The Toronto Maple Leafs resume play tonight after two days off when they host the Nashville Predators at Scotiabank Arena. While a win would be just what the Leafs need to really get the wheels rolling yet again, it will not be easy. They will have to battle a member of the Predators who has dominated Toronto so far in his career. That player is Mavrik Bourque.
The 24-year-old was taken in the first round (30th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars and is only enetering his third full season in the league. However, that has not stopped Bourque from shining brightly against the Leafs.
According to his career splits versus opponents on Hockey Reference, the Plessisville, Que., native already has six points, which include five goals and one assist in four games played against the Leafs. That is the most points Bourque has tallied against any team in the NHL. Not to mention that the Shawinigan Cataractes alum has two game-winning goals versus the Leafs, meaning he possesses a certain clutch gene against Toronto.
The last time he played against the Leafs was April 13, when Bourque was still a member of the Dallas Stars. In that game, he recorded three goals, including the game-winning tally, along with an assist. What seems to be more impressive is that Bourque scored those three goals on seven shots, displaying how good a goal scorer he is.
FIRST CAREER @NHL HAT TRICK FOR MAVRIK BOURQUE!!!!! pic.twitter.com/CSI8JLpjqo
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 14, 2026
The Leafs have the right tools to keep Bourque off the scoresheet
Some may argue that he only dominated against the Leafs due to prior gaps in the defence. While that could be true, Bourque is still a talented up-and-coming player in the NHL. However, with the handful of depth pieces gathered by GM John Chayka this offseason, it put the Leafs at an advantage against Bourque.
According to Daily Faceoff, the former first-round pick is slotted on the Predators' third line. Speaking from the perspective of matchups, the Leafs have a shutdown group of forwards, which includes Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and more who can prevent Bourque from even attempting to score.
Stopping opposing players from absolutely dominating against you is hard, especially in the NHL, regardless of whether it is a future Hall-of-Famer or a youngster like Bourque. Nonetheless, the Leafs should be aware that a player who has shined against them is playing tonight and should be ready to try to stop him. They certainly shopped around and brought in some key, bottom six defensive anchors. Now it is time to put them to work to stop the kid who has turned the team inside out.
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