The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday (Jan. 15). It was built up as a big game because it was Mitch Marner’s first appearance against his former team, and while the players might have had some motivation to win against one another, that was mostly a media-driven narrative. It was far more important for the Maple Leafs to bounce back after a poor showing against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday (Jan. 13) on the heels of a riveting 4-3 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday (Jan. 12).
The Maple Leafs had a great start to Thursday’s contest, but all the leads the team established never felt safe in a wide-open affair. The club had too many defensive miscues, especially in the third period, when the Golden Knights scored three times on 13 shots. The point is helpful, but the Maple Leafs squandered the additional one and need to continue winning to keep pace in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race and a highly competitive Atlantic Division.
Injury Revolving Door
The Maple Leafs continue to deal with injury concerns this season and received another heavy blow with William Nylander exiting Thursday’s matchup early in the first period. He made a significant impact at the beginning of the game.
Morgan Rielly opened the scoring against the Golden Knights at 2:05 of the first period with his first goal since Dec. 28 against Tampa Bay. He was set up nicely by Nylander, who spotted the defender creeping in from the point. Nylander found the back of the net slightly less than three minutes later, shortly after a Vegas turnover in the neutral zone led to a quick Toronto counterattack. Matias Maccelli fed Nylander, who kicked the puck up to his stick before delivering a backhander under the arm of Vegas netminder Adin Hill.
Unfortunately, Nylander logged only 2:17 of ice time before leaving the game. He appeared to lose his footing and stumble after his goal, leading to speculation that he aggravated something, even though he didn’t fall to the ice. He missed six games from Dec. 28 to Jan. 8 due to a lower-body injury, believed to be a groin issue. He was on the ice before the start of the second stanza to test the problem, but the team ruled out his return shortly thereafter. An update on his status should come before Saturday’s (Jan. 17) game against the Winnipeg Jets. Despite being limited to 37 appearances, he leads the Maple Leafs in assists (31) and points (48). He also has a team-leading three overtime goals.
Related: Maple Leafs Starting to Show They Don’t Need Mitch Marner
Oliver Ekman-Larsson left the game late in the first frame after a hit by Cole Reinhardt, but the Maple Leafs blueliner returned after the intermission. Losing Nylander and Ekman-Larsson in one game would’ve been a difficult pill to swallow, so it was some good news that the latter finished with 21:10 of ice time and didn’t appear to be playing through anything.
Simon Benoit was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury, resulting in Philippe Myers entering the lineup. The struggles of Myers in the defensive zone have been well-documented this season, and that was a problem again in Thursday’s defeat, even though he led the Maple Leafs with five shots on goal. However, it doesn’t sound like Benoit will be out for long.
Following a one-game absence, Nicholas Robertson returned to the lineup. He was struck in the knee by the puck versus the Avalanche, and it caught a nerve. The 24-year-old forward said it “felt like it broke [his] leg.” He logged just 12:18 of ice time in his 200th career NHL game.
Failure to Lock It Down
The Golden Knights have been rolling. The team is now riding a six-game winning streak and has gone to overtime 19 times in 46 games this season. The Maple Leafs held them at bay for the most part and were quick to respond after surrendering goals, but going into a defensive shell has been a recipe for failure this season. The club’s attempts at dropping down low in a box around the net haven’t been successful, and a Vegas comeback in the third period felt inevitable.
The Golden Knights had nothing going in the first period until Jake McCabe took a slashing penalty, and Vegas got on the board with a power-play goal. However, the Maple Leafs had a quick response, and Auston Matthews restored the two-goal advantage. Max Domi did a great job of protecting the puck before Troy Stecher’s shot was blocked, and Matthews deflected the next one by McCabe. The Maple Leafs captain struggled defensively on Thursday, but he logged taxing minutes down the final stretch of the contest and has amassed nine goals and 15 points in his last 10 games.
Toronto had two-goal leads on four occasions but couldn’t make any of them stand. It wasn’t a banner night for Joseph Woll between the pipes, as his .818 save percentage was his second-worst of the season. He stopped a 2-on-1 after Scott Laughton gave the Maple Leafs a 5-3 lead just before the nine-minute mark of the third period, but Vegas scored after jamming away at him to make it a one-goal game again. Vegas had one goal called back after the Maple Leafs made a successful coach’s challenge for offside.
It was a fortunate break for Toronto, but the Golden Knights tied the game with only seven seconds remaining after Hill got away with a blatant bit of interference on Laughton behind the Golden Knights’ goal with 1:40 left. A penalty in the first minute should be a penalty in the final minute, but NHL referees have commonly refused to call it that way.
Special Teams Woes
The Maple Leafs had only one power play in Thursday’s overtime loss. It was an interesting sequence where Rielly had to make a diving play to break up a dangerous shorthanded rush by Vegas at one end before the Maple Leafs retrieved the puck and scored at the other end. John Tavares may have inadvertently deflected a shot by Maccelli, who received a beautiful backend pass from Matthew Knies. The Maple Leafs’ power play has cooled off over the past seven games, scoring three times on 15 chances. Toronto is tied with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils for the fewest power-play opportunities (116) in the league.
The penalty kill allowed two goals on three Vegas chances. The Maple Leafs defended the neutral zone efficiently for most of the game, but the Golden Knights’ first man-advantage goal was a passive, low-box setup from Toronto, and the second was a quick-strike tally shortly after a faceoff. The Maple Leafs still rank third on the penalty kill, but it didn’t provide a boost as it has in the past in Thursday’s loss.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs visit the Jets on Saturday to finish what has been a roller coaster of a four-game road trip. Afterward, Toronto will host the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Buffalo Sabres in a challenging five-game homestand. The Marner talk will resurface ahead of his return to Toronto, and based on the boos he got in Thursday’s game from travelling Maple Leafs’ fans, it probably won’t be a warm welcome back for the Ontario native.
Still, the larger issues at hand are winning games and the health of Nylander. The Maple Leafs will need more offensive performances like this from Tavares, Maccelli, and Knies if Nylander misses additional action. Thursday’s loss to Vegas should leave a sour taste in their mouths, but it was a solid showing outside of the third period. It’s been a demanding stretch of the schedule, playing three games in four nights in three different cities, but picking up points is paramount, and wins are at a premium.
