You can watch the Toronto Maple Leafs with reverent attention, and it may still not be enough to figure out how this team operates. It appeared that the Maple Leafs were turning the corner, boasting the best 5-on-5 offence in the NHL. Saturday evening presented a winnable game against a divisional rival, but the Maple Leafs fell short in a 5-3 loss to an undermanned Boston Bruins side.

Anthony Stolarz submitted his worst start as a member of the Maple Leafs and was pulled after the fourth Bruins’ goal, replaced by Dennis Hildeby. Hildeby was expected to start Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After Hildeby came off the bench, head coach Craig Berube did not confirm a starting goaltender for Sunday’s game.

“He was awesome. I put him in a shit situation, but he came in, handled it like a true pro and played well,” Stolarz said of Hildeby post-game.

If you’re looking for positives, Toronto’s dormant power play came alive, converting on 2-of-3 opportunities with goals from Nick Robertson and John Tavares. Matias Maccelli added an even-strength marker at the end of the first period. Morgan Geekie, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont and David Pastrnak all scored for the Bruins, while Fraser Minten exacted a measure of revenge, adding a third-period insurance goal to close out the victory. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters that he believed Minten was his best player. It certainly adds insult to injury.

Anthony Stolarz was arguably the Maple Leafs’ most valuable player last season, and while he’s been thrust into a true starter’s role this year, the 31-year-old has quietly been in poor form. Stolarz submitted his worst start of his Maple Leafs’ tenure, allowing four goals on 19 shots. And while the Maple Leafs made it too easy for the Bruins with several turnovers in their own zone throughout the night, Stolarz should’ve stopped the latter two goals, and was correctly pulled in favour of Dennis Hildeby.

Stolarz held himself accountable after the game, but also appeared to be nonplussed by a subpar evening.

“It’s obviously not up to par,” Stolarz said post-game of his performance through the opening month of the season. “It seems like every night I’m giving up one or two that I want back. For me, it’s just the life of a goalie. You just have to put it behind you and focus on the next game, get back to practice, work on a few things and tighten it up.”

Stolarz wasn’t necessarily at fault for Morgan Geekie’s game-tying goal, and Viktor Arvidsson’s goal was the result of a dreadful turnover caused by Philippe Myers and Dakota Joshua. The latter two goals Stolarz ought to have had back, even if the Maple Leafs’ defencemen offered no resistance.

Stolarz rejected the notion that he’s facing fatigue this season, but it’s clear he needs some rest. Joseph Woll started for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Saturday and is working his way back into game shape after missing a month due to a personal leave of absence. Hildeby can provide some spot relief, but Stolarz isn’t anywhere near the elite form he displayed during the 2024-25 season.

Scott Laughton left the game during the second period after taking a hit from Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov and did not return. Laughton will not play in Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes as a result. It was Laughton’s second game of the season, after working his way back from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup through November 5.

“I thought it was a head shot. I have to take a closer look at it,” Berube said post-game of Zadorov’s hit on Laughton.

Bobby McMann took issue with the play and fought Zadorov to a draw. McMann was commended by his teammates for entering the fight against the much taller and heavier Zadorov.

“I didn’t really see the whole thing, just caught it out of the corner of my eye,” McMann said post-game. “I didn’t really love the hit and that’s what I saw. Just caught it out of the corner, and wanted to make sure he knew that I didn’t like it.”

It’s a crushing loss, especially considering that Laughton worked tirelessly to get himself ready for the season, and excelled during the preseason. Toronto may be forced to quickly recalibrate its lineup, or call up Easton Cowan from the AHL, as Laughton provides solid defensive value and can be used in a number of roles for the team.

Toronto converted at an 11.8 percent rate with the man advantage prior to Saturday’s games, the second-worst total in the NHL. Given the collection of high-end talent on the Leafs’ top unit, there was some consternation about the team’s lack of success, especially when considering that the team led the NHL in 5-on-5 goals ahead of Saturday’s game. And while this will ultimately be a game to forget, Toronto’s power play converted on two of its four chances, showing solid puck movement from both units.

Nick Robertson opened the scoring, converting an excellent Max Domi pass at the back door. You may have heard this before, but Robertson is rounding into form, with six points in his past five games, and he was tenacious throughout the contest at 5-on-5, placed on a line with McMann and John Tavares.

Tavares continued his excellent season to date, recording his eighth goal of the season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander moved the puck around expertly, before Tavares beat Jeremy Swayman from the high slot. During the preseason, the Maple Leafs emphasized getting a shot off early in the power play, while getting pucks directly to the net-front so the two power forwards can jam away at high-danger looks. This hasn’t always come to fruition during the regular season, but for one night, we received some proof of concept that the amendments made throughout the week are beginning to pay off.

We’re not going to enter revisionist history by retroactively reviewing the opportunity cost to acquire Brandon Carlo. It’s a poor method of evaluation and Carlo was a quality add to a Maple Leafs team trying (and failing) to maximize their Stanley Cup chances. Fraser Minten made a strong impression with the Maple Leafs, but was sent to the Bruins at the deadline, along with a 2026 top-five protected pick. And during his return against the Maple Leafs, Minten exacted a measure of revenge, clinching the victory with a late third-period goal.

“It was awesome. Awesome result, good game by the boys, special night for sure,” Minten told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas post-game.

“I really love the boys here. They’ve been really good to me. We’ve just been building recently and having great games.”

It wasn’t an outstanding performance by Minten, as the Maple Leafs controlled the shots, chances, and expected goals when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, but those are predictive stats. Minten scored when it counted and put the game out of reach for the Maple Leafs during a Saturday night marquee. It certainly counts as a revenge game, especially as the Bruins extended their early divisional gap over the Maple Leafs.

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