Following an exciting three-game week to open the 2024-25 regular season, Toronto Maple Leafs fans were treated to just two games last week: a 6-2 victory during Wednesday’s tilt against the Los Angeles Kings and an Original Six matchup against the New York Rangers on Saturday which resulted in a 4-1 loss. This continued Toronto’s four-game home stand through the weekend before concluding Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Upon signing a four-year, $14M contract with the Maple Leafs at the start of free agency, the move received a mix of emotions from the fan base. Were the Maple Leafs going to get the Oliver Ekman-Larsson from Vancouver, who struggled throughout his stint there, or the player who was a key contributor to the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup run.

It seems Toronto has received the latter five games into the season, and Ekman-Larsson’s play has quickly become noticed and appreciated by the fan base. He’s no longer being tasked with being a team’s number one or two defenceman, but where he has succeeded over the past year has been in a second/third-pair role.

Through the first three games of the season, the 33-year-old registered one assist, which came in the 4-2 win over the Devils, and immediately followed that up with a three-assist showing last week, improving his season totals to four points – tied for second on the team. But it’s not just the points and the offence that have made fans appreciate the veteran blue-liner. Ekman-Larsson’s play away from the puck and physicality have been on full display alongside his partner Jake McCabe, whose pairing ranks 20th in the NHL with an xGA/60 of 2.77 (with a minimum of 55 minutes played at five-on-five), according to Moneypuck.com.

They haven’t been perfect by any means but they’ve looked pretty good together in the limited action with room for improvement.

After earning the first star of the week in week one of the season, Anthony Stolarz has made his way back on here, this time earning the second star of the week.

Stolarz likely didn’t anticipate playing in four of the first five games, but with Joseph Woll currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, the 30-year-old has become the main guy in the net. He started both games against the Kings and Rangers, securing his second win as a Maple Leaf on Wednesday. Although he came up short on Saturday night against the Rangers, he gave his team a chance to win the game yet again, and that’s all you can ask for.

In the two games last week, Stolarz went 1-1-0 while recording stellar numbers, posting a 2.03 GAA and a .954 save percentage

It seemed very unlike the two-time 60-goal scorer to go three games without a goal, let alone a single point. But Auston Matthews quickly reminded everyone why he is among the best of the best, scoring two goals and adding two assists for four points against the Kings and Rangers.

It wasn’t like Matthews and his line were not generating chances at five-on-five. A mixture of missed chances and hit posts were the main reasons why Matthews, Marner and Knies combined for just three points in the first three games of the season.

Fast forward to last week, Matthews recorded his first goal of the season after ripping one over the shoulder of David Rittich while adding two assists en route to an easy 6-2 win over the Kings. To close out the week, Toronto’s captain continued his scoring methods as he snuck one past Igor Shesterkin to get his team on the board in the third period while they were down 2-0.

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