The 2024-2025 regular season is officially over for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a first-round series with the Ottawa Senators is now on the horizon. The team certainly did not bring their “A” game in the regular-season finale, but no Leafs player was injured and they still somehow found a way to win.
Matthew Knies set up Auston Matthews to open the scoring, but Austin Watson, Justin Holl and Alex DeBrincat responded to give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-1 lead through forty. Philippe Myers, of all people, scored a highlight-reel goal to pull the Leafs within one in the third. Chris Tanev tied the game with two seconds left in regulation and Scott Laughton ended it in overtime.
While the Leafs were outplayed, I’m going to grade on a curve and make the overall team grade a B- for picking up a win while avoiding any injuries.
Philippe Myers: A+
Myers somehow danced around both Tyler Motte and Austin Watson before walking in to beat Cam Talbot on a highlight-reel goal. Every player on the Leafs bench had a huge smile on their face as Myers went through the handshake line.
who would’ve thought that Myers would have the best goal from a Leafs defender this season pic.twitter.com/xkg2kS2ney
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 18, 2025
Mitch Marner: A
Marner made an A+ pass to set up Knies for a tap-in opportunity seven minutes in, but his linemate hit the post. Fortunately for Marner, he ended up picking up a secondary assist at the end of the frame. He later made a gorgeous pass to set up Tanev for a game-tying goal with two seconds left in regulation.
The fourth line (Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, Calle Järnkrok): A
They were essentially the first line since Berube wanted to limit the minutes of his top six. They were trying at least a little bit harder than most of their teammates, and both Lorentz and Järnkrok picked up an assist on Myers’ goal. Laughton eventually scored the game-winner on a rare overtime shift for him. I trust this unit defensively, and they’ve played well enough in recent games that they could stick together to start the playoffs.
Auston Matthews: A-
Matthews looked sharp in the first, starting an impressive tic-tac-toe passing play with his linemates seven minutes in and opening the scoring towards the end of the period. He scored by driving to the net, corralling a nifty pass from Knies and making a quick forehand-to-backhand move before slipping the puck past an outstretched Talbot.
Matthew Knies: B+
Knies hit the post seven minutes in, and given how empty the net was, he’ll be seeing that play in his nightmares. He bounced back nicely at the end of the first, dancing around Simon Edvinsson to find Matthews in front for an impressive assist.
Pontus Holmberg: B+
Holmberg played heavy hockey in the first and won several puck battles. His line wasn’t able to create much offensively, but he definitely looked like one of the hardest-working players on the team. I’m interested to see if Berube uses him at centre in Game 1.
Chris Tanev: B
The Leafs gave up plenty of chances in the first half of the game, but Tanev was on the ice for little to nothing against. Unlike most games, he was kept off the penalty kill and wasn’t interested in risking an injury by blocking plenty of shots.
CHRIS TANEV 🚨
Ties the game with 1.8 seconds left in regulation pic.twitter.com/iArKtsXWoI
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 18, 2025
Dakota Mermis: B
Mermis made a turnover in the final minute of the first that immediately led to a goal against. However, he made up for it and then some by setting up Laughton for the overtime winner.
Brandon Carlo: B
Carlo failed to get in the shooting lane ahead of DeBrincat’s power-play goal, and frankly, I’m okay with that given the stakes of this game. The Leafs did well to limit chances against during his minutes at even strength.
Morgan Rielly: B
He was on for a ton of low-danger shots against early, but the Leafs ended up faring quite well in his minutes by expected goals. I’m interested to see if he can elevate his game in the playoffs once again.
Joseph Woll: C+
Woll stopped 12 of 13 in the first, with the only goal coming in the final minute. The goal certainly wasn’t on him: Mermis gave the puck away and Watson immediately roofed a perfect backhand.
Woll wasn’t as sharp in the second, as Holl’s point shot found its way past him two minutes in and DeBrincat fired a power-play one-timer a few minutes later. Dylan Larkin and Albert Johansson hit the post later in the frame, and while Woll was peppered with shots, he didn’t seem to be seeing the puck well. He bounced back in the third and finished with 31 saves on 34 shots to pick up the victory.
Bobby McMann: C+
His minutes were quite boring. He’s usually a fast forward who works extremely hard on the forecheck, but that simply wasn’t in the plans for a rather meaningless game.
Simon Benoit: C+
Benoit had a quality chance in slot early third, but he was on the ice for plenty of chances against. He racked up 19:44 as Berube tried to rest players like Tanev.
Nick Robertson: C
Robertson had a rough turnover in the early second, which is exactly what he can’t do against Ottawa. He had a half-decent chance in the third, but I guarantee the turnover is what Berube will remember.
The second line (Max Domi, John Tavares, William Nylander) – D
Let’s just say they didn’t break a sweat. Tavares took two offensive-zone penalties in the second and Domi couldn’t complete a pass. Nylander finally tried to get creative and tie the game up in the final minutes, but he gave the puck away twice.
Game Score
What’s next?
The Battle of Ontario starts Sunday at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet.
(Photo of Philippe Myers: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)