On Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs let a 2-0 lead slip away from them against the Detroit Red Wings, with the eventual result being a 6-3 loss. The loss was chalked up to sloppy play. The Leafs showed up with better legs on Monday, enough to outshoot the Red Wings by a wide margin, but ill-timed penalties and bad bounces were the story of their second loss of the season.
The Leafs outshot them 13-6 by the end of the first period and had a lead of 12-3 on the shot clock at one point. They found themselves on the penalty kill after a cross-checking penalty to Morgan Rielly (one that he took serious exception to), and Simon Benoit whacked the puck out of bounds with an errant stick. From there, the Red Wings collapsed on them and opened the scoring. Nothing happened on the scoresheet until the third period, when a misplay at the blueline by Brandon Carlo sprung, of course, a former Maple Leaf in James van Riemsdyk on the breakaway to which he converted to make it 2-0.
Bobby McMann displayed great tendencies along the wall and set Matthew Knies up for his first goal of the season, before Knies himself one-upped McMann’s effort to set up Calle Jarnkrok for his third goal of the season and third in as many games. So, there were positives to take away from the result despite the final score and second consecutive loss to a divisional rival. But those positives were heavily diluted by Mason Appleton’s game-winner in the final two minutes. A point shot was blocked by Auston Matthews and landed right on Appleton’s tape, and then in the back of the net.
The loss capped off what was a wholly uninspiring Thanksgiving weekend of hockey. You can argue they didn’t deserve to lose this one, but when you drop the game before in a matchup that you did deserve to lose, you lose the benefit of the doubt for what comes after that.
The Maple Leafs have little time to dwell and will look to flush this one and turn their attention to Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators.
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Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was encouraged by the improvements his team made despite falling short against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
Coming off a disappointing effort on Saturday against the same team, the Leafs responded with their best effort to begin the year as they thoroughly outshot the Red Wings 40-15. The difference in the game was an outstanding showing from Cam Talbot and a Mason Appleton goal in the final minute of regulation.
Matthews told reporters after the game that his team’s performance was a step in the right direction, even though it was all in vain.
“I thought it was a good game. I think that’s definitely more the style to play and the way we want to compete through 60 minutes,” he said. “ It was a good hockey game, I thought we played well. There’s just gonna be nights like that where you just come up on the wrong side of it, but I think there’s lots that we can take from this game and build on.”
The captain was once again solid with a team-high eight shots on the afternoon, including a few glorious chances that Talbot denied. While he went scoreless in the contest, he did help start the play that led to Calle Jarnkrok’s tying goal by disrupting the clearing attempt enough for Matthew Knies to intercept.
A key factor in why Matthews looked sharp was the showing of Easton Cowan, who put together a promising NHL debut.
“ I thought he was great,” he said. “I think he just carries himself with such a good confidence in himself and in the way that he can play and compete. I thought he played really well tonight, easy guy to play with. He made smart plays with the puck, and when plays were to be made, he made ’em. When the simple play was there to just get the puck deeper, or whatnot, I thought he made it. Thought he was really good tonight.”
While there were some positives to take away from a frustrating loss, Matthews knew there were some areas that could be improved upon. He felt that the power play (which went 0-2 and no shots recorded on Monday) has been inconsistent so far this season, and the team could do better at drawing penalties to get into a rhythm.
One person who Matthews thinks doesn’t need any critiques is Calle Jarnkrok, who has come alive to start the season with goals in each of the first three games.
“I just think he’s come in, he is healthy, and he’s skating well,” he said. “ He is always gonna be one of the hardest working guys on the ice and puts himself in some good shots. He’s got a really good shot, really good release. When he’s got a little bit of time to get it off, he’s gonna make you pay and he’s been doing that. I think that line’s been playing really well for us, just keeping it simple and grinding out the other team.”
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Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan picked up his first NHL point on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators, notching a secondary assist on Auston Matthews’ third period goal.
AUSTON MATTHEWS
Wicked passing play with Knies! Cowan has his first NHL point! pic.twitter.com/fxWeLn0bBe
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 15, 2025
Cowan fed Matthew Knies on the rush, who completed a filthy passing play on a 2-on-1 to complete the sequence and extend Toronto’s lead to 5-2. Matthews immediately acknowledged Cowan for his effort on the goal and gave him head taps with the rest of his teammates on the bench.
