The Toronto Maple Leafs finally snapped out of their rough patch with a dominant 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. But despite the much-needed victory, William Nylander wasn’t exactly throwing a party.
The Swedish star had a goal and two assists in the win, adding to his impressive season total of 38 goals and 71 points in 67 games. Yet, when asked about the win, he kept things simple:
“It’s just one win. We gotta keep it going.”
No sugarcoating, no overhyping—just straight facts. The Leafs had lost five of their last six games before this, and while beating Calgary was nice, it won’t mean much if they don’t keep rolling. With tough matchups against the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers coming up, Nylander knows one win won’t fix everything.
🚨🎙️ William Nylander: “It’s just 1 Win. We gotta keep it going.”
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) March 18, 2025
— @SportsOnPrimeCA #leafsforever
pic.twitter.com/VHzdB7NOdl
Meanwhile, Auston Matthews had been struggling to find the back of the net, but he finally broke his goal drought with a fluky one against Ottawa on Saturday. On Monday, he made sure there was no luck involved, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the win over Calgary.
Head coach Craig Berube had a simple but meaningful response when asked about his captain’s performance:
“That’s your leader, right? Led the way. Led the way with effort, competitiveness, just work.”
In other words, Matthews did what he was supposed to do. He’s not the loudest leader, but when he plays like that, he doesn’t have to be. Now, the challenge is to keep that energy going as the playoff race heats up.
What else is up in Toronto
On the other side, defenseman Brandon Carlo is still settling into life as a Maple Leaf after being traded from Boston last week, but he’s already feeling the love from the Toronto fanbase.
“At first, it was a little bit of a shock. I wasn’t really expecting it to be true. Overall, since I got here, you know, hockey guys-hockey guys, they’re the best. So, coming into this room, it’s been very welcoming. I’m very proud to be wearing this sweater.”
Carlo is known for his steady defensive play, and while it’ll take some time to fully adjust, Leafs fans are happy to have him.
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Is Auston Matthews injured?
While Matthews looked great on Monday, there are still concerns about his health. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs captain has been dealing with an injury all season and has been pushing through to prove his leadership.
“You can sense that Matthews, as captain, wants to show that he can push his way through it… But it’s clear that he’s bothered by something.”
That raises the big question—should he even be playing right now? With the playoffs approaching, the Leafs need to decide if having Matthews at less than 100% is worth the risk.
For now, the Leafs are two points behind the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. Whether they can climb to the top—and keep Matthews healthy—remains to be seen.