Mar 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a habit of pulling out victories in tough, sometimes messy, situations this season – and their most recent stretch has been no exception.
The team emerged from their 4 Nations Face-Off break with a perfect 5-0-0-0 record, collecting three one-goal wins in the last three games, with two of those victories coming in overtime. Despite having been outshot in every game and allowing 11 goals in their last three outings, the Leafs have found a way to keep winning.
On Tuesday in Boston, the Leafs faced adversity early on.
Down 3-0 midway through the second period, the team could have easily folded. Instead, they mounted a comeback that saw them tie the game at 3-3 and then 4-4, eventually taking the game 5-4 in overtime. The heroics were largely due to the efforts of goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who stood tall in the crease when his team needed him most. That win set the stage for another tight contest on Friday against the New York Rangers, which ended in a 3-2 victory, again driven by Stolarz’s goaltending.
However, it was Sunday’s 6-5 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins that showcased the Leafs’ ability to grind out results. The Leafs dominated early, jumping to a 2-0 lead and firing 10 shots in the first six minutes.
But the Penguins quickly responded with three goals to close the first period, flipping the script and taking a 3-2 lead into the break. From there, the game became a chaotic back-and-forth with mistakes and weak goals on both sides. Still, the Leafs kept their composure, eventually sealing the win in overtime.
The team was outshot 36-29 by the Bruins, 35-17 by the Rangers, and 34-33 by the Penguins. The shot differential over those three games was 79 shots for the Leafs, compared to 105 against.
The result? 5-4 (OT), 3-2, and 6-5 (OT) victories.
Head coach Craig Berube acknowledged the team’s resilience after Sunday’s win. “It’s not how you draw it up, but it happens sometimes,” he said. “We made a couple of mistakes, and we put ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but guys stayed with it, climbed out of it, and found a way to get the win – which is great.”
The team’s success, especially on the road, has been a key factor in their continued dominance, winning seven of their last eight road games.
“I’ve said before, the road trip before the break, I thought was a real important trip at that time,” said Berube. “Just to get on the road with the guys only, and it’s all hockey, right? It’s similar, it’s a similar trip, I think. Just guys getting together on the road and being together and gelling together a little bit more than being at home. We’ve been a good road team for quite a long time now, so we just got to keep doing it.”
William Nylander, who scored the overtime winner on Sunday and leads the team in goals (35), acknowledged the Leafs’ recent willingness to win close games and the importance of these wins at this time of year.
“It’s good to win those games. That’s a positive thing that you can take away from it,” said Nylander. “Even though we’re not playing great, we’re still able to win games. We just got to build off of them.”
“I think that’s been the case most of the season,” added captain Auston Matthews. “Just finding ways to win. Sometimes it’s ugly, sometimes it’s pretty, sometimes you play a near-perfect game, and sometimes you deserve to lose and you still win. I think we’ve found ways to win in different situations and different games, and that’s the most important part.”
There have been lapses, but regardless, the Leafs earned their fifth straight win in Pittsburgh for the second time this season and capped off a perfect four-game road trip. With the victory on Sunday, they improved to 8-1-0-0 in their last nine games.
The Leafs now hold a 38-20-2 record, with 78 points, sitting one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
“I think we got to be a little bit more structured,” said Knies. “We can’t give up that many chances, that many goals. I think our special teams have to be a little bit better; just little things that I think we can clean up. Make our next road trip successful.”