Cowan’s first point came in his second career game following his debut on Monday night vs. the Detroit Red Wings. He looked more and more comfortable as the game went on in his debut, and he earned praise from his teammates for his performance.
“I thought he was solid. I think they were trying to run him out a couple of times, and he stood his ground,” goaltender Anthony Stolarz said of Cowan on Monday. “Made some smart decisions with the puck and created some offence. Huge congratulations to him, it’s obviously a big moment. Hopefully he starts getting his feet under him, get a little more confidence. We all know the potential is there, but I thought he looked pretty good tonight.”
Cowan’s confidence has been on display since the start of training camp, with multiple teammates noting as such throughout the ramp-up to camp.
“I feel confident. I feel like I’m ready for this, so I’m just gonna take it all in, enjoy it and have some fun,” Cowan said Sunday ahead of his debut.”
While Cowan’s spot safe as long as Steven Lorentz is out, the Leafs will have a serious decision to make if he keeps playing the way he is, especially when Scott Laughton returns from his injury. It’s a good problem to have and one the Maple Leafs seem to be content with letting him dictate what they do with the final roster spot.
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Through the opening stages of the season, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has answered the $13.25-million question: will Matthews return to the elite goal-scoring form that he’s displayed throughout his career, after an upper-body injury held him to 33 goals in 67 games last year?
Matthews is being rewarded for his elite shot creation through five games. Prior to Saturday’s slate, Matthews ranked tied for fourth with 16 shots at 5-on-5 and 22 in all situations via Natural Stat Trick. He ranks first in the NHL with 3.86 individual expected goals generated in all situations, and fourth at 5-on-5 with 1.93 individual expected goals.
So what does this mean in practical terms? Matthews is being rewarded for his elite ability to push to high-danger areas, getting to the net-front with ease, and we could see an incoming goal barrage this year. The 28-year-old has recorded four goals and five points through the first five games, with two empty-netters, as he pushes towards a 50-goal plus pace.
“He’s been pretty solid,” Berube said of Matthews following Friday’s practice at the Ford Performance Centre. “Again, we’re all going to look at the goalscoring, I look at the whole game. But you know, he is scoring. He’s healthy, feels good, he’s been a good player in all aspects of the game for me.”
Matthews is driving Toronto’s first line, with Matthew Knies on the left wing, and rookie Easton Cowan on the right. Knies and Cowan are the Maple Leafs’ two most important under-25 pieces, and they’re the clear pillars of the future, while Matthews is firmly in his prime, trying to lead the team to an elusive Stanley Cup victory. In the short-term, Matthews is making strong reads for his teammates, and the threat of his shot opens up space for his teammates — the gravity effect, if you will.
“I think it creates a lot,” Cowan said. “Obviously, he’s got a lethal shot. I just try to get open and do my thing, give him the puck so he can score.”
Knies-Matthews-Cowan have dominated their minutes through three games. In a small sample: Knies-Matthews-Cowan are outshooting opponents 21-7, with a 74.75 percent share of the expected goals. That’s really damn good, and it’s a testament to Knies’ forechecking abilities as a power forward, Cowan’s ability to extend possessions within the offensive zone with smart puck touches, and Matthews’ all-around ability to take over games, with the threat of his shoot always looming on the defender’s mind.
And here’s an easy example of Matthews shooting with the intention of creating chances for his linemates. During Monday’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Matthews works in tandem to seal off Red Wings winger Emmitt Finnie, and he strips him of the puck. Matthews then surveys the ice and fires the puck off Cam Talbot’s pad, with the idea of creating a rebound for either Knies, or Oliver Ekman-Larsson to seize. Ekman-Larsson fires a dangerous second shot attempt on goal, but nothing comes of it. The process is still correct.
There’s another smaller example from Toronto’s 7-4 win against the Nashville Predators, where Matthews spins and shoots, creating a huge rebound opportunity for Jake McCabe. Toronto’s defencemen are making a more concerted effort to enter the rush as well, and there’s a genuine five-man approach to generate goals this year.
There’s been a notable effort from the Maple Leafs’ wings to attempt short-area passes off the rush over to Matthews, who enters the offensive zone with some pace. Cowan slipped a five-foot pass to Matthews during Thursday’s win against the New York Rangers, during a delayed penalty. It allows Matthews to receive the puck with some momentum as he surveys the ice before getting into his patented curl-and-drag release.
