This last week of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey ended in a much-needed win. It was the kind of win that propels a team forward in the middle of a season. That Saturday night in Pittsburgh may have been exactly what this team needed to really get the fire started. The Leafs went 2–1 during this past week and should have gone 3–0. A third-period blunder against the Capitals pushed this team back another step; fortunately, this time, they bounced back in a big way. Let’s take a look at what all went down this previous week.
Key players return
A positive take from the previous week is that the team finally got some star power back in the lineup. Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies returned from injury, which helped give the team a boost. Matthews has not been having the greatest season of his career, but he is still a valuable member of this offence. The forward has three points in his last two games, having a solid performance against the Penguins on Saturday. Knies, on the other hand, is the workhorse of this team. He is a constant forechecker who is always near the top in leading the team in hits. Without him, the team loses a significant part of their offensive game.
After dealing with minor injuries, Jake McCabe and Nicolas Roy were back in action. McCabe did not miss any action; he was just banged up after taking a puck to the face. Regardless, this team has had enough bad luck with injuries. It was awesome to see what this team can accomplish when all of the regulars are in the lineup. Going forward, the team needs to keep the expectations high. This week marks some very tough opponents including the Panthers, Hurricanes, and Canadiens.
A dominant game in Pittsburgh
Saturday night’s 7–2 win against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins was the most complete effort from the Leafs this season. The most significant factor in this win was the ability to hold on and continue to push in the third period. The game before, the Leafs let up in Washington and let the Capitals come back and score three unanswered third-period goals. This win in Pittsburgh was a massive step in the right direction; now they just need to find that consistency.
This game in particular was a huge night for the offence. Easton Cowan scored his third career goal, while Matthews got back in the goal column. Depth forwards such as McMann, Joshua, Roy, and Robertson provided secondary scoring to finish off the win. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored his fourth goal of the season, continuing his fantastic season.
Another bright spot in this game was the performance of goaltender Dennis Hildeby. Goaltending has certainly improved over the past couple of weeks for the Leafs, and Hildeby just arguably had the best start of his career. The young goalie made thirty-three saves on thirty-five shots to help solidify the win for the Leafs. For as long as Anthony Stolarz is out, Hildeby will certainly have a consistent spot in the Leafs’ rotation.
An unlikely hero
An unlikely hero for the Leafs so far this season has been the veteran defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The 34-year-old is in his sixteenth NHL season and has looked phenomenal. That is, offensively at least. Ekman-Larsson used to be a reliable offensive defenceman who even had a couple of twenty-goal seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. He may not score that much this year, but he certainly seems to have his offensive flair back.
Over the past six seasons, Ekman-Larsson has struggled to produce offence. The most points he has recorded in this time was in 2023–2024, when he had thirty-two points with the Panthers. Based on these stats, this season has been a pleasant surprise. Through twenty-five games, Ekman-Larsson already has twenty points. At this rate, he could be on pace for the best offensive season in his career. November was an awesome month for the veteran, as he ended the month on a nine-game point streak and was only held off the score sheet in two games. His nine-game point streak is currently tied for the second longest in franchise history.
Unfortunately, Ekman-Larsson faced a bit of a setback in Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh. He suffered an upper-body injury in the third period and did not return. No signs have pointed to it being a serious injury, so one can assume that he was just a little banged up. William Nylander stated afterwards that the defenceman said he was fine after the game. Assuming he is in the lineup on Tuesday against the Panthers, Ekman-Larsson will look to tie the franchise’s longest defenceman point streak at ten.
A serious question to ask about this defenceman is: with his performance this season, has OEL done enough to fight for a potential spot on Team Sweden’s Olympic team? I believe that he has certainly earned a serious opportunity.
