Road Warriors: Leafs Stay Hot with 3-1 Win Over Kraken

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to prove themselves as one of the NHL’s best road teams, securing a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

With three straight wins to start their Western road trip, the Leafs now have a 14-8-2 record on the road this season. More importantly, they sit just one point behind the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division while holding a six-point cushion over third-place Tampa Bay.

Now, with one game remaining before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Leafs will look to complete a perfect 4-0 road trip when they face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

Takeaways from the Leafs’ 33rd win of the season

Stolarz Shines in Return

After missing nearly two months with a knee injury, Anthony Stolarz made a statement in his return to the crease. The 30-year-old netminder looked as sharp as he did before his injury, stopping 26 of 27 shots and earning first-star honors in his first game since December 12.

Stolarz had been leading the NHL with a .927 save percentage before his injury, and his performance against Seattle showed no signs of rust. He made several key saves late in the game, including a stickless point-blank stop on Shane Wright while the Leafs were shorthanded.

“Missing that much time, you want to come out and have a positive result and get the two points,” Stolarz said post-game. “Probably two days ago, I knew this was where I wanted to be and this was where I wanted to start.”

With Joseph Woll playing well in his absence, the Leafs now find themselves in an ideal goaltending situation heading into the final stretch of the season. Craig Berube and his coaching staff will soon decide on how to split starts between Woll and Stolarz after the break, but Toronto looks set in goal no matter which netminder gets the call.

Marner Hits 500 Assist Milestone

It seems like Mitch Marner is reaching a new milestone every few games, and Thursday night was no exception.

With an assist on Philippe Myers’ first-period goal, Marner became just the fourth player in Leafs history to record 500 career assists, doing so in just 629 games—making him the fastest to reach that mark in franchise history.

The Leafs’ 500-assist club:
🏒 Borje Salming – 620 assists
🏒 Mats Sundin – 567 assists
🏒 Darryl Sittler – 527 assists
🏒 Mitch Marner – 500 assists (and counting)

“It’s really cool,” Marner said after the game. “I don’t really want solo achievements in this league or enjoy them as much as maybe people think I should. A lot of credit to the guys around me who have been here since Day 1, and some guys who have moved on.”

While Marner was humble about his milestone, his teammates had no issue celebrating his achievement.

“He sees the ice better than anyone,” said Bobby McMann. “The way he plays the game, the way he thinks it is different. Not surprised he has 500, it’s an incredible milestone“

Leafs’ Special Teams Dominate Again

The Leafs’ power play continues to heat up, converting for the fourth straight game on this road trip. Toronto went 1-for-3 on the man advantage, with McMann deflecting a Morgan Rielly shot past Joey Daccord for the game’s opening goal.

Since January 1st, the Leafs own the fourth-best power play in the NHL, converting at 32.4%—a much better reflection of the talent they have on the ice.

Meanwhile, the penalty kill was perfect, shutting down all five of Seattle’s power plays. The Leafs are now 10-for-12 on the PK during this trip, and Craig Berube credited the team’s structure and aggressiveness for the success.

“The PK was aggressive, I didn’t think we gave them too much time,” Berube said. “We pressured well, cleared pucks when we needed to, and did all the little things right.”

What’s Next?

The Leafs will wrap up their Western road trip on Saturday night in Vancouver, where they will look to complete the four-game sweep before heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

With first place in the Atlantic Division within reach, expect the Leafs to continue playing with urgency as they try to overtake Florida before the break.

Go Leafs GO