Bobby McMann has occasionally operated as Matthews’ left wing from the 2023-24 season onwards, playing 121:25 at 5-on-5 cumulatively over the past two years. McMann’s elite speed is always an asset when paired with Matthews, and he spoke about how the omnipresent threat of his shot.
“It’s cool, because it comes from him working on it,” McMann told The Leafs Nation on Friday, about Matthews’ ability to generate shots at an elite level. “You see that he’s poured a lot of hours into doing that. A lot of reps and changing angles and that’s why he’s able to do it. He’s able to change the angle so well, shoot from an extended stick to right into where his feet are. If you can do that, you can shoot around defenders and get lots of opportunities.”
Matthews can get his shot from anywhere, which has made him an elite player throughout his career. Last season, Matthews struggled with this aspect of the game. His long-range shooting and short-range accuracy were both affected by this injury and he wasn’t ripping pucks with the same velocity that we’ve been accustomed to. And while there’s a tendency to rush to declarations about whether he’s back to Hart Trophy form, Matthews is shooting with better velocity than he had last season. All the masses need to see now is a puck ping off the bar and in, perhaps.
“He’s always a threat on the ice,” McMann said of Matthews. “He always has awareness, and the attention of the other team, and that opens up guys around him. It creates spaces outside of that. You see it on the power play, it’s the most obvious time you see it: guys shading towards him, they don’t want to give him that one-timer because they know he can pick a spot once he gets it in his wheelhouse. I think it’s always opening up space for other guys.”
Prior to Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, Toronto has registered just one power play goal. And yet, on Matthew Knies’ goal against the Rangers, you can see Matthews’ gravity effect taking place. William Nylander is the primary reason why Knies scored, to be abundantly clear, after surveying the ice and delivering a sharp shot-pass to the back post. Before the puck gets back to Oliver Ekman-Larsson at the point, Matthews rotates to the faceoff circle, then slides back down to the slot, occupying the attention of two Rangers defenders, who should be paying attention to Knies at the back post. All eyes on Toronto’s No. 34 opens up lanes for everyone else.
A POWER PLAY GOAL FOR THE BUDS!!!!
: TSN | NHL pic.twitter.com/LCTSDYrfyO
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) October 16, 2025
Matthews is also being rewarded for his ability off the rush, and he’s skating with more force and intentionality than last season. Toronto’s top line excelled in transition in Tuesday’s win. In this example, Cowan wins the puck back and immediately finds Matthews cutting up the ice for a 2-on-1 with Knies. Matthews fakes out Predators defenceman Justin Barron with a great fake, slipping the puck over to Knies, who returns it to Matthews for a tap-in.
“He’s getting looks,” Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz said of Matthews on Friday. “He’s got a few goals, and I think he could have some more. I think it’s only a matter of time for some of them to go in, even more. He’s going to the net hard. He’s been playing with a few different guys. He’s been playing with Cowboy a little bit, I know that’s not easy for him. He’s going to find his areas of the ice and get the puck in those dangerous spots. He’s dangerous in a lot more areas than most guys.”
And of course, Matthews’ overtime winner over the Rangers is one of the highlights of the young season. At the end of a lengthy shift, Matthews is sprung on a 2-on-1 with Nylander and you can hear the energy from the Scotiabank Arena rise as he races down the ice. Nylander waltzed around the Rangers’ defence before finding Matthews standing at the back post for a game-winning tap-in. You create your own luck in the NHL, and Matthews is being richly rewarded for the quality of shot and opportunism in the early stages of the year.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH!!!!!!!
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) October 17, 2025
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Craig Berube isn’t satisfied with the way the Toronto Maple Leafs have started this season.
Berube spoke to the media after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, and Toronto’s head coach is not thrilled with what he’s seeing from his hockey club through the first six games.
“We did good things, but like I’ve said, we’re just inconsistent. We’re not consistent enough in our game, we don’t play to our identity the whole game,” stated Berube during his postgame scrum. Toronto’s off to a 3-2-1 start, and while there’s been some stretches of brilliance, Berube isn’t happy with the way the team has fallen off in key moments.
