The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to grab a point Saturday night, but it felt a bit like finding a coin in the couch cushions rather than earning something the hard way. Toronto fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. It was one of those games where the Maple Leafs hung around but never really looked like they had the steering wheel.
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For the Maple Leafs, the goals came from Dakota Joshua and Max Domi. Joshua tied the game midway through the first period after Nicholas Robertson blocked a clearing attempt in the slot, allowing Joshua to gather the loose puck and lift it over Alex Lyon’s glove. Early in the second period, Toronto briefly took the lead when William Nylander patiently slowed a 2-on-1 rush and slid a perfect pass across to Domi, who finished the play into an open net.
Item One: Joseph Woll Doing His Part, But the Leafs Need More
If there was one Maple Leafs player who deserved a quieter walk back to the dressing room afterward, it was Woll. He stopped 30 shots and did just about everything you could reasonably ask from your goalie on a night like that. Without him, the score might have drifted out of reach long before the shootout ever arrived.
The trouble was happening at the other end of the rink. Toronto mustered just 18 shots on Lyon, which is the kind of number that makes a goalie’s job feel like trying to bail out a leaky boat with a teaspoon. Woll kept the Maple Leafs afloat, but he couldn’t generate offence himself.
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That offensive drought may get worse before it gets better. With Auston Matthews sidelined for the season with a knee injury, the Maple Leafs are missing a player who could change a game with a single shift. Woll appears to have the inside track on the No. 1 job at the moment, but the recent numbers tell the story of a team that’s struggling in front of him — a 1-4-1 record since the Olympic break. If Toronto is going to start winning, the skaters ahead of Woll are going to have to start carrying more of the load.
Item Two: Like Father, Like Son — Max Domi Reaches 800 Games
There was at least one moment worth tipping the cap during the evening. When Domi stepped onto the ice, he was playing the 800th game of his NHL career. That’s a pretty neat milestone in a league where the miles add up quickly and not everyone makes it that far.
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Of course, in the Domi household, the number carries an extra layer of meaning. His father, Tie Domi, played 1,020 games during his long and memorable career, much of it wearing a Maple Leafs sweater and throwing his weight around the rink. With Max reaching 800 games, the Domis now sit among a rare group of father-son duos where both players have hit that mark.
In a fitting way, Max marked the occasion with a goal. His finish on Nylander’s beautiful pass early in the second period gave Toronto a brief 2-1 lead. It didn’t hold up, but it’s still a milestone that is worth noting. Hockey has always been a game rich with family threads, and the Domi story remains one of the more recognizable ones in Maple Leafs history.
Meanwhile, in the “of-course-he-did” category, a player who recently got moved from Toronto wasted no time making his mark somewhere else. Former Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann had a solid debut for the Seattle Kraken, scoring twice and adding an assist in a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He now has 21 goals on the season, which would rank fourth on the Maple Leafs if he were still here.
(Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
It had been a strange stretch for McMann leading up to the move. He hadn’t played since March 2 while still with Toronto, sitting out a couple of games as a healthy scratch before the trade deadline. After the deal, he had to wait several more games for visa paperwork to clear before he could finally get into Seattle’s lineup.
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Once he did, though, the Kraken wasted no time making him a key part of the group. McMann landed on the top line and even saw power-play minutes in his first outing. Sometimes a player just needs a fresh start and a little trust from a new coaching staff. For Maple Leafs fans, it’s a reminder of the player McMann became for this team. He grew into a physical forward who could chip in goals and play with energy.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
For the Maple Leafs, the bigger picture is hard to ignore. Toronto has now lost nine of its last ten games (1-6-3), which is not the kind of run that inspires confidence as the season grinds along. Head coach Craig Berube said afterward that the Maple Leafs competed hard and did well to grab a point against a Sabres team that has been playing very good hockey lately.
Perhaps that’s fair. Buffalo has been rolling, and the Maple Leafs didn’t fold. That said, moral victories don’t count in the standings. Tonight, they get another chance in Minnesota against the Wild, and that will be a tough test.
