The Toronto Maple Leafs pummelled the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (March 25) with a 7-2 victory. The Flyers have gone 1-10-1 in their last 12 outings, while the Maple Leafs have won four of their past five contests. Entering Tuesday’s matchup, Toronto had gone 10-1-0 versus the Flyers in 11 previous meetings. It was a major mismatch on paper, but after dropping a shootout decision to the San Jose Sharks on March 3 and losing to the Nashville Predators on Saturday (March 22), the Maple Leafs shouldn’t take any opponent lightly.
What made the losses to the Sharks and Predators sting more was that the Leafs had a 2-0 lead in both contests before unravelling. However, the Flyers solved that problem by scoring first in Tuesday’s matchup. The Maple Leafs thought it was icing, but the Flyers stole the puck after John Tavares turned it over in the corner, and Ryan Poehling fired it into the net from the top of the circle. Anthony Stolarz might have lost sight of it when Morgan Rielly didn’t block it. Matthew Knies was also trying to change initially and wasn’t in position until it was too late. It was a comedy of errors, but that was the only blemish in a strong performance, as the Maple Leafs dominated the free-falling Flyers.
Second Line Shines Again
The second line, consisting of William Nylander, John Tavares, and Bobby McMann, was the offensive catalyst in the contest. The trio combined for five goals and 10 points. Nylander and Tavares had two goals and two assists each, while McMann earned one goal and a helper. They were also the stars in the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on March 20.
Related: Nylander & Tavares’ 4-Point Nights Lift Maple Leafs to 7-2 Demolition of Flyers
Tavares scored his ninth goal in 12 games after McMann’s forecheck freed the puck for Nylander, who found Tavares in the slot. Tavares’ shot went off the toe of Philadelphia’s Cam York and past Samuel Ersson to tie the game at 1-1. The 34-year-old Tavares struck again after Knies chipped the puck behind the Flyers and played it around the wall to Mitch Marner, who found Tavares off the bench. Tavares darted down the middle of the ice before finishing off an abbreviated breakaway opportunity. He has five goals and four assists over a four-game point streak, and he leads the league with 10 goals in March.
Nylander potted Toronto’s power-play tally late in the first period after his centring pass went off the skate of Flyers blueliner Nick Seeler. After a strange bounce caused an icing, Nylander scored his second goal of the game in the second stanza. He fired a wrist shot from the high slot following a puck retrieval by Tavares below the goal line. Nylander sits second in the league with 40 goals this campaign. He has reached the 40-goal plateau in three straight seasons, tying Lanny McDonald (1976-79) and Rick Vaive (1981-84) for the second-most consecutive 40-goal campaigns in Maple Leafs franchise history. Matthews holds the record with five (2019-24). Nylander and Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres have the most goals (23) on home ice this season, and the Leafs winger is even with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second-most points (18) in March.
McMann was a menace on the forecheck throughout the match. A hit on Emil Andrae, who lost his stick in the collision, forced an early pass that Nylander intercepted. Nylander wheeled around the goal before getting the puck in front of the net, where McMann scored his 20th goal of 2024-25. The 28-year-old McMann has three goals and two assists in his last five outings, as he continues to provide valuable scoring depth outside of the team’s core forward group.
Won Special Teams Battle
The Maple Leafs have struggled on the penalty kill in March, ranking 26th in the league with a 70.0 percent success rate. The club has been shorthanded 30 times, surrendering nine goals. The Flyers had only one power play in Tuesday’s game, and the Leafs had no trouble killing it. Although Philadelphia’s power play has struggled mightily – – the team entered the matchup without scoring on the man advantage in 31 straight opportunities over 12 games – – the Leafs desperately needed a clean sheet on the penalty kill because it’s been a black mark that requires improvement before the playoffs begin.
Conversely, Toronto’s power play has been scorching hot. The Maple Leafs scored on a first-period power play to improve to a league-best 42.9 percent success rate in March. During that span, the team is even with the Colorado Avalanche for the most power-play goals (12). Despite an icy start, the Maple Leafs have had a top-three power play in the league for most of 2024-25 and currently sit fifth overall. Toronto has been successful, especially since the trade deadline, with a five-forward stack on the top power-play unit. Keeping the power play clicking and getting the penalty kill back on track is crucial as the regular season winds down.
Production From All Four Lines
Even though the top line didn’t score a goal in the victory, Knies, Marner, and Auston Matthews hit the scoresheet with four assists. Knies had two helpers and collaborated with Matthews on Nylander’s power-play goal. As previously mentioned, Knies and Marner helped set up Tavares’ second-period marker after Matthews left the ice on a line change.
In the second period, David Kampf got the fourth line on the board with a slick move on a breakaway. It was the surefire sign that everything was going right for the Maple Leafs in the game. It was also a goal that Kampf needed because it ended an 11-game drought. He was in the press box as a healthy scratch in three of five games before Tuesday’s matchup. Showing he can contribute at both ends of the ice could give him a leg up on the competition as the battle for lineup spots in the playoffs intensifies down the home stretch.
The third line got a goal in the third period after Max Domi outraced and outmuscled Andrae to a loose puck before scoring on Ersson. The 30-year-old Domi went three straight games without a point after notching two goals and two assists in his previous four outings. Scott Laughton had five hits and one block against his former team but hasn’t found the scoresheet in nine games with the Maple Leafs. It has been a difficult adjustment for him, and he needs to get going offensively, but former head coach John Tortorella said that the patience will be worth the wait.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
Toronto begins a three-game road trip in California on Thursday (March 27) against the Sharks. The Maple Leafs visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday (March 29) before taking on the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday (March 30). The Kings will be a challenging adversary, but the Sharks and Ducks are favourable matchups. The Maple Leafs can’t afford to play down to their competition, especially with how tight the race for first in the Atlantic Division has become. Toronto and the Florida Panthers have 89 points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning have 87.
The Maple Leafs responded appropriately against the Flyers after a disappointing loss to the Predators. Toronto played with structure and did all the little things that tend to result in wins in this league. They moved the puck efficiently, won most of the puck battles, and didn’t give the Flyers much space to make plays while allowing only 19 shots on goal. If Toronto plays the same way to finish March, the club will carry plenty of momentum going into significant showdowns against the Panthers and Lightning in early April.
