The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 5-4 comeback win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (Feb. 25), with Morgan Rielly leading the way offensively and Mitch Marner supplying some overtime magic at TD Garden for the second time in less than a week. The Maple Leafs have three straight wins and continue to lead the Atlantic Division, but the Florida Panthers remain within striking distance, and the hard-charging Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t far behind.
The Maple Leafs posted a gutsy victory on Tuesday while dealing the faltering Bruins a blow in their quest to secure a Wild Card spot. The game felt like one where nothing would go right until some unlikely heroes got the team back on track. However, Toronto sustained some worrying injuries in the contest.
Tanev and Nylander Unable to Finish Game
Chris Tanev suffered an upper-body injury on his second shift after receiving a hit by Bruins forward John Beecher. According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the 35-year-old Tanev sported a sling on his right arm when he exited the building and will be evaluated further on Wednesday (Feb. 26).
Toronto’s defence corps was disjointed and sloppy without him through two periods of play. The pressure was alleviated in the third frame when the Maple Leafs played with more pace and desperation. It also helped that netminder Anthony Stolarz was superb between the pipes. He was under siege for most of the game and kept the Leafs in it despite numerous rush chances and defensive breakdowns.
Most of the attention has been placed on general manager Brad Treliving’s aim for depth down the middle ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. However, acquiring a defender of substance, someone capable of logging top-four minutes, not an individual who will battle for time on the third pairing, would be tremendously beneficial.
William Nylander did not log an overtime shift and was seen with his glove off on the bench. “Just came back [to the bench], and something was bothering him.” head coach Craig Berube said following the match. “So he didn’t go in the overtime.” The potential loss of Nylander would be a significant blow. He ranks second in the league with 33 goals, ranks second on the Maple Leafs with 58 points, and leads the team with 190 shots on the net.
Defenders Stay Active Offensively
Toronto got another goal from a blueliner in Tuesday’s win, the team’s third in the last two games. Morgan Rielly got the Maple Leafs on the board at 13:52 of the second period. His offensive performance in 2024-25 had been severely lacking compared to previous seasons, but he has two goals and six assists in the last seven games. He scored his 87th goal to move ahead of Hap Day for fourth all-time among defenders in team history. Tim Horton is next at 109, and Borje Salming is the leader with 148. Rielly’s four-point effort also put him over the 500-mark for his career. The only goal in Tuesday’s game that Rielly didn’t have a hand in belonged to Holmberg.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson chipped in two assists versus the Bruins. His offensive contributions have come in spurts this season, and he has one goal and eight helpers in his last 12 appearances. Toronto’s offence will get a meaningful boost if Rielly and Ekman-Larsson remain active on the scoresheet.
Uncharacteristic Off Night for McCabe
Jake McCabe struggled in Tuesday’s win. He got caught too far up the ice, and Mason Lohrei made a tremendous pass over the Toronto defender to spring David Pastrnak for a breakaway goal 29 seconds into the game. Boston’s struggling power play — 30th in the league at 14.8 percent going into Tuesday’s game — scored the first of two goals in the match after the puck struck McCabe in the face, and Brad Marchand cleaned up a rebound. With Tanev out, McCabe had to play his wrong side because Conor Timmins was the only remaining right-handed defender. McCabe also had a terrible turnover on the go-ahead goal by Pastrnak with under 10 minutes to go in regulation after the Leafs fought back to tie the game in the third period.
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McCabe was on the ice for Pontus Holmberg’s game-tying goal during the final minute but didn’t factor into the play. Still, it was probably a relief to celebrate that moment with his teammates following a tumultuous performance from the usually-steady rearguard. It’s probably best to file this one as an anomaly for McCabe.
Depth Scoring Continues
Nicholas Robertson and Holmberg have generated valuable secondary offence for the club. With Calle Jankrok and Connor Dewar close to returning, the Maple Leafs will have some difficult roster decisions to make shortly. Max Pacioretty is also on the mend from an injury, though it’s unclear when he will be a lineup option.
The offensive outbursts of Robertson and Holmberg have come at the perfect time as they attempt to secure their spots on the roster. Robertson scored his third goal in his past two games in Tuesday’s contest to even the score at 3-3. He didn’t find the scoresheet in nine consecutive appearances before his recent uptick in production. Robertson may also be increasing his trade value if that’s a route the team wants to take. After posting two assists in 17 games, Holmberg has lit the lamp in three straight outings. He has compiled four goals and one assist during his unprecedented scoring streak. In his bid to stay in the lineup, Holmberg has taken advantage of his ice time alongside Nylander and John Tavares.
What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs?
Tuesday’s affair was chippy, and there was a parade to the penalty box. It’s unclear if that will be the norm in games moving forward, but the intensity will escalate as the playoffs draw closer. There were plenty of positives to take away from a character win by the Maple Leafs, but injuries to Tanev and Nylander dampened the celebrations. Hopefully, they won’t miss much time.
The Maple Leafs visit the New York Rangers on Friday (Feb. 28) before wrapping up a four-game road trip versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday (March 2). The team returns home briefly on March 3 to host the San Jose Sharks and then heads back on the road for a three games out West, with the trade deadline in the middle of that.
