TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 3-1 victory against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, with contributions from David Kampf, Steven Lorentz, and John Tavares finding the back of the net. With this win, the Maple Leafs have tied with the idle Florida Panthers for the top position in the Atlantic Division.
Goaltender Joseph Woll delivered a strong performance for Toronto, making 30 saves to help his team improve to a record of 23-13-2 for the season. The only goal for the Islanders came from Jean-Gabriel Pageau, while Ilya Sorokin, their goaltender, recorded 22 saves in the loss.
Notably absent from the lineup for the Maple Leafs was captain Auston Matthews, who missed his fifth consecutive game. Earlier on Tuesday, he was officially placed on injured reserve in a move that was backdated to December 20, enabling Toronto to call up defenseman Marshall Rifai. Despite his current absence, the Maple Leafs stated that Matthews had returned to practice on Monday without any complications regarding his upper-body injury.
In terms of health, Maple Leafs forward Pontus Holmberg and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson were sidelined due to illness. For the Islanders, forward Simon Holmstrom was a late scratch with an upper-body concern.
In a key takeaway from the game, Woll showed signs of discomfort following a scramble in front of the net early in the second period but was able to remain in the contest. He had previously been out for the first few weeks of the season due to a groin injury.
The Islanders continue to struggle with their special teams, remaining at the bottom of the league with a power-play percentage of 11.5 before going 0 for 1 on the man advantage during Tuesday’s game.
A pivotal moment in the match came when defenseman Chris Tanev blocked a shot in his defensive zone, launching a breakout that led to Toronto’s opening goal.
Statistically, the Maple Leafs have a record of 2-3-0 without Matthews during this recent absence, contrasting sharply with the 7-2-0 record they posted in November when he was out of the lineup.
Looking ahead, the Maple Leafs and Islanders are set for a rematch, with the Islanders hosting Toronto in the second game of this home-and-home series on Thursday.
