Maple Leafs report cards: Nylander scores in overtime for a chaotic win in Pittsburgh

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


In the opening minutes of their 6-5 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it looked as if the Toronto Maple Leafs were in for a comfortable outing.

Just 10 minutes in, the Maple Leafs were up 2-0 with a 13-3 shot advantage, dominating a tired Penguins team playing an early game on the second leg of a back-to-back. Less than five minutes later, Toronto was down 3-2, and the team ended the first period with a 17-13 shot deficit.

Things got more chaotic from there. The Penguins carried the play for much of the second period, but the Maple Leafs tied things up on the kind of deadly Auston Matthews wrister that has been conspicuously absent in recent weeks. The lead slipped through their fingers again on a Bryan Rust goal, but they scored twice on breakaways in the last minute of the frame, highlighted by a dazzling Matthew Knies buzzer beater:

The third period was a bit calmer after an early Penguins goal, and William Nylander sealed things in overtime for the Maple Leafs’ seventh straight OT win.

It was a bizarre performance that coach Craig Berube is unlikely to love, but it’s tough to go lower than a ‘B’ for a road win in which Toronto overcame some suspect goaltending.

Unit grades

L1 (Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner): B

The top line had a productive afternoon with two goals, but it was also on the ice for two from the Penguins — including Rickard Rakell’s third-period game-tying score that included some shoddy defensive work by Matthews.

The line won its minutes, but that was also a fair expectation against a tired and unimpressive Pittsburgh squad. We can’t go below a ‘B’ on account of the brilliance of the Knies goal.

L2 (Pontus Holmberg — John Tavares — William Nylander): A

Like the first unit, this group accounted for a few moments of offensive brilliance, capped off by the game winner.

Nylander and Holmberg also combined on a nifty passing play to set up the Conor Timmins goal and Tavares breaking free on his second-period score.

Their work was tarnished slightly by Holmberg and Tavares losing a battle on the way and choosing a bad time to blow the zone on Pittsburgh’s first goal. The other goal they were on the ice for was in the middle of a change, and Toronto outshot Pittsburgh 10-4 in their minutes.

L3 (Bobby McMann — Max Domi — Nick Robertson): B

The third line had a loud start to the game with significant positive and negative moments. The biggest positive was Domi scoring his first goal since Dec. 20.

Robertson also covered himself in glory with an excellent backcheck that is among the best defensive plays of his career.

Domi also took two minor penalties.

All of that happened in the first period, and things quieted down significantly from there, which was a blessing and a curse for the Maple Leafs.

L4 (Connor Dewar — David Kämpf — Ryan Reaves): D

This trio had a strong finish to the 2023-24 season as the team’s primary fourth line but entered Sunday’s game with just 9:03 together in 2024-25.

Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, the unit could not recapture last season’s magic — or, more realistically, competence. The line spent the majority of the game chasing pucks around its own zone, particularly during a brutal second period that included a couple of icings that dialled up the pressure. 

Pittsburgh out-attempted Toronto 17-3 in their minutes.

D1 (Morgan Rielly — Oliver Ekman-Larsson): C-

In a game with no shortage of offence, this duo didn’t threaten much, and each of the blueliners was present for at least three Penguins goals. Their worst moment was the Rust goal, as the Penguins winger got behind both and drove to the net without meeting much resistance.

This pair’s play has been better in recent weeks than earlier in the season, but it wasn’t their afternoon.

Berube ultimately broke this duo up late in the game, pairing Rielly with Philippe Myers while Ekman-Larsson saw time alongside Jake McCabe.

D2 (Jake McCabe — Philippe Myers): B+

Even with Chris Tanev out, Berube leaned heavily on this pair, who ranked first and third on the team in five-on-five minutes.

In their time together, the Penguins were kept off the scoreboard, and McCabe had a significant offensive highlight, setting up Tavares on a perfect stretch pass down the middle.

Myers skated a season-high 20:21 and was the only Maple Leafs defenceman who wasn’t on the ice for a single goal. He peppered the net with five shots and delivered four hits.

D3 (Simon Benoit — Conor Timmins): A-

It’s not often this pair gives Toronto an offensive boost, but Timmins did just that by scoring his first goal since Nov. 9 on a nice play in which he crossed all the way to the left side and snuck into a strong shooting position.

The pair also posted solid on-ice numbers and was on the ice for Toronto’s first goal. It was the first game this season in which both blueliners put up at least a plus-2 rating.

Power play: B-

The Maple Leafs power play wasn’t much of a factor on Sunday. The unit got just one opportunity and didn’t score, but PP1 possessed the puck well and set up a Matthews one-timer. The second unit wasn’t particularly convincing.

Penalty kill: C-

The power-play goal the Maple Leafs allowed was weak enough that the PK unit shouldn’t be criticized too harshly, but the group gave up too many quality chances.

The Penguins managed six shots in 2:43, while the Maple Leafs — particularly Matthews — consistently struggled to clear the zone.

Goaltender (Joseph Woll): D+

There’s no need for euphemisms here. Woll had an ugly outing on Sunday.

While the 26-year-old wasn’t particularly culpable on the first goal, which was a slot deflection on a hard, midrange slap shot, neither the second nor third goal should’ve had a chance.

On the second goal, he slid way too far to the right …

… and on the third, he allowed a harmless Sidney Crosby shot through:

The other two goals were more defensible, but neither was unstoppable. Woll ended the afternoon with 29 saves on 34 shots.

Game score

Single HockeyStatCards com 12

What’s next?

The Maple Leafs come home to face the San Jose Sharks on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime.

(Photo of David Kämpf congratulating William Nylander on his overtime goal: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)





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About The Author

Avatar of Fannie Hogan
Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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