The Toronto Maple Leafs ended a three-game losing skid with a 4-3 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (Jan. 16). The Maple Leafs didn’t have a lead in the contest until William Nylander’s game-winner at 1:10 of the extra period, battling back from three separate one-goal deficits.
It was a much-needed character win for the Maple Leafs following some losses that didn’t match the standard of a team that sits first in the Atlantic Division and ranks among the top 10 in the league. Fortunately, the stars shined in Thursday’s victory.
Matthews, Nylander, and Marner Ignite the Offence
John Tavares suffered a lower-body injury in practice on Wednesday (Jan. 15) and was placed on injured reserve ahead of Thursday’s matchup. With the former captain week-to-week, other members of the Leafs’ core group stepped up. Auston Matthews netted two goals, Nylander had two goals and an assist, and Mitch Marner contributed two helpers.
Matthews has been productive since his latest stint out of the lineup due to a lingering upper-body injury, accumulating six goals and 11 points in seven games. However, he looked more like himself versus the Devils than he has in any other game. Matthews hounded the puck all night and wired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Jacob Markstrom that went underneath the bar to tie the game late in the third period. The 27-year-old Matthews can score from anywhere when firing on all cylinders, and Thursday’s performance was an encouraging return to form.
Related: Maple Leafs Beat Keefe’s Devils Again, 4-3 in OT
Nylander had one goal in 11 games going into Thursday’s matchup. He had five assists during that span and had been creating opportunities, but a series of posts and impressive saves by opposing netminders combined to slow his tremendous start. Still, it was only a matter of time before he broke out again. The fact that it came off the heels of him telling everyone to relax makes it that much better. Nylander truly is a perfect fit for the Toronto market.
Marner had the primary helpers on Matthews’ game-tying goal in the third period and Nylander’s game-winner in overtime. Marner was dynamic in the offensive end and caught the Devils on a line change to spring Nylander for a breakaway goal in the extra session.
McCabe Was Active All Over the Ice in Return
Jake McCabe made an impact in his return to the lineup following a four-game absence because of an upper-body injury, skating on the shutdown pairing with Chris Tanev. The 31-year-old McCabe broke up a 2-on-1 rush in the second period, played his typical physical brand, moved the puck effectively out of his zone, and generated some scoring chances from the point in the attacking end. He concluded the contest with two assists, five shots on goal, five blocked shots, two hits, and a plus-3 rating in a game-high 24:16 of ice time.
McCabe is an integral defender, and the team operates more efficiently when he’s in the lineup. The Maple Leafs’ lack of depth on the blue line has been glaringly noticeable when he’s missed time this season. McCabe and Tanev are the linchpins of the club’s defence corps.
Keefe’s Return to Toronto
After playing the previous two games in Newark, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe returned to Toronto for the first time since being fired by the Maple Leafs on May 9, 2024. He was welcomed back with a video tribute in the first period and a round of applause from the fans. This campaign, the 44-year-old bench boss went 0-1-2 versus the Maple Leafs, losing to three different goaltenders. During his NHL debut, Dennis Hildeby made 23 saves in a 4-2 win over the Devils on Oct. 10, 2024. Anthony Stolarz stopped 38 shots in a 2-1 overtime victory for the Maple Leafs on Dec. 10, 2024, and Joseph Wol turned aside 21 shots in Thursday’s triumph.
Keefe was behind the bench for a 212-97-40 record in the regular season and a mark of 16-21 in the playoffs in five seasons with the Maple Leafs. Before being promoted to the NHL, Keefe was the head coach of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies for five seasons and helped the team’s minor-league affiliate earn the franchise’s first Calder Cup championship in 2018.
Special Teams Remains a Mixed Bag
The club can take positives away from Thursday’s exciting comeback victory. However, a few concerning trends continued on special teams that require attention. The power play utilized five forwards again despite the absence of Tavares, with Bobby McMann joining the top unit. A bad pass by Nylander ended the Leafs’ first power play prematurely because Mitch Marner was forced to take a hooking penalty to deny a shorthanded rush by Nico Hischier. The Leafs got a power-play goal from Matthews to tie the game at 2-2 in the third period after Nylander made amends with a shot from the point that created a juicy rebound.
It’s a small sample size, but the penalty kill is 32nd in the league over the last four games. The Maple Leafs have allowed four goals while being shorthanded nine times. The Devils potted two power-play goals in Thursday’s match, and each time, it could have been backbreaking. Two minutes after Nylander scored his 25th goal of 2024-25 to tie the game, Hischier put the Devils back in front with a power-play tally after Oliver Ekman-Larsson was whistled for a tripping infraction. David Kampf drifted out to cover the point and gave Hischier an uncontested shot that beat Woll. After another penalty from Ekman-Larsson in the third, Hischier gave the Devils a 3-2 lead. Toronto has fallen out of the top 10 on the penalty kill. Getting McCabe back should help in that regard, but more adjustments are required for what appears to be a disjointed group.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs visit the surging Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (Jan. 18) before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (Jan. 20) and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday (Jan. 22). The schedule is light afterward, with only two games over 12 days. It’s time for the team to get back into some good habits before receiving a break.
