Leafs use stinging loss as motivation as they head back on the road

The Maple Leafs travelled to Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The Leafs are on the road again.

"Just clean the suitcase and put it right back in," said winger Matthew Knies. "Ten hours at home, really. It’s fine. We had a good road trip, so we’re just trying to replicate that and keep piling on the wins there."

Toronto returned from a four-win, four-game trip following a thrilling overtime win in Pittsburgh on Sunday. After dropping a shootout on Monday night at home to the San Jose Sharks, the Leafs headed to Las Vegas on Tuesday to start another week-long trip.

"I did some laundry and cleaned my apartment and then packed my stuff right back up," said defenceman Conor Timmins before Monday's game. "Honestly, it kind of feels like we're still on the road."

The Leafs looked like a tired group in the third period on Monday as they squandered a 2-0 lead while being outshot 9-2 by the last-place Sharks.

"It’s just tough getting in late, you know, the travel, no days to really recover [for] your body," said goalie Anthony Stolarz. "But, at the end of the day, it is what it is and I’m sure every other team has little stretches like this, so there’s no excuses."

The 4 Nations Face-Off has resulted in a condensed schedule for every team down the stretch. Coming out of the break, the Leafs embarked on a run of nine games in eight cities over 17 days.

"Obviously, it’s not easy, but that’s part of the game," said centre John Tavares. "That’s part of the grind, what makes the NHL."

"We just have to battle through and get ready for the next game," said Stolarz.