Columbus, out-chanced them 20–5 in all situations, and held the puck so long that the Blue Jackets looked like they were trying to swipe it back with library cards.
Seven different forwards created multiple scoring chances. Depth was rolling, passes were finding sticks, and feet were moving. It was everything you want from a home game, never mind a lineup missing half its scoring.
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The only thing missing was a finish. Sometimes that’s hockey. But if you’re the head coach, Craig Berube, you bottle that period and hope it spills into the next game.
Maple Leafs Positive Two: Scott Laughton Looked Like a Player With Something to Prove
With key forwards out, someone had to reach higher than their usual rung. Scott Laughton grabbed that role. Early on, he was everywhere. He put up three shots, was strong on the forecheck, gave the team an energetic penalty kill shift, and showcased the kind of middle-six engagement Toronto was hoping for when they paid big for him.
After missing the first chunk of the season, a little rust would’ve been understandable. Instead, he played like a man who knew the team needed pushback. If the Maple Leafs could get this version more often, he would become a key piece, not a placeholder. You can see why he was a leader with his old Philadelphia Flyers team.
Maple Leafs Positive Three: Easton Cowan Brought Energy You Can’t Coach
The moment Easton Cowan hopped over the boards onto a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, you could almost sense why the organization keeps circling back to him. He keeps plays alive, he hounds pucks he shouldn’t win, and he gives that line something it often doesn’t have, a motor running on premium fuel.
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His soft little touch-pass to Tavares showed experience beyond his age, and his minutes kept climbing because he kept earning them. For a club missing finishers, youthful spark helps steady the ship. He’s showing the organization that finding a top-six forward would be a waste of time.
Three Maple Leafs Negatives from the 3-2 OT Loss
There were negatives from the loss last night. Here are three:
Maple Leafs Negative One: The Maple Leafs Showed No Finish
It’s one thing to dominate and not score. It’s another to dominate and then watch the opposition cash in on the few solid chances they had. The Maple Leafs’ inability to bury early chances changed the whole tone of the game.
The team should’ve built a large cushion. Instead, they let Columbus hang around long enough to find its legs and its confidence. The overtime period, as always, is a coin flip. This time, the Maple Leafs called heads, and it ended up tails.
Maple Leafs Negative Two: The Maple Leafs Let Momentum Slip Too Easily
If there’s one problem that keeps resurfacing with this team, it’s how quickly they can lose the thread. A bad shift follows a good one, a defensive breakdown follows a scoring chance, and suddenly the scoreboard looks backwards.
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The Maple Leafs didn’t play poorly, but their wobbly sequences continue to arrive at the worst possible moments. After Tavares tied the game in the third period, the team seemed to relax and allow the Blue Jackets to take over the game. Why not grab the momentum and run with it?
Maple Leafs Negative Three: Adam Fantilli Is Too Comfortable in Toronto
Some players like playing in Toronto. Adam Fantilli is one of them. He scored one clean and got a tip on another, and every time he touched the puck, he looked dangerous. The Maple Leafs defended well in stretches, but the high-end chances they did give up went to the wrong guy.
Fantilli didn’t need much room, and he found enough. He proved unstoppable in his old stomping grounds.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
If you’re looking for a positive vibe from this game, it’s simple. The Maple Leafs foundation isn’t broken. The structure is there. The effort is there.
That said, the finish isn’t. And that’s what Toronto needs if the team is to rediscover itself as it tries to climb the standings. With injuries still reshaping the lineup nightly, the challenge now is finding enough offense to match the solid groundwork.
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If the Maple Leafs play the next games the way they played the first period here, they’ll win more often than not.
