Instant reaction: Maple Leafs scrape win against last-place Canucks, ending six-game losing streak

The match was downright comical, especially the overtime between the two teams. The Maple Leafs gave the Canucks at least three high-risk chances and the Canucks simply refused to convert on them. The Leafs failed to capitalize on the opportunities they did have, including a whiff on a wide-open net from John Tavares and a failed penalty shot attempt from a clearly gassed Auston Matthews, who opted for a backhand forehand attempt and slid it straight into the right pad of Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo.

The game eventually went to a shootout where the Leafs ended it within the first four shots. Vancouver’s Jake DeBrusk threw the puck off both posts and out to kick things off, William Nylander stripped Tolopilo on the Maple Leafs’ first shot, Elias Pettersson was stopped by Joseph Woll on his attempt and Matthews made up for his penalty shot mistake to win the game for the Maple Leafs. Toronto got goals from Nicolas Roy and Max Domi in the regular season, the latter of whom has been a lone bright spot for the Maple Leafs of late with three goals and four assists for seven points in his last five games.

The win will certainly give the locker room a morale boost, but “too little, too late” seems like the understatement of the century for a team whose playoff chances dropped to 2.6% after their last loss to the Seattle Kraken. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated during the second break’s “Saturday Headlines” segment that the Leafs have started the process as a deadline seller, so these two points will serve as a moral victory and not much else for the 2025-2026 Maple Leafs.

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