All at once, this was a vital two points, a very fitting final four minutes to the Joe Bowen tribute game, and a not-at-all-reassuring performance by the Maple Leafs overall. This was the actual reality of this performance for the vast majority of the game: Irrelevant if they come back in this game, too. That […]
The post Game Review: Maple Leafs pull one out of the fire, win the Bowen game vs. Bedard-less Blackhawks appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
about 2 months ago
| 5 reads
Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 15-12-5. On the team’s start to the game: Actually, the first part of the first period wasn’t a terrible start. It was actually a good start to the game. We gave up a shorthanded […]
The post Craig Berube on the Leafs’ comeback win over Chicago: “Great to see the battle back… I thought our top line was really good” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
about 2 months ago
| 3 reads
With Joseph Woll back in the net and Connor Bedard out for Chicago, this is a game the Maple Leafs really need to win — for the response after the Edmonton loss, for the points in the standings, and for Joe Bowen on his special night (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4). Game Day Quotes Max Domi […]
The post Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Game #32 Projected Lines, Preview & TV Info appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
about 2 months ago
| 6 reads
Ahead of Holy Mackinaw Night honouring Joe Bowen, Maple Leafs players share their memories of and appreciation for the legendary play-by-play commentator. Scott Laughton: “I remember [Bowen’s calls] fondly, with my dad in the car.” Laughton: We used to practice at Pine Point arena right off the 401 there. We practiced on Saturday night, so […]
The post Leafs players share their memories of Joe Bowen on Holy Mackinaw Night: “Special memories with my dad — a lot of that is because of Joe” appe...
about 2 months ago
| 3 reads
After Monday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed the recent performance of his captain and the top line, moving William Nylander onto Auston Matthews’ right wing, the organization honouring Joe Bowen on Tuesday night, and the status of Chris Tanev and Joseph Woll in their progress towards a return. Where is Auston Matthews’ game in […]
The post Craig Berube on the state of Auston Matthews’ game: “It’s not at the level he wants it at, or us… It’s not just about scoring goals… It’s ...
about 2 months ago
| 2 reads
After his first contact practice since his injury in early November, Chris Tanev discussed the recovery process and his timeline for a return. How are you feeling after participating in your first full practice? Is there a target for a return to game action at this point? Tanev: I feel good. It is great to […]
The post Chris Tanev reflects on his injury in Philadelphia: “It was a bit of a scary situation, but when you’re surrounded by the right people, they really calm you down” appeared fir...
about 2 months ago
| 3 reads
We can all agree with Craig Berube’s lamentation of his team’s lack of urgency to start the third period while down a goal in this game. The contest obviously ended inside the first two minutes of the final frame when the Leafs came out, played in their own end, punted pucks back to the Oilers […]
The post Game Review: Same old problems plague Maple Leafs in HNIC loss to Oilers appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 4 reads
Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 14-12-5. On where the game got away from the team: 30 seconds to go in the second period, we throw a puck blindly into the slot. First of all, they should’ve changed, but they […]
The post Craig Berube on another rough third period for the Leafs vs. Edmonton: “Our leaders have to take control of it a lot more than they are right now” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotsto...
2 months ago
| 3 reads
Can the Maple Leafs light up Tristan Jarry for a third time this season in Troy Stecher’s revenge game, or will McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, and the Oilers win the day on HNIC? (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC) Game Day Quotes Troy Stecher on the keys to keeping former teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl quiet: Understanding […]
The post Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers – Game #31 Projected Lines, Preview & TV Info appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 5 reads
“It just got a little bit out of hand, with the special teams and so forth. I give our guys a lot of credit. I don’t think we ever quit.” – John Gruden With callups and injuries forcing his hand, John Gruden was forced to dress a blue line with 91 AHL games between them. […]
The post Toronto Marlies downed in Laval despite hard-fought effort with inexperienced defense core appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 6 reads
After Friday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed the status of his injured players (OEL, Woll, Tanev, Stolarz, Carlo, Rifai), letting the lead slip against San Jose, and the challenge against the Oilers. What is the news on Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Berube: Not bad. Tomorrow, we will know. Hopefully, he can get on the ice and […]
The post Craig Berube on whether Anthony Stolarz’s season is in jeopardy: “I wouldn’t go there, but he’s not going to be on the ice any time soon” appeared fi...
