The Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated on home ice on Saturday by the New York Rangers, losing 4-1 – despite outshooting their opponents 35-29. After trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes, Auston Matthews scored his second of the season to bring the Leafs within one. The comeback would fall short, thanks to the outstanding play of Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Here are four key takeaways from the loss.
Auston Matthews Scores, But Frustration Settles in Low-Scoring Affair
The Leafs registered 35 shots against the Rangers on Saturday night, but it wasn’t that simple. Outplaying the Rangers for the majority of the contest, aside from a handful of lapses in the opening frame, the Leafs couldn’t buy a goal. That was until Matthews buried his second of the 2024-25 season, bringing the Leafs within one in the third period.
When looking up and down the lineup on Saturday, two immediate players come to mind. Matthews and William Nylander, who combined for 17 shots. Aside from his goal, Matthews generated plenty of offense, nine shots in 22:33 of total ice time to be exact. He was around the net the entire night.
But it didn’t compare to Nylander, who had not one, but two breakaways in addition to an opportunistic chance in the third period, which saw him alone in front against Shesterkin – nearly beating him through his pads. Nylander broke two sticks out of frustration, one after he failed to capitalize on a breakaway chance in the third period before smashing another after the Rangers sealed the deal with an empty-netter later on.
Max Domi found iron and perhaps the save of the night, John Tavares attempted a glove side shot which saw Shesterkin flash the leather in old-school fashion.
Frustration settled in as the Leafs could have tied the game on countless occasions or even taken the lead.
“Couldn't find the back of the net. We had opportunities. Yeah, I think we can do a better job of taking his eyes away a little bit more. We had a lot of looks (that) just didn't go in,” head coach Craig Berube explained post-game.
A lack of net-front presence emerged as a common theme from the Maple Leafs' dressing room, with the team acknowledging they didn't screen Shesterkin nearly enough to disrupt his sightlines. Both Matthew Knies and Matthews echoed this sentiment, noting the inconsistency in creating traffic in front of the Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender, making his job easier than it should have been.
“I think we didn't really execute on our chances. I think we didn't get his eyes in front of the net too often. Obviously, he's a great goaltender, so I think we need to get more traffic there and make his life more difficult. I think we just didn't do a good job of that,” said Knies.
Matthews added, “Maybe not enough in front of the goalie. I mean, he's one of the best in the league, so you gotta make sure you get guys in front of him and create a little bit more havoc. I thought he saw too much.”
Strong Goaltending: Anthony Stolarz and Igor Shesterkin Battled It Out
Though the Leafs had plenty of chances to be on the winning side of the game on Saturday, that is mainly because of the stellar play of Anthony Stolarz. The goaltender appeared in his fourth game for the Leafs, stopping 25 of 27 shots, and earning a .927 save percentage. Though the score remained 2-0 throughout 40 minutes, it easily could have been broken open had Stolarz not come up with saves down the stretch.
The 30-year-old was knocked into his net a few times, stopping play at one point to repair a broken skate blade, but he gave the Leafs a chance to earn a point, if not two on Saturday.
“He was great. He gave us a chance to win, so I was very happy with that. I thought he had a solid game,” Berube said postgame.
Shesterkin was a difference-maker. The Leafs had plenty of Grade A opportunities that were met with incredible saves and answers from the 28-year-old. The netminder stopped 34 of 35 shots he faced and stood tall during flurries from the Leafs, who brought the pressure offensively. Stopping shots from different angles and testing him throughout a third-period surge, Shesterkin answered the bell when it rang.
“You can see why he's gonna be the highest-paid goalie in the league. He came up big for them tonight and that's off him,” Stolarz said.
“Just a really good goalie. Very composed, he's not the biggest guy, but he's very athletic and seems to be a good guy. And seems to come up with big saves when his team needs it. I see a lot of respect for him, he's really solid and he's tough to beat,” Matthews said, reiterating the same sentiments as Stolarz.
Update on Chris Tanev, Pontus Holmberg is ‘A Little Step Behind Right Now’
Defenseman Chris Tanev briefly exited the game in the second period after blocking a shot from Mika Zibanejad on his right leg, returning partway through the final frame.
