This one didn’t look anything like the last meeting. In that game in October, the New Jersey Devils skated circles around the Toronto Maple Leafs and turned the night into a lesson in speed. On Tuesday, it was Toronto setting the terms. Joseph Woll made 33 saves for his first shutout of the season, and the Maple Leafs built on structure, patience, and timely goals to post a 4–0 win despite being short-handed and playing their third game in four nights.
Bobby McMann opened the scoring late in the first period on the power play, then helped create the second just as another man advantage expired, tipping the puck to Nicolas Roy for a redirect. Nicholas Robertson contributed to both goals, doing the kind of small, valuable work that doesn’t always make headlines. Calle Jarnkrok added his first goal since Nov. 1 in the third, and Matthew Knies sealed it with an empty-netter.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ 4-0 Win Over Devils
Woll was the backbone. The Devils pushed hard late in the second, especially on the power play, but he held his ground—most notably with a sharp stop on Jesper Bratt when the game still had some tension to it. It was Woll’s first shutout since November 2024, his third straight win, and a reminder that solid goaltending can still settle a game that threatens to tilt.
Item One: The Maple Leafs’ Depth Does the Heavy Lifting
With Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Chris Tanev, and Dakota Joshua all out, this had every excuse to be a scheduled stumble. Instead, it turned into a depth night. McMann now has four goals in his last six games. Roy continues to justify the trust he’s being given. Jarnkrok finally broke through after a long drought. He kept the game simple, and it paid off.
There’s something worth noticing here. When the Maple Leafs are forced to play without their stars, their game often gets quieter and, sometimes, better organized. They didn’t chase. They didn’t open things up unnecessarily. They accepted a lower-event game and trusted Woll to handle the rest. That’s not a permanent formula, but it’s helpful to have when the calendar and the injury list start pushing back.
Related: Fresh-Start Trade Scenario Taking Shape Between Oilers and Maple Leafs
New Jersey has now dropped four straight, and this one never really slipped out of Toronto’s hands. For the Maple Leafs, it’s their third win in four games and another meaningful sign that they’re learning how to manage nights when the lineup isn’t ideal. Over a long season, those nights tend to add up.
Item Two: Joseph Woll Slams the Door
Woll didn’t just post a shutout against New Jersey; he earned it. Thirty-three saves, most of them controlled, some of them timely, and one of them memorable. Late in the second period, with the Devils pressing, Woll reached back with his stick to pull a Nico Hischier stuff attempt off the goal line. It was the save that changed the temperature of a game, even if it didn’t change the score.
December has quietly been Woll’s month. Six wins in seven starts, 15 goals against, and a .926 save percentage that matches what the eyes have been saying for a while now. He looks settled. His reads are cleaner. His rebound control is sharper. This wasn’t a night where the Maple Leafs dominated, but it was a night where their goalie gave them what they needed when the game threatened to lean the other way.
Related: Tkachuk Shows His Ignorance Discussing Maple Leafs’ Campbell Injury
With Anthony Stolarz still out indefinitely and Dennis Hildeby carrying a heavy share of the workload, the picture in goal is starting to come into focus. At some point, the Maple Leafs are going to need consistency more than rotation. Performances like this tend to answer those questions without much debate.
Item Three: Auston Matthews Is Getting Closer
The update on Matthews was about as encouraging as Toronto could reasonably hope for without solidifying a return date. Head coach Craig Berube said Matthews is close to returning, with the hope that he can get back on the ice for practice today. After taking a shot off the foot on Sunday, Matthews remains day-to-day, and the tone around the situation suggests caution rather than concern.
Tuesday’s win made that patience easier. The Maple Leafs handled their business without him and bought themselves a little breathing room. Matthews’ value isn’t just in getting him back—it’s in making sure he’s right when he does return, especially given how much he drives the middle of the ice and stabilizes the lineup around him.
Related: Sheldon Keefe Reflects on Auston Matthews: Leadership, Growth & the End of an Era
If all goes well, Thursday shapes up as his first real chance to rejoin the lineup. The timing isn’t bad. Matthews was coming off his first three-point game of the season against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, showing signs of finding another gear. When he does step back in, the Maple Leafs won’t need him to force anything. They’ll need him to be himself.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Last night’s win was earned without shortcuts. The Maple Leafs are navigating injuries, a dense schedule, and the grind of the middle season, and they’re starting to show signs of understanding what different nights require. If Woll continues to steady the crease and Matthews returns on his own terms, Toronto may finally be finding the balance they’ll need when the games start to matter a little more than they do now.