One area Berube would like to see some changes made would be Toronto’s willingness to clear the front of the net for goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz has been bumped multiple times this season, and as we know, missed the end of the Leafs’ playoff run last season thanks to Florida Panthers Sam Bennett knocking him out of the lineup with a concussion. Berube feels it’s time somebody stepped up and showed some willingness to stick up for their goalie.
“No, I’ve talked about it already before,” Berube stated when asked about how satisfied he is with his team sticking up for Stolarz. “Not good enough. In general, we’re not clearing out the crease enough. We’re not doing a good enough job there. We have to protect our goalie and be harder around our net. I’m not preaching go and take guy’s heads off, but, enough is enough.”
Berube has liked certain elements of Maple Leafs through six games, but he’s certainly not happy with the level of toughness and consistency he’s seen so far. The team’s not sticking to their structure for 60 minutes, and they’re certainly not sticking up for each other enough, and especially for Stolarz.
“Well, we did a good job of it last year, so I don’t know what the key is. It’s a willingness to do it, more than anything for me.”
Another area of the team Berube was asked about was the top six. While he’s preached inconsistency so far this season, he’s also been juggling his top two lines a lot through the first six contests. On Saturday night against the Kraken, Easton Cowan started on the top line and finished on the fourth, meanwhile Bobby McMann was bumped off the second line as Berube had the blender out against Seattle.
“Well, listen, it’s not good enough. Not consistent enough, I’m not seeing enough, so, I’ll move guys around, and switch the lines up in the game if I have to. That’s what I do.”
It appears likely there will be plenty of lineup changes ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the New Jersey Devils, as it’s clear as day that Berube is searching for answers early on this season.
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Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews paid homage to the undisputed king of Toronto sports right now: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Ahead of Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays superstar slugger arrived at Rogers Centre wearing a Matthews jersey. While there were some terrified about Guerrero’s choice of apparel given the Leafs’ recent history of Game 7s, it ended up working out as the Jays defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-3 to punch their ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
Matthews returned the favour on Tuesday ahead of the Leafs’ clash against the New Jersey Devils by rocking a Guerrero Jr. jersey of his own.
Auston Matthews returns the favour by rocking a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. jersey ahead of tonight's game vs. the Devils
: TSN https://t.co/WSKmT5ywLz pic.twitter.com/cjjvgHjv9Y
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) October 21, 2025
The Leafs and Jays have been crossing paths quite a bit throughout the latter’s postseason run up to this point. Many Leafs were notably in attendance for Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, with photos of them celebrating going viral on social media. Matthews said after practice on Monday that he, along with the rest of the team, was going to watch Game 7, and he was pumped for their accomplishment by sharing a post of the Jays celebrating the win on his Instagram story on Tuesday morning.
Forward Steven Lorentz told reporters after the morning skate that Matthews was buzzing about seeing Guerrero Jr. show his support.
“We were talking about it this morning, it was cool to see Vladdy walk in with Auston Matthews’ jersey on,” Lorentz said. “It just shows how tight knit the city is, and how close, not just the fans in the whole city, but the whole country are. Canada only has one MLB team so it’s pretty special to see the amount of support the Jays have received and you know, we’re happy for them but like I said, the job’s not done.”
Beyond the Leafs being in the building for Game 2 of the ALDS, there have been multiple home games where fans got extra loud when they got word of how the Blue Jays were doing. This includes the home opener where fans erupted in “Let’s Go Blue Jays” chants after they took a 4-1 lead in Game 4 of the ALDS, and on Thursday when Scotiabank Arena came alive when Andres Gimenez’s two-run home run gave the Blue Jays the lead in Game 4 of the ALCS.
The Leafs also adjusted the start time of a recent game against the Detroit Red Wings to avoid conflict with Game 2 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, with a few more likely in store for the World Series. They even hosted a few watch parties inside Scotiabank Arena for fans to stick around after the hockey game wrapped up to see the Jays on the scoreboard.
“I think it’s great. I especially liked when they would show the scoreboard and they were winning and the crowd got a good kick out of that,” Matthews said on Thursday. “Obviously, we’re all rooting for them in their series and in their playoffs right now. So it’s been really fun to follow them along.”
There is no denying that Toronto is a baseball town right now, as the Jays prepare to face Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series that begins on Friday. Matthews, like the rest of us, is along for the ride.
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