The Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated 6-3 by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday (Oct. 11). The Red Wings bounced back in a big way after being booed off the ice by the home crowd in Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs displayed many of the same holes and deficiencies in Saturday’s loss that showed up in Wednesday’s season-opening 5-2 win over the Canadiens.
Detroit had motivation from the drop of the puck, and the Maple Leafs were on their heels for most of the contest. Even though Toronto had a 2-0 lead after the first period, the Red Wings dictated the pace with a 13-8 shot margin and a 76.19 percent edge in scoring chances. The Maple Leafs pushed back in the third period, controlling 66.67 percent of the scoring chances and 100 percent of the high-danger scoring chances, but still haven’t put in a full 60-minute effort.
Stolarz Shines Again Despite Shakiness Around Him
Anthony Stolarz was under siege throughout the match. He was a difference-maker for the Maple Leafs in the home-opening win over the Canadiens, and he came close to replicating his heroics in the second game of the 2025-26 season. However, he didn’t get much support from his teammates, who frequently appeared to be a step or two behind the Red Wings.
Related: Kane, Raymond Help Lead Red Wings to 6-3 Win Over the Maple Leafs
The defence corps got caught in transition a couple of times early in the first period, but Stolarz was up to the task. The 31-year-old netminder made some spectacular saves on odd-man rushes and high-danger chances in the slot, as the Maple Leafs were caught flat-footed for the majority of the game. The team’s effort in the defensive zone lacked attention to detail. On several occasions, the Maple Leafs failed to get sticks into passing lanes, leading to far too many cross-ice feeds from the Red Wings. Detroit made Toronto pay by taking 3-2 and 4-3 leads with scoring plays that went across the box. A goal by Lucas Raymond in the second period that evened the score at 2-2 was also a backdoor setup.
The Maple Leafs also got caught on the ice for some lengthy shifts. Brandon Carlo and Morgan Rielly were offenders of this during the second period. Simon Benoit was gassed and couldn’t catch up to the puck along the wall, leading to the Red Wings getting on the board and cutting the lead to 2-1. The long change played a factor in the second stanza, but the players need to be more aware and crisper with breakouts to get to the bench quicker. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also had a rough outing, made worse by his appearance of discomfort on his off-side. Still, the blueliners don’t deserve all the blame, and they would benefit tremendously from better support on the boards from the forwards.
Depth Scoring Continues
Calle Jarnkrok netted his second goal of the season when he opened the scoring 2:27 into the game. While being limited by injuries, he had only one goal in 19 appearances during the 2024-25 campaign. He reached the 20-goal plateau in 2022-23, but he had a career-high 18.9 shooting percentage. Still, the 34-year-old forward has a great shot, and it’s encouraging to see him contributing. He is rising to the occasion while competing to remain part of the team’s long-term picture. His name has surfaced as a potential trade chip and has been a bubble player since the start of training camp. However, he has taken advantage of his opportunities. His offence is something the bottom six desperately needs.
Nicolas Roy also took on a starring role on the scoresheet in his second game with the Maple Leafs. He got his first points as a member of the team. He picked up an assist on Jarnkrok’s first-period tally, and he lit the lamp later in the opening frame with a superb deflection off a point shot by Rielly, who has multi-point efforts in consecutive outings to begin the campaign and is well on his way toward bouncing back offensively this season. The 28-year-old Roy has struggled with maintaining offensive consistency in the past, but being capable of performances like that could pay off in the long run.
Max Domi played with the most pace among Toronto skaters in the contest, especially in the third period when he scored a goal. He also had a golden opportunity to tie the game, but shot the puck over the net. Still, getting on the board this early in the season is a rarity for Domi. He didn’t score his first goal of 2023-24 until his 22nd outing, and he had a 22-game goal drought to open the 2024-25 campaign. The Maple Leafs need more production from him, and he’s looked more engaged in the early going while co-leading the team with seven shots on target.
Door Opens for Cowan?
The depth scoring has played a role in coach Craig Berube’s reluctance to switch up the lines. No one wants to come out of the lineup, but an upper-body injury to Steven Lorentz in Saturday’s defeat could change that.
Easton Cowan has been patiently waiting for a chance to make his NHL debut, and it could finally come in Monday (Oct. 13) afternoon’s rematch against the Red Wings. He could provide an offensive spark to the lineup, whether he joins the top six or occupies a depth role like he did during the exhibition schedule. After being claimed off waivers from the Canadiens, Sammy Blais could also be an option to enter the Toronto lineup. He comes with the bonus of playing a similar game to Lorentz.
The Maple Leafs could choose to insert Cowan and Blais into the lineup following a lacklustre performance from several players. If additional changes occur, Philippe Myers is available to step in on the back end. The club could use some fresh looks to ignite some competitiveness.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
Toronto will host Detroit in a matinee clash on Thanksgiving to begin a five-game homestand. It was already a date to circle on the calendar, and it has some additional intrigue after Saturday’s poor showing. The team has plenty of areas to improve early in the season, but a great deal of it is systems-based and should be easily repairable. Still, it is concerning how slow they have looked and how badly they get outplayed by opposing teams that have speed to burn.
The Maple Leafs were slow to move the puck and didn’t generate much offensively for a second straight game. The team struggled to create scoring chances at five-on-five last season, but strong goaltending and opportunistic goal scoring helped keep the club near the top of the standings. It’s still too early to say if the same pattern is repeatable, though it would help once the top players get warmed up. Still, it never seemed like a recipe for sustained success, and it hasn’t been an impressive start to the 2025-26 campaign. Having said that, there is still ample time to turn it around by implementing more structure and establishing a forecheck.
Hockey Analytics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