2 months ago
| 1 read
Similar to the shootout losses against the Sharks last season, the Maple Leafs let a very winnable game slip away in this 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose. In a battle between two of the worst possession teams in the league based on the publicly available metrics, the Leafs flipped the script they’ve followed to […]
The post Game Review: Maple Leafs, careless with the lead, fall to Sharks in OT appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 4 reads
Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 14-11-5. On a 2-0 lead getting away from the team: In the third period, we didn’t come out and dictate how to play the game. We turned pucks over. We were passive. […]
The post Craig Berube on the Leafs coughing up the lead vs. SJ: “We turned pucks over… We were passive… We didn’t finish them off” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 2 reads
“Again, not the start we wanted. I give the guys a lot of credit. I’m not going to think too much into it. I thought the effort was there; it’s just the execution wasn’t. Just a great gutsy win by our guys. Wins like this can continue to propel our team to climb the standings […]
The post Toronto Marlies climb out of three-goal hole, prevail over Laval in shootout appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 3 reads
After four wins in their last five, can the Maple Leafs keep the points rolling in against a slumping San Jose Sharks team? (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4) Game Day Quotes Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky on his team’s recent inconsistencies (three losses in their last four): We say the right things right now, but those […]
The post Toronto Maple Leafs vs. San Jose Sharks – Game #30 Projected Lines, Preview & TV Info appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 4 reads
Ahead of Thursday’s game against San Jose, head coach Craig Berube discussed the play of the Matthews line, Chris Tanev’s health status, his time coaching Ryan Reaves, and the challenge against Macklin Celebrini. What do you like about the way Auston Matthews’ line is coming together with Max Domi and Matthew Knies? Berube: They’re creating, […]
The post Craig Berube on whether surgery is a possibility for Chris Tanev: “I don’t believe that’s an option right now… Just have to be patient and ...
2 months ago
| 4 reads
In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs’ encouraging turnaround in results, the team’s depth up front coming together, the ongoing power-play woes, the Bobby McMann one-game suspension, and much more. Episode Topics How high is the optimism level after a 5-1-1 stretch for the Leafs? (1:20) Dennis Hildeby […]
The post How high should the optimism level be after a 5-1-1 stretch for the Maple Leafs? – MLHS Podcast EP108 appeared first on Maple Le...
2 months ago
| 4 reads
After Wednesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed Bobby McMann’s one-game suspension, William Nylander’s four-game scoring slump, juggling his middle-six lines, and Henry Thrun’s likely season debut on Thursday. What is your reaction to the Bobby McMann one-game suspension, given that you also lost a player to injury in Dakota Mermis? Berube: To be honest […]
The post Craig Berube on Bobby McMann’s one-game suspension: “I don’t think it was worth a suspension… We lose a guy for p...
2 months ago
| 2 reads
Just like that, after collecting nine of the last 10 available points, the Maple Leafs are three points back of the top spot in the Atlantic Division (with a game in hand on Detroit). The winning run includes three impressive wins over Florida, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, in which the Leafs — once among the […]
The post Are the Maple Leafs rediscovering their recipe for success? How can they fix the power-play mess? – Leafs Notebook appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 3 reads
For the most part, this 2-0 victory followed the Maple Leafs’ formula that led to their regular-season division title success in 2024-25. It also pulled the Leafs within two points of the current division lead, despite all of their trials and tribulations this season. The first period saw Tampa Bay generally carry the play, as […]
The post Game Review: Maple Leafs lock down 1-0 lead, continue winning streak over Lightning appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 2 reads
Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 14-11-4. On the team’s performance: Solid game. The goalie was good. I thought, overall, we did a good job. They’re obviously a talented group over there, and we did a good job of […]
The post Craig Berube on Bobby McMann receiving a match penalty vs. Tampa Bay: “I’ll take a closer look at it, but I had a tough time with that, to be honest with you” appeared first...
2 months ago
| 2 reads
“The first 20 minutes are as good as we could have played. The only thing is we didn’t get a goal. I think we needed to get that first one to let a little of the pressure off. We turned a couple of pucks over there in the second early, and we got away from […]
The post Toronto Marlies suffer weekend sweep at hands of Grand Rapids appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 1 read
Despite their rollercoaster of a season to date, the Maple Leafs could pull within two points of the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a regulation win over the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime). Game Day Quotes Victor Hedman on the challenge presented by the Leafs: They’re […]
The post Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning – Game #29 Projected Lines, Preview & TV Info appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 2 reads
Given the Maple Leafs’ underwhelming possession metrics over 100 games into his coaching tenure, it’s interesting to revisit Craig Berube’s comments about puck possession when he was first hired in Toronto: Berube: “In St. Louis, we were one of the highest puck-possession teams in the league. We were a great forechecking team. You have to […]
The post The structural issues driving the Maple Leafs’ five-on-five possession problems appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
2 months ago
| 1 read
Ahead of Monday’s game against Tampa Bay, head coach Craig Berube discussed inserting Calle Jarnkrok into the lineup in the place of Nick Robertson, the struggles on the power play, swapping in Dakota Mermis for Philippe Myers on the blue line, and the challenge against the Lightning. What went into the decision to swap Calle […]
The post Craig Berube on scratching Nick Robertson vs. Tampa: “He’s lost a little bit of his jump and tenacity, but at the same time, it’s a little bit of ice time ...
2 months ago
| 0 reads