The Toronto Maple Leafs made it clear they’re a playoff team after pulling off a 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night at Ball Arena.
Toronto marched into the Avs’ building and put together a solid effort against one of the NHL’s best teams.
In particular, the Leafs’ top players showed they could control the tempo of the matchup.
But it seems for a while that the game would get away from them for a while. After former Avalanche Nick Blankenburg scored the game’s opening goal, Nathan MacKinnon took over for Colorado. His two first-period goals put the Avalanche up 2-1 after two periods.
Even after taking a brief 3-2 lead, the Maple Leafs came back and put the clamps on Colorado. Toronto notched three goals courtesy of William Nylander, Easton Cowan, and Auston Matthews. The Leafs opened up a 5-3 lead following Matthews’ power play goal, giving the club some breathing room.
Scored by Auston Matthews with 07:58 left in the 3rd. Assisted by William Nylander and Kirill Marchenko.
COL: 3 | TOR: 5
#TORvsCOL #GoAvsGo #PassionNeverSleepsDespite a late push by Colorado to get back into the game, it just wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
For the Maple Leafs, it was one heck of a win after a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last Thursday night.
The decent effort against Vegas and the win against Colorado, last season’s two Western Conference finalists, prove that the Maple Leafs are indeed a playoff team.
Sergei Bobrovsky Was the Difference for Maple Leafs
After making 40 saves against the Golden Knights, Sergei Bobrovsky turned in another magnificent performance, making 30 saves on the night. He kept the Leafs in the game long enough for the offense to catch up.
And in the final stages of the game, Bobrovsky stood tall. He managed to keep the puck out of the net to preserve the win.
If there was ever any doubt about how Bobrovsky would fare for Toronto this season, fans have their answer. More importantly, critics will have to reconsider their reservations about the 38-year-old having a bounce-back season after a down year in Florida in 2025-26.
All told, the Maple Leafs starting goalie has to be the biggest reason why the team escaped Vegas and Colorado with three points in the standings.
Tanev Left the Game with Injury
Despite the tremendous effort, not everything was roses for the Maple Leafs. The club lost defenseman Chris Tanev in the first period. Tanev’s departure wasn’t devastating, as Jim Hiller had chosen to go with an 11-forward and seven-defensemen setup due to John Tavares’ absence.
The move worked out well in the end as the Leafs finished the game with six defensemen. Blankenburg moved into Tanev’s spot alongside Morgan Rielly. Blankenburg played over 16 minutes on the night, in what ended up becoming a baptism by fire. His performance against Colorado had to be highly encouraging, potentially offsetting the absence by Tanev.
The Maple Leafs will now head to Utah to round out their road trip. Toronto will take on Utah next Tuesday night in what looks to be a successful road trip, one that has proven that Toronto has managed to turn things around this season.
Maple Leafs Prove They’re a Playoff Team in Win Over Avalanche