The Toronto Maple Leafs have played rather well as of late. Toronto had some less-than-ideal performances coming out of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. However, the Maple Leafs defeated the Calgary Flames at home before taking down the Colorado Avalanche as well. Now, it seems as if John Tavares and company have their confidence back.
Tavares, especially, has played inspired hockey as of late. This was certainly on display on Thursday night in New York. The Maple Leafs star scored two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers. This brought the veteran forward to 1100 career points. He became the eighth active player to reach that mark, according to the NHLPA.
This milestone drew a rather humorous reaction from teammate Jake McCabe. “The ultimate pro. The ultimate model of consistency. He’s a great example for all of us in our room and such a huge part of our team. So, yeah, it’s 1,100 points, man. S**t, that’s a lot of points,” the Maple Leafs defender said, via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
Maple Leafs finding their stride at the right time
The Maple Leafs defeated the Rangers on Thursday night, giving them three straight wins. After a run of five losses in six games, this is certainly a welcomed development. And it could not come at a better time. Toronto is tied on points (87) with the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead.
The Maple Leafs won’t admit that they were frustrated during that poor run. However, they did recognize that they had the ability to play better. Toronto identified what went wrong with their on-ice performances. And the adjustments have certainly paid off in the interim.
“We weren’t up to standard, and certain things were creeping in, and results started to reflect that a little bit,” John Tavares said about their poor run of form, via Fox. “It was just a great job internally, along with the coaching staff, the locker room, just identifying that, talking about it, and most importantly, addressing it and getting back to work and understanding the way we need to play.”
The Maple Leafs want to win the Atlantic Division to give them a more favorable first-round matchup. If they continue this level of play, they have a legitimate chance at claiming the division crown. Toronto retakes the ice on Saturday night when they take on the Nashville Predators on the road in Tennessee.
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