Easton Cowan returned to the lineup on Wednesday night for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. It was a rough return for the Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect as the winger didn’t look like himself and made a mistake at the end of the game to cost the Toronto Marlies.

In a game tied up at three with three minutes to go, he had the puck along the boards in the defensive zone and sent a centering pass to the defenseman. It’s a rookie mistake that Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty intercepted and turned into the game-winning goal. “I've got to be better. It starts with me. Just cost my team the game,” Cowan told the Toronto media after the game. 

Those mistakes are part of the growing pains that come with the American Hockey League. They’ll happen for a young, developing player, and fans must get used to them. Yet, in the playoffs, it’s different. Mistakes are amplified and remembered. They stick with a player either as fuel that makes them better or a scar that never heals.

Cowan must shake it off and come back stronger. More importantly, he must be the star player for the Marlies, who are knotted up with the Penguins at two wins each in the series, yet have lost two games in a row and are searching for some momentum. 

Cowan has battled an upper-body injury throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs. Finally, the injury became too much. After scoring a goal in Game 1, Cowan missed Game 2 and Game 3. It was noticeable as the Marlies' offense took a hit. 

Game 4 was his much-awaited return. However, it was clear Cowan wasn’t at full strength as he didn’t add that spark, that game-changing skill he usually brings. “I was okay. I know I got more, so I'll bring it Friday,” Cowan noted after the game.

That’s the key for him and the Marlies. If Cowan is playing Game 5 at a high level, he can have a big play in a big moment. He can allow the Marlies to regain the momentum of this series and move closer to their first Calder Cup Final since 2018. 

When Cowan turned that puck over in the final three minutes, it wasn’t just a bad play for Marlies or Maple Leafs fans. It was years of bad plays for the fans. While the AHL team has had success, the Maple Leafs have plenty of history of coming up short in the playoffs and the stars disappearing in the playoffs. Cowan’s error was a flashback and not a good one. 

This won’t be the last time Cowan makes these mistakes. He’s a 21-year-old rookie who is still learning the pro game, even if he spent most of this season with the NHL team. The question is how Cowan bounces back. 

“That's not going to define who he is as a person, and it’s not going to define who he is as a Toronto Maple Leaf. He's going to go back out there and be Easton Cowan,” Gruden stated. In Toronto, that’s no easy task. 

The Marlies saw what he provides as an elite scorer. Cowan was the one who scored the Game 5 game-winning goal in Game 5 of the North Division Final against the Cleveland Monsters, allowing the Marlies to make it to the Conference Final. 

There’s a good chance Cowan will be in the same situation he was in during Game 4 at some point later on in this series. The games are tight and late in a close game, he’ll have the puck on his stick with the game in his hands. 

The Marlies are counting on him to deliver. The Maple Leafs are hoping he does because there’s hope surrounding him as a building block for the future. If he ends up being a star in the NHL, this team suddenly has a group that can lead them for years to come with Matthew Knies, Cowan, and whoever they take with the top pick in the upcoming draft, in their early 20s. 

The next two or three games will be all about Cowan’s ability to make an impact. The Penguins have the edge and are the more skilled team. However, they don’t have the same top-end talent, and Cowan is the one who can take over the game.

He’s done it already throughout the playoffs with five goals and five assists in 15 games. With the series even at two heading into Game 5, he can flip the momentum of this series, and the Marlies might need him to do so. The Marlies have lost control of this series. Yet, a great Game 5 changes the script and puts the Marlies one win away from the Final.