The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Tuesday night. That’s the sort of headline Leafs fans would have loved at the end of last spring’s Game 7. Instead, Toronto got blown out of the water.
But on Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs really did beat the Florida Panthers 4-1. Joseph Woll outdueled Sergei Bobrovsky in a matchup of the Atlantic Division’s bottom-dwelling teams.
Boy, how things can change in a hurry.
Earlier this year, the Leafs and Panthers went the distance in their second-round series. If not for two atrocious games in the series, the Leafs could have punched their ticket to meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
But on December 2, 2025, the Maple Leafs played the game they had last spring. They got depth scoring from players like Scott Laughton, Dakota Joshua, an empty-netter from John Tavares, and a goal by Troy Stecher, of all people. They got fantastic goaltending from Woll, who made 26 saves on the night.
Had the Maple Leafs played like this during last year’s playoff series, well, who knows if the Leafs could have coasted to the Stanley Cup Final? Perhaps they would have beaten the Edmonton Oilers. Perhaps not.
But the bottom line is that, even if it came about six months later, the Maple Leafs finally played the kind of game they’re capable of against the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Could Maple Leafs finally be turning a corner?
Don’t look now, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have won three of their last four. Besides the horrendous showing against the Washington Capitals last Friday, the Leafs showed grit against the Columbus Blue Jackets, blew out the Penguins, and hung tough against the Panthers.
The Maple Leafs have cut down on the stupid defensive lapses and have maximized their scoring chances. Plus, the scoring has come throughout the lineup. The team is no longer reliant solely on Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Tavares has put up one of the best seasons we’ve seen by a Leaf veteran in a long while. Then, the supporting case has come up big.
On Tuesday night, it was the fourth line that made a key difference. Seeing Scott Laughton get a yeoman’s goal in front of the Panthers’ net encapsulated what the game was all about.
The Maple Leafs have one more road game in Carolina on Thursday night. A win against the Hurricanes would be the ultimate sign that Toronto is not ready to punt on the season. If anything, the Buds may have finally found their footing.