“Talking about that block, that speaks volumes about what kind of character and player he is. He's pretty selfless and always makes the right play,” teammate Matthew Knies said after the game. “Very simple and smart with the puck. So I'm glad that he came back in that game and was able to help us. But yeah, he means a lot to this team.”
Tanev, who finished tied for third in the NHL in blocked shots (207) last season, put his body on the line on the penalty kill, turning his back to the play and taking a stinger to the side of his right leg.
Post-game, Berube provided a brief update, saying, “Yeah, he came back, tough guy. I mean, he could have played probably more in the third, but we're down a goal and just kind of went with what we went with.”
Tanev finished with 14:07 of total ice time but has continued to earn a ton of respect in his first handful of games with the club from his head coach and goaltender for stepping in the way of a one-timer down a man.
“Well, everything you see, I mean, he's a great defender and shot blocker, penalty killer, just a solid player all around. I mean, character guy. Leaders, leadership, he brings a lot,” Berube emphasized.
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“Just his dedication to block shots. You saw that shot. He's so efficient on his breakouts. He's a smart player. And as a goalie, you can definitely appreciate that because obviously, a lot of guys get a lot of fanfare for putting up points, but he takes a lot of pride in blocking shots,” Stolarz explained.
Pontus Holmberg was relatively quiet for the Leafs on Saturday, playing on the third line. The forward played a season-low 11:18 against the Rangers, taking a holding penalty in the first period before another delayed penalty attributed to Holmberg was offset by a Chris Kreider goal. In five games, the 25-year-old has recorded a lone assist.
Berube was straightforward about Holmberg’s play as of late, claiming he “looks a little step behind right now.”
“I thought he came out in camp and had a real good camp,” Berube said. “I think to me, he's got to battle a little bit harder for pucks and hang on to the pucks a little bit more like he was in training camp and the offensive zone and things like that. And just kind of just get up to speed. He looks just a little step behind maybe right now.”
It’ll be interesting to see how his role progresses, especially with other viable options waiting in the wings.
Power Play Struggles, Penalty Kill Shines
After the Leafs snapped an 0-for-9 skid on the power play to open the 2024-25 season with two goals on the man advantage against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, the club was 0-for-3 against the Rangers on Saturday, dropping to 2-for-16 on the power play.
“There were some good looks in the power play tonight, but the one in the third period, we didn't execute very well in that one, our entries, and we turned it over a couple of times and just, when the game's on the line right there, you have an opportunity to tie it up. We've got to have more urgency,” Berube said.
Execution on the power play has been a struggle for the 2024-25 Maple Leafs five games into the season. They tried shuffling personnel and it worked twice against the Kings, but despite ample chances on Saturday, there was no breakthrough or answers against the Rangers’ penalty kill.
The club had a golden opportunity in the third period after Matthews brought the team within striking distance, with 7:35 remaining. However, minimal production or chances came from that man advantage – a lack of execution persisted. When in a tight, evenly matched, game of inches matchup, a power play strike would have benefited the Leafs greatly.
“I thought we had some good looks, but then there's just a little bit of inconsistency there,” Matthews said, referring to the power play struggles. “Obviously, we'd like to have better, needs to be better. Especially when you're going up against teams like tonight, we've got pretty good power play, something that they feed off of. So maybe we better drop this thing out of the box, and then we'll get our opportunities, gotta execute better.”
Conversely, the penalty kill was a perfect two-for-two, shutting down the Rangers’ power play units and not giving up much playing down a man. After giving up a power play goal in their first three games of the season, the Leafs emphasized a need to tighten things up on the penalty kill – and they have. After Saturday’s game, it marks two straight contests in which the club hasn’t conceded a goal while on the penalty kill. It’s a step in the right direction.
Berube agrees: “I think they did a good job of killing tonight. There were a couple of plays where our goalie had to make a pretty good save, but they're going to make plays. That's the game.”
The Leafs take the ice next against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
