Changes could be coming for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but players aim to keep a playoff mentality.
VANCOUVER — The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday, snapping a six-game losing streak. While the team remains far out of the playoff picture and recent reports suggest management may be open to being sellers, the win provided major relief to the players. Perhaps most importantly, the victory moved Toronto to within eight points of a playoff spot, rather than the 10-point gap they faced heading into the night.
“I could have said that a couple games ago, but obviously, this one feels good,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said. The Leafs had previously fallen 5-2 to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Despite extending the losing streak at that time, it was the first game of the six where the team clearly deserved a better fate. “We played well in Seattle and it didn't come out our way, but I thought it was good that we just stuck with it,” Matthews added.
However, the reality of the team's trajectory has already set in for both management and the fanbase. The season has moved well past the "moral victory" stage. Even so, the players refuse to lose sight of a potential comeback, recalling how they climbed back into the standings earlier this season after defeating the Colorado Avalanche on the road.
“It’s a good feeling in there right now after losing six in a row,” head coach Craig Berube said of the locker room atmosphere. “It's tough, but they worked their way out of it tonight... They weren't going to be denied”. Berube noted that the team must continue to build off this performance.
The victory was aided by a stellar performance from Joseph Woll, who stopped 39 of 41 Vancouver shots, many of which were of the difficult variety. When Toronto finished in first place in the Atlantic Division last season, they relied on a top-tier tandem of Woll and Anthony Stolarz. While the goaltending numbers haven’t quite reached those heights this year, Woll’s play against the Canucks offers a path forward if he can maintain this form.
As the team looks ahead, the mindset in the room has shifted to survival mode.
“I think from here on out, we need every game pretty badly," Woll said. "So it's going to be a playoff mindset... I think we really showed it”.