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The Good, Bad & Ugly in Maple Leafs’ 3-1 Win Over Islanders

On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs with the New York Islanders 3–1. What were the key plays and key players of the game?

by
Stan Smith
January 1, 2025

The Toronto Maple Leafs closed out 2024 with a 3-1 win on New Year’s Eve. What were the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the game?

The Good: A Win Is a Win

First, the Maple Leafs won. This game could have quickly gone either way against a team the Maple Leafs should beat. It is also a team they lost to at home 6-3 just 10 days ago and a team they play their first game of 2025 against. With Toronto poking along at 6-6 in their last 12 games, losing this game could have been a mental blow to the team.

Second, the Maple Leafs only gave up one goal. In their past 12 games, the Maple Leafs have allowed 42 goals, an average of 3.5 goals per game. Joseph Woll played his best game in his last six games. In his previous five starts, Woll had given up 17 goals, an average of 3.4 goals per game.

The Maple Leafs got secondary scoring. David Kämpf scored the opening goal, and Steven Lorentz scored the winning goal 16 seconds after the Islanders tied the game 1-1.

The Maple Leafs got a late Christmas gift from Patrick Roy. With Noah Dobson in the box for tripping Max Pacioretty and the faceoff in the Islanders’ zone, Roy started the shift with Ilya Sorokin on the bench. That allowed John Tavares and Mitch Marner to keep their scoring streaks alive and William Nylander to pad his point total. Tavares scored into the empty net with assists from Nylander and Marner.

Patrick Roy pulled the goalie with the draw IN THEIR OWN ZONE, his face when Tavares scores says it all 😬 pic.twitter.com/XLUsaPdhTt
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 31, 2024

With the win, the Maple Leafs closed out 2024, tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers.

The Bad: Maple Leafs Got Off to Another Slow Start

The Maple Leafs’ start was slow and unexciting. For much of the game, it had all the excitement of watching paint dry. According to the ex-NHLers on the broadcast, most players were having their pre-game naps when the puck was dropped to start this game. The Maple Leafs players looked as if they would rather be napping, especially early on.

The Maple Leafs had a defensive lapse on the Islanders’ goal. On the only goal the Islanders scored that counted, all five Maple Leafs players were caught watching Noah Dobson with the puck. That allowed Jean-Gabriel Pageau to slip in behind them. Pageau had a wide-open net for the goal after receiving Dobson’s pass.

Both teams had goals disallowed. In a rare situation, both teams traded goals that were called off just over three minutes apart early in the second period. William Nylander turned the puck over twice in the Toronto zone, leading to a goal by Adam Pelech. Toronto immediately challenged the play for offside and was correct; the goal was overturned.

Matthew Knies thought he had broken his nine-game goalless drought, but Nylander was standing in the crease during the sequence. Despite Alexander Romanov bumping Nylander into the crease, Nylander made no effort to vacate, and the goal was called back.

The Ugly: The Maple Leafs Had Injury Scares

First, Chris Tanev took a puck to the face and left the game with a bloody mouth. Second, Joseph Woll experienced a moment of concern that likely had most Maple Leafs fans holding their breath.

Chris Tanev Maple Leafs injury — Chris Tanev of the Maple Leafs

Woll went down to make a save and struggled to get back up. With Anthony Stolarz already out long-term, losing Woll could be catastrophic. Fortunately, Woll seemed to recover and made sharp saves later in the game. He downplayed the incident post-game, but fans will likely remain concerned until further confirmation of his health is provided.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs start 2025 tied for first place in the Atlantic Division. If the playoffs started today, Toronto would face the Tampa Bay Lightning based on points or the Boston Bruins based on winning percentage. Either way, the reward for winning the division doesn’t seem significant beyond the potential of an extra home game.

Toronto opens the new year with three games in four nights. They visit the Islanders on Thursday, host the Bruins on Saturday, and welcome the Flyers on Sunday.

In several roster updates, Auston Matthews practiced with the team this week and is close to returning. Second, illness affects the roster, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Pontus Holmberg missing Tuesday’s game. Third, the team swapped Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby, sending Murray down after he struggled against Washington. Hildeby could play one of the back-to-back weekend games unless further changes occur.