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Leafs-Devils takeaways: Matthews, Nylander rise to the challenge, McCabe’s outstanding return
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Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Arun Srinivasan
Jan 17, 2025, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 16, 2025, 23:39 EST
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William Nylander inadvertently presented a challenge to the Toronto Maple Leafs: good teams find their way out of three-game losing streaks, and through his own heroics, the Maple Leafs responded with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils, punctuated by Nylander’s breakaway winner. This quality wasn’t lost on Matthews either, who noted that no one else in the NHL gets more breakaways than his even-keeled teammate.
Nylander and Auston Matthews scored twice, as the Maple Leafs upended the Devils in Sheldon Keefe’s homecoming. Devils captain Nico Hischier scored twice on the power play, while Jack Hughes added a single to open the scoring.
“He doesn’t really change, I think he’s the same person through and through,” Matthews said of Nylander post-game. “The attitude stays the same. He’s going to do his thing out there, and he’s not really going to let any outside noise bother him, that’s something we really appreciate.”
Matthews was sensational in the third period, scoring two goals that almost ripped through the top corner of the net, bringing a Scotiabank Arena crowd back to life.
“He led the way. I thought that he was dialed in, he was working, shooting, attacking, doing a lot of good things, we need that from our leader,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Matthews post-game.
Matthws received the belt for his efforts — it has been retrieved, after Morgan Rielly figuratively presented it to Connor Dewar after Toronto’s victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on January 7.
Here are three takeaways, and one quick hit from the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 victory over the Devils 
  • Auston Matthews was sensational, especially during the final two periods of the contest. Matthews won puck battles, he remained composed throughout the contest, he worked well to create space for himself, as Mitch Marner looked for the open lane. And when it seemed like the Maple Leafs were out of answers, despite some good process, Matthews ripped two shots into the top corner of the net with unmatched velocity. It was a tremendous performance from Toronto’s captain, precisely the type of game that superstars can win by themselves. Devils captain Nico Hischier scored twice on the power play, taking advantage of two poor penalties from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jack Hughes’ speed and opportunism gave the Maple Leafs fits. Good teams find a way out, MVP-calibre players like Matthews make it easier to light a proverbial blowtorch.
  • William Nylander submitted a polarizing game, but his low points are just academic at this point. Nylander accidentally ended a Maple Leafs’ power play, tossing up a horrible pass, which sent Hischier alone for a breakaway and Marner took a penalty to break it up. From there onwards, Nylander turned his own game around, and worked well in tandem with Max Domi to get Toronto’s first goal of the contest. Domi has been elevated to the second line with John Tavares listed as week-to-week and Nylander appeared to show more trust in his linemates than he did in previous games. With the game on the line, Marner sprung Nylander with a terrific outlet pass and he made no mistake about it. Good teams indeed find a way out! “I think he reads the game very well,” Berube said of Nylander post-game. “He has a real high hockey IQ where he can get open and take advantage of people. That’s a great play by Mitch, too to read the change and get it up to Willy. Willy had a heck of a game. I thought he had second and third efforts on pucks. He was working tonight, as everybody was. That’s a good team over there, they have real high-end players that can do a lot of things. I thought we checked well and kept at it, kept at it, we were down and kept playing.”
  • Jake McCabe was also sensational in his return, missing four games due to an upper-body injury suffered against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 5. McCabe dismissed the notion that there would be any rust pre-game and it showed up on the ice. The 31-year-old broke up the point of attack with ease, he was terrific in rush scenarios, he got shots to the net, and was elite defensively alongside his partner, Chris Tanev, who must be thrilled to have him back in the lineup. McCabe blocked a shot on his opening shift of the game, and his effort level never waned, finishing with two assists, two hits, five shots on goal — bested only by Morgan Rielly, with seven shots — five blocked shots, a plus-eight shot differential at 5-on-5 and a 62 percent share of the expected goals. He also finished the final minute of regulation with an outstanding hit on Jesper Bratt, a player who causes havoc in transition. It was tremendous work from a player who augments the Maple Leafs in every facet of the game. “He plays such a big role on our team back there,” Matthews said of McCabe post-game. “Offensively, but defensively but he’s playing against the top line’s top players. He brings that physicality and he’s a guy that’s been around for a while. He plays a big role on our team, so it meant a lot to have him back tonight. He played great.”
  • Mitch Marner has been unfairly excoriated for his honesty, and he will go down as one of the greatest players in franchise history, a point worth reflecting on giving the quality of his game-breaking pass to Nylander on the overtime winner, and his clever drop pass to Matthews on the game-tying goal. He became the fastest Maple Leaf to 700 points and given this franchise’s storied history, be careful what you wish for when it comes to free agency — he’s had a better career than many of the players hanging in the rafters. “Yeah, that’s pretty incredible. I just found out after the game that’s the fastest in Leafs history. He’s a heck of a player, you all know that. You’ve seen him a lot more than me over the years. There’s not much he can’t do, in terms of the game.”
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