Up next is the stingiest team in the NHL, led by the league’s most dominant five-on-five line (Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Boldy, who are 16-0 in 5v5 goals). With the strength of competition only intensifying over the next two games, can the Maple Leafs somehow get themselves out of their tailspin before the hole becomes too big? (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).
Game Day Quotes.
Jim Hiller on Anthony Stolarz’s season to date:
He’s been pretty calm in the net. One, he stops the puck. He’s doing a good job of that. Two, he’s really calm in the net. He’s a big guy. I don’t think he’s sliding around that much. He’s pretty compact, so I think that’s really helped him. Not a lot of rebounds. Just very tight.
Hiller on the challenge against the Wild:
The obvious: They’ve got a few players who are stars in the league and you really have to be mindful of, and everybody knows them. They’re hard guys to shut down, and then they have real good goaltending. That’s a pretty good combination. That’s why they’re one of the top teams.
Hiller on his impressions of defenseman Cole McWard when called up:
I thought he played really well his first game, and we didn’t get him back in because Tanev came back in, but I thought he played really well.
The first one, or the first couple, are usually pretty easy, and then it gets harder as the grind goes. But he’s got a really good demeanor, and looking forward to seeing him tonight again.
Cole McWard on his first game as a Leaf:
First off, it was a lot of fun. It was an honour to wear the jersey. It was cool to be a part of it. Obviously, as a team, we hope for a better game. I thought I did well just being calm and making plays.
I think some defensive reads and changes from the AHL game to the NHL is kind of something that I’m thinking about now. I’m excited for tonight.
McWard on the adjustments from the AHL to the NHL level:
I think it’s just you gotta find the times when you can be aggressive defensively, and then find the times when you kind of have to give a guy maybe a little bit more space and look and see the options that he’s looking through. Just finding those reads, and more experience here, is helping.
McWard on his decision to join the Leafs organization on a two-year deal over the offseason:
I think that I saw a lot of opportunity here. It was Ryan Hardy when I was signing out of school, and I ended up signing with Vancouver. Toronto was one of the teams that I did speak with a little bit.
Fast forward a few years, and they’re still there, and they’re still showing interest. I felt that they believed in me, and it’s great to kind of be getting some opportunities here.
Troy Stecher on the mood and belief within the group:
Obviously, hasn’t gone the way we wanted this homestand, but our belief hasn’t wavered, and the connectivity amongst the group hasn’t wavered. We’re all still really close with each other, and the vibe’s great in the room.
Yesterday we had a great day at practice; energy was high, and made a couple adjustments to our systems. But we’re not dwelling on the past. We got a great opportunity tonight to beat a really good hockey team at home. I’m just focused on that.
Stecher on specific areas for improvement in the team’s game:
I think our kill’s obviously dropped off a little bit. We’d like to improve our kill. I think defensively that we would like to protect our house a little bit better. I think that would help the D and the goalies prevent goals against, moving dangerous shots to the outside.
In the neutral zone, obviously, we’d like to be connected and maybe enter with more speed instead of chipping. But there’s a balance between that, too. You don’t want to turn the puck over, right? Understanding time and space.
Offensively, it’s just simplifying, getting low to high, and getting pucks to the net and bodies in the net. Sometimes when it’s tough to score, you’ve got to kind of dumb the whole game down, and that’s when other things open up.
Stecher on Quinn Hughes’ ability to create space:
I was fortunate enough to play with him in Vancouver when he first came to the league, and I think he kind of opened everybody’s eyes to how good he really was.
The biggest thing with him is he doesn’t allow players to close the time and space on him. I feel like everybody’s in containment mode with him, and that allows him space on the ice to use his creativity. The way he skates, the way he sees the ice, his edge work is world class.
He’s an impressive player, and he will be one of our top focus — if not our top focus — in terms of someone who we want to shut down.
Stecher on the difficulty of defending Kirill Kaprizov:
You want to contain him in a certain way, and then guys like that find a way to make something happen in another way. Just through our pre-scout, it’s no secret. They like playing three wide as their forward group. They kind of spread the ice and get your forecheck and your coverage kind of spread out in that way, which opens seams.
I know it’s cliche, but connecting five guys to the middle of the ice is really going to take away a lot of their seam passes rink wide. If you do that, they’re going to have to go through three sticks. They’re going to have to go through a set of feet, a set of legs, and that’s where breakdowns happen.
We’ll try to limit Kaprizov from getting the puck on the outside, where he’s able to curl up, to drive wide, and have a bunch of options.
Wild head coach Jon Hynes on what Chris Tanev, who will sit out tonight’s game for load management reasons, brings to the Leafs’ defense:
He’s a tough, hard player to play against. Big, strong guy. He’s got good reach. He’s physical.
He stabilizes a lot of teams. He blocks shots. He’s just a strong two-way defenseman who is a difficult guy to play against.
