The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 3-2 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (Dec. 11). The Maple Leafs have earned a point in the standings in six straight games, posting a 4-0-2 record over that span. Still, Thursday’s performance had a frustratingly familiar ending.
The Maple Leafs and Sharks played a fairly even first frame, though the Sharks had the better scoring chances. Toronto dictated the pace in the second stanza to build a 2-0 lead, but played far too passively afterward, allowing San Jose to secure a comeback win.
Sitting Back Proved to Be Costly
The Sharks cut Toronto’s lead in half just under one minute after the Maple Leafs claimed a 2-0 lead. San Jose had one goal disallowed following a successful coach’s challenge. Adam Gaudette put himself offside on the play before passing the puck to Barclay Goodrow. However, the Maple Leafs kept sitting back, and the Sharks kept coming until their persistence paid off with a late equalizer. John Klingberg scored on a point shot through traffic at the 18:35 mark of the third period.
Related: Sharks Tie it Late & Beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Overtime
San Jose’s winner in overtime came from Alexander Wennberg, who got his stick across the body and underneath the hands of Auston Matthews before jumping into a rush the other way. It’s a penalty that is called the majority of the time, but it wasn’t on this occasion. It marked the Maple Leafs’ fifth defeat this season, despite having a multi-goal lead, which occurred only four times in the 2024-25 campaign. However, this defeat didn’t have nearly the same feel as those earlier ones. There were still positives, but the lost point in what probably should’ve been a regulation-time victory does sting.
The Good and the Bad of Nylander
William Nylander ended his season-high four-game skid without a point with a pair of assists in Thursday’s loss. He maintained possession in the offensive zone before feeding Jake McCabe for a one-timer, which Dakota Joshua tipped. Nylander also made a great cross-ice pass to Auston Matthews during a second-period power play.
Despite occupying a spot on the third line during even-strength situations, Nylander had three shots on goal and logged nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He responded well to the change while filling in for Bobby McMann, who received a one-game suspension for high-sticking in Monday’s 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Unfortunately, Nylander and Nicolas Roy failed to get the puck out of the defensive zone, and it resulted in the Sharks’ late-game-tying goal. Those are mistakes that can’t happen, and it was a far cry from Monday’s finish when the team didn’t hesitate to ice the puck. Still, head coach Craig Berube said he thought it was one of Nylander’s better games in a while. The 29-year-old forward leads the team with 23 assists and 34 points through 26 appearances.
Hildeby Stands Out Again
Dennis Hildeby was the third star of the game, and had the Maple Leafs won, there would’ve been a convincing case to name the first star. San Jose cheated for offence, leaving the defensive zone early for quick-strike chances often. Hildeby made several excellent saves in the contest, including a penalty shot from Ty Dellandrea in the opening frame. Morgan Rielly seemingly did a great job of lifting the stick of the San Jose forward, but the Maple Leafs received a momentum boost after Hildeby made the save.
Hildeby has stepped up in the absence of injured netminders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. The team is hopeful that Woll could return soon, but Stolarz doesn’t appear to be making any progress. Whether Woll comes back in the near future or not, Hildeby has proven that he is worthy of an increased role.
Ending the Power-Play Drought
The Maple Leafs have been abysmal with the man advantage this season. The team entered Thursday night’s action ranked 26th at home and 32nd overall in the league in power-play efficiency. Toronto had only two goals on 27 chances in 12 games and didn’t have any across 10 opportunities in four outings prior to Thursday’s contest.
The Maple Leafs had four shots on their first opportunity, with some good looks for both units, but were unable to score. Alex Nedeljkovic made some superb stops, including one off Nicholas Robertson and one from Matthews after a faceoff win. However, the Maple Leafs captain found the back of the net on Toronto’s next man-advantage situation, putting an end to lengthy droughts for the team and for himself. He received a backdoor pass from Nylander, who played some catch with Morgan Rielly before attacking an aggressive Sharks penalty kill. San Jose had three players above the hashmarks, and no one was near Matthews. He has only two power-play tallies this season, with his first coming back on Oct. 24 against the Buffalo Sabres.
The power play had a chance to provide the Maple Leafs with a two-goal cushion in the third period, but they failed to connect. The unit typically has success when they are more deliberate with their approach and attack quickly after faceoffs. Once they give the opposition a chance to establish positioning, it’s been challenging to find much of a rhythm. Hopefully, getting on the board gives the Maple Leafs some confidence because the power play needs to catch up with the penalty kill. Since mid-November, Toronto ranks fourth in the league in shorthanded efficiency.
Another Injury to a Key Player
Oliver Ekman-Larsson sustained a lower-body injury early in the third period. He needed help getting off the ice and walking down the tunnel because he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. His ankle appeared to bend awkwardly after it caught under Gaudette, who was knocked by the Toronto defender behind the Maple Leafs’ goal.
The Maple Leafs didn’t provide an update on Ekman-Larsson after the game. He still needs to be evaluated. Hopefully, it looked worse than it actually was. Toronto already has blueliners Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Dakota Mermis, and Marshall Rifai on injured reserve. Losing the 34-year-old Ekman-Larsson would be a significant blow, and it would put even more pressure on the newly formed shutdown pairing of McCabe and Troy Stecher, who has proven to be a valuable addition.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
Toronto’s homestand continues on Saturday (Dec. 13) when the Edmonton Oilers visit. It will be the start of a five-game road trip for the Oilers. The Maple Leafs won both of the meetings between the two teams last season, outscoring Edmonton by an 8-6 margin.
Toronto has been improving, and it will be up to the players to ensure that bad habits don’t creep back into what has been a much more structured and measured course during the team’s current climb.
