The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday (Feb. 6) to improve to 33-19-2 this season. The Maple Leafs trail the Florida Panthers by one point for first place in the Atlantic Division and have two games in hand. Both teams will be in action on Saturday (Feb. 8), but they don’t face each other again until March 13.
Toronto has been incredibly streaky, winning five straight games before alternating three consecutive losses with three straight wins two times each over the last 12 contests.
Impactful Returns to the Lineup
Anthony Stolarz returned to the crease after undergoing a procedure to remove a loose body from his knee in mid-December, costing him 24 games. Any concerns regarding rust were quickly dismissed following a series of acrobatic saves in the first period. Despite taking some contact in the crease, he was composed and made 26 saves in the victory. He has a 10-5-2 record with one shutout, a 2.08 goals-against average (GAA) and a .929 save percentage (SV%) through 18 appearances this season. Before the injury, he ranked second in the league in GAA and first in SV%. The 31-year-old goaltender took some extra time to recover, and the NHL break for the 4 Nations Face-Off will provide him with additional time to heal and prepare for the final stretch of the regular season.
Related: Stolarz Returns From Injury, Helps Maple Leafs Defeat Kraken 3-1
Joseph Woll was excellent during Stolarz’s absence, especially in his last seven outings. During that stretch, the 26-year-old netminder posted a mark of 5-2-0 with a 2.73 GAA and a .910 SV%. Unless one stands out significantly over the other, the talented tandem will probably share starts for the remainder of the campaign if they remain healthy.
Mitch Marner was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday’s (Feb. 4) 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames due to a lower-body injury. He described it as a bizarre spasm and believes it might have happened at the Nordic Spa in Calgary during the team’s day off before facing the Flames. The Maple Leafs chose to err on the side of caution, and the 27-year-old winger appeared no worse for the wear versus the Kraken, logging a game-high 25:08 of ice time. He earned his 500th assist in the first period, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to achieve the milestone. Marner skated on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
Matthew Knies and Tavares returned from injuries at the start of the Maple Leafs’ four-game road trip. Predictably, the squad has received a considerable offensive boost with a reformed top-six group. Knies has three goals and two assists during a three-game point streak after missing two games, while Tavares has one goal and two helpers over his three-game point spree following a six-game absence.
McMann’s Importance Grows
Bobby McMann continues to contribute valuable secondary scoring. Nylander, Auston Matthews, Knies, and Tavares have generated most of the goal-scoring this season, but McMann is nearing his first 20-goal season in the NHL and could flirt with 30 before the end of the campaign. An impressive feat after the 28-year-old winger had two goals and six assists in his first 36 big-league outings. He had considerable appeal as an X-factor entering the 2024-25 campaign following an impressive showing in 2023-24, during which he flashed his potential as a power forward.
It was a major disappointment that he was unavailable for the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs because of an MCL sprain. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but he seemed like a solid candidate to score a big goal in the postseason. In any event, he has become a difference-maker despite fluctuating playing time. He has generated five goals and eight points in the past nine games and has found the back of the net in three straight outings.
Rare Goal From a Defender
Philippe Myers tallied his first goal since Nov. 17, 2022, and his first as a member of the Maple Leafs. He opened the scoring with a slap shot at 7:23 of the first period against the Kraken. The 28-year-old rearguard has been a healthy scratch in four of the last seven contests, including the previous two. However, he drew back into the lineup for Thursday’s matchup because of an upper-body injury to Conor Timmins.
Toronto ranks last in the league with 12 goals from defencemen, and the team is tied for the second-fewest points (89) among blueliners in 2024-25. More offence from the blue line should play a role in management’s plans ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, which is quickly approaching. However, most of the attention will probably be on obtaining depth down the middle or acquiring a winger capable of contributing in a middle-six capacity.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The squad has one more game before a 13-day break and will seek to complete a four-game sweep of their West Coast trip versus the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday (Feb. 8). The offence has come alive, outscoring the opposition by a 13-7 margin in the last three matches. The power play has been rolling, ranking second in the league with a 34.6 success rate since Jan. 11. The Maple Leafs are getting healthier, and a return to consistency after some frustrating stretches seems to be within reach.
