The Toronto Maple Leafs played one of those games Friday night where, if you squint a little, you can convince yourself things weren’t so bad. They hung around. They competed. They even pushed it to overtime. Then, once again, they lost.
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This time, it was the Carolina Hurricanes skating away with a 4-3 win after Alexander Nikishin ended it 41 seconds into overtime. Quick, clean, and just a little too easy. If you’ve been watching this team lately, that ending probably didn’t surprise you much. The Maple Leafs are right there in games. But they are just not quite where they need to be when it matters.
Item One: John Tavares Breaks Through, But It Still Feels Uneven
There was a moment in this one where John Tavares looked like the player Maple Leafs fans remember. He finally broke through by scoring at even strength. It was his first five-on-five goal in 19 games. A good, solid goal that didn’t come on a lucky bounce or ricochet. It was a hard-working, steady goal that also took some patience and strength.
He looked like the veteran he is, creating something out of nothing. But there’s always a “but” right now. The goal reminds fans just how quiet things have been with the Maple Leafs’ offence. Tavares can still generate offence; it’s still there. It just hasn’t been showing up often enough. For a team that leans on its core, that stop-and-start production leaves a bit of a hole.
Item Two: Dakota Joshua Does His Job, But It Doesn’t Spread
You’ve got to like what Dakota Joshua gave the team last night. He opened the scoring, went to the right spot, and finished the play. Simple hockey. It was the kind of goal you want from a depth guy who understands his role. Considering the season he’s had—missing time, trying to find his footing—nine goals in 47 games is perfectly fine for what he is.
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But watching the goal unfold, it just seemed to be an event all by itself. It was the kind of thing that’s been happening with this team lately. One guy does his job well, but it doesn’t really connect to anything bigger. No carryover. No sense that the next line builds on it.
Maybe that changes down the road if the lineup settles next season. If Auston Matthews returns fully healthy, and if Chris Tanev returns to stabilize things on the back end. But it feels like a collection of parts that haven’t quite figured out how to move together. Right now, it just doesn’t feel like a team playing together.
Item Three: Berube Isn’t Hiding His Critiques Anymore. He’s Saying Them Out Loud
One thing that’s shifted since the Matthews injury is that head coach Craig Berube isn’t really hiding what he’s thinking. Before the game, he shared a pretty direct message with the media about his conversation with William Nylander: shoot the puck. Don’t overthink it. Don’t try to set up other people; just shoot. That’s what you get paid for.
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Nylander did exactly that last night, tying the game in the third by attacking the net and making something happen. You can argue about whether the coach “sparked” it, but sometimes a nudge is what it takes.
Then, after the game, Berube turned that same tone toward Joseph Woll. Different position, same message underneath it. He noted that Woll played well enough, but the team needed him to make a save. Not ten-bell saves. Not a highlight. Just one at the right time—on a breakaway, the penalty shot, or on the Hurricanes’ game-winner in overtime. They needed something to tilt the ice back their way.
That’s a tougher conversation, especially for a goalie, since he won’t even be back in net tonight with Anthony Stolarz expected to start. Woll wasn’t bad last night. He stopped 32 shots. But one too many got through. Berube didn’t dodge it.
So, if you’re a fan watching this, you have to wonder. If Berube thinks that his approach got something out of Nylander, will it do the same with Woll? Or is this just a frustrated coach trying to raise the bar with the whole team, hoping players respond so they don’t get called out in the next media scrum?
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Either way, it feels like he’s drawing a line and trying a new approach. This season, he’s called out the team’s effort and its willingness to stand up for its teammates. Now, he’s calling out the team’s ability to execute when the game is on the line. In nine seasons covering this team, I haven’t seen a coach handle it this way.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Tonight, the team plays the Ottawa Senators, and this game has the feel of a tough night waiting. Ottawa’s pushing hard for a wild-card spot in the playoffs. They’ve got something to chase, and teams in that spot tend to play fast, direct, and with a bit of edge. That’s where this Maple Leafs team has been quietly exposed all season—they just don’t look like a fast team anymore.
You saw it again against Carolina. The chances were there—Matthew Knies had a good look, and a few others did too—but everything happened just a touch too slowly. A little too much stickhandling. A split-second hesitation. Not quite enough pace to turn chances into real pressure.
There was a time when Toronto could skate with anyone, maybe even blow by them. That’s not really the case now. Other teams look quicker to loose pucks, quicker through the neutral zone, and quicker on the attack.
Against Ottawa, that’s something to watch. Because if the Maple Leafs can’t match the pace, it’s going to look a lot like Friday night—close, competitive, and just short again.
