The Toronto Maple Leafs halted a three-game winless skid with a 4-3 shootout win over the Utah Hockey Club on Monday (March 10). It wasn’t pretty, and the Maple Leafs didn’t make it easy for themselves, but in the end, the most important thing was getting the victory in what has become a tight race for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
After going nearly the entire season without deciding a game in a shootout, Toronto has been involved in two over the last four games. Mitch Marner scored the game-winner versus Utah after Auston Matthews and Clayton Keller exchanged goals.
Power Play Strikes Early Before Going Cold
William Nylander’s 36th goal of 2024-25 opened the scoring on a Toronto power play at 12:42 of the first period. He has three goals and five assists over a six-game point streak. Matthews, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares battled for the puck near the right corner before Marner found Nylander in open space for a great look at the net from the left circle.
The Maple Leafs struck again on the man advantage in the first period’s final minute when Morgan Rielly fed the puck down low to Max Domi, who found Calle Jarnkrok in the slot for a one-timer. For Jarnkrok, it was his first point in three games after missing 60 contests to start the season due to groin and sports hernia surgery. He was a healthy scratch in Saturday’s (March 8) 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Related: Maple Leafs Avoid Collapse In Utah With 4-3 Shootout Victory
However, the Maple Leafs didn’t have much going when they were up a man afterward, as zone entries and puck possession became problems. Still, if you are looking for positives, Toronto has scored a power-play goal in four straight games to climb back to eighth overall (24.6 percent) in the league. Monday’s game versus Utah marked the sixth time this season that the Maple Leafs scored multiple power-play goals in a period.
Controversial Calls and Fight Swing Momentum
Utah got some life with two goals in 49 seconds after a tally by Simon Benoit received a review for a potential high stick by Steven Lorentz. The goal was upheld, much to the ire of the Utah bench. However, it was eventually changed from Lorentz’s marker to Benoit’s first in 60 games this campaign. Utah gained additional fire after Michael Kesselring fought Benoit. There is an argument to be made that the Leafs blueliner probably shouldn’t have engaged in the fisticuffs with his team up 3-0 and in control of the game, but the leaping Superman punch to start the bout was eyebrow-raising at least. He felt the fight was justified because he was defending teammate Bobby McMann. However, lulling your opponent to sleep and not providing a spark should take precedence.
Toronto bench boss Craig Berube settled his players down with a wise timeout, but a highly questionable tripping call on Benoit, where Jack McBain appeared to fall on his own, led to Utah tying the game on the power play. Utah was gifted another man-advantage chance shortly afterward when Oliver Ekman-Larsson landed a two-minute penalty for goaltender interference despite being pushed into Karel Vejmelka by Logan Cooley. Adding insult to injury, Ekman-Larsson didn’t serve his infraction because he was hurt in the play. Fortunately, he returned to the game in the third period and appeared no worse for the wear. Toronto managed to kill a two-man advantage after Scott Laughton took an undisciplined cross-checking penalty out of frustration.
Another Blown Lead
The refereeing, while frustrating, wasn’t to blame for Toronto’s lack of defensive awareness. It has been an issue in all five games this March. The Maple Leafs had gone 27-0-0 when leading after two periods before dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the San Jose Sharks on March 3. The team was handed their first loss in regulation despite leading after two periods by the Avalanche five days later. In both games, the Maple Leafs blew multi-goal leads. The players and coaches discussed returning to form and improving defensively ahead of Monday’s contest versus Utah, but the same mistakes were repeated. The Maple Leafs have been guilty of ill-timed lapses, bad gaps, and poor coverage this month.
The absence of Chris Tanev has loomed large. He has been skating but has missed the last six games due to an upper-body injury, and there’s no timeline for his return to the lineup. Perhaps more importantly, the stellar goaltending that the team has benefited from for most of the season hasn’t been holding up recently. Despite winning two of his last three starts, Joseph Woll has struggled, posting a 4.71 goals-against average and an .849 save percentage, while Anthony Stolarz allowed five goals in a game for the first time in 2024-25 versus the Avalanche. Still, Woll made some excellent stops in Monday’s victory, especially in overtime when the Maple Leafs ran out of gas and got stuck on the ice for extended shifts. His will to compete and scrap through challenging circumstances should serve him well in future appearances.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
After playing 11 of the last 13 games on the road, Toronto begins a four-game homestand versus the Florida Panthers on Thursday (March 13). It’s a crucial contest in the hunt for the Atlantic Division title. The two teams will also meet two times in April.
The Maple Leafs have allowed some bad habits to creep into their game that must be ironed out in the final stretch. The club’s inability to slam the door closed on the opposition has been alarming, though the players deserve credit for bouncing back against Utah and picking up two points in the standings. While that should improve once the team is back to full strength, it would behoove Toronto to manage momentum swings better. The beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs draws near, making it especially important to play a more cohesive and consistent style.