Hynes on whether he’s ever held a player out for maintenance reasons:
I haven’t, but you know what? There’s different situations. I was just asked about Brock (Faber). What’s the right way to manage him when he comes back after the time off? There’s reasons that teams do certain things and what they believe in. But in my situation, I personally haven’t, no.
Hynes on the Wild finding different ways to win this season:
I think there are a couple of things that go on. One, the fact that we’re finding ways to win differently, and some other guys are starting to step up and produce. That’s what you want to have happen.
The top line’s played well. They’re going to get defended hard at times, and some nights they might not be at their best. And the other team’s really jacked up to play and doing a good job defending them when maybe those guys don’t have their A game every single night.
And when they don’t, they’re still playing well and not forcing things. I think they’re still playing good hockey, but those are the nights where you need everyone to step up. That’s why it’s important to have a good team and a team that has contributors throughout your lineup nightly.
Maple Leafs vs. Wild: By the Numbers
Swipe the table to compare teams.| Category | Maple Leafs | Wild |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 20 | 20 |
| Record | 8–10–2[23rd] | 13–3–4[T-3rd] |
| Points percentage | .450[23rd] | .750[T-3rd] |
| Goals for | 67[9th] | 65[11th] |
| Goals against | 70[T-28th] | 44[3rd] |
| Goals for / game | 3.35[13th] | 3.25[14th] |
| Goals against / game | 3.50[24th] | 2.20[1st] |
| Home record | 4–7–1[30th] | 5–0–2[3rd] |
| Away record | 4–3–1[T-12th] | 8–3–2[7th] |
| 5v5 shot attempts % | 48.1%[24th] | 50.8%[12th] |
| 5v5 goals for % | 45.7%[26th] | 62.5%[3rd] |
| 5v5 PDO | 98.8[22nd] | 103.0[5th] |
| Power play | 28.1%[5th] | 27.1%[8th] |
| Penalty kill | 86.4%[5th] | 79.0%[11th] |
| Head-to-head (2025–26) | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Leading scorers · Goals–Assists–Points | ||
| Scorer #1 | Auston Matthews11–17–28 | Kirill Kaprizov17–15–32 |
| Scorer #2 | William Nylander11–11–22 | Quinn Hughes6–21–27 |
| Scorer #3 | Jack Roslovic9–11–20 | Matt Boldy7–11–18 |
| Scorer #4 | Easton Cowan7–9–16 | Joel Eriksson Ek6–11–17 |
| Scorer #5 | Kirill Marchenko6–8–14 | Maxim Shabanov8–5–13 |
Maple Leafs Projected Lines
With an optional morning skate, these lines are merely a projection and final combinations won't be known until line rushes in warmups before puck drop.
Select a player name to view their card (must be on active NHL roster).
Forwards
| Line | Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53Easton Cowan | 34Auston Matthews | 96Jack Roslovic |
| 2 | 90Brendan Brisson | 91John Tavares | 88William Nylander |
| 3 | 92Gavin McKenna | 20Nick Paul | 77Ryan Tverberg |
| 4 | 24Brandon Duhaime | 73Teddy Blueger | 81Dakota Joshua |
Defense
| Pair | Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22Jake McCabe | 43Darren Raddysh |
| 2 | 95Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 28Troy Stecher |
| 3 | 36Dakota Mermis | 82Cole McWard |
Goaltenders
| 41Anthony Stolarz | Starter |
| 72Sergei Bobrovsky | Backup |
Injuries Or Other Absences
| Player | Status |
|---|---|
| 19Zack MacEwen | Game-Time Decision |
| 8Chris Tanev | Maintenance |
| 44Morgan Rielly | Day-to-day injury |
| 15Colton Sissons | Week-to-week injury |
| 3Nick Blankenburg | Week-to-week injury |
| 86Kirill Marchenko | Week-to-week injury |
| 83Marshall Rifai | Week-to-week injury |
| 11Max Domi | Long-term Injury |
| 18Miles Wood | IR |
Wild Projected Lines
Forwards
| Line | Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97Kirill KaprizovKaprizov | 14Joel Eriksson EkEk | 12Matt BoldyBoldy |
| 2 | 13Yakov TreninTrenin | 22Danila YurovYurov | 49Maxim ShabanovShabanov |
| 3 | 20Blake ColemanColeman | 47Michael McCarronMcCarron | 10Bobby BrinkBrink |
| 4 | 17Marcus FolignoFoligno | 38Ryan HartmanHartman | 71Nick FolignoFoligno |
Defense
| Pair | Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43Quinn HughesHughes | 25Jonas BrodinBrodin |
| 2 | 3Olli MaattaMaatta | 46Jared SpurgeonSpurgeon |
| 3 | 26Matt KierstedKiersted | 24Zach BogosianBogosian |
Goaltenders
| 30Jesper WallstedtWallstedt | Starter |
| 31Calvin PickardPickard | Backup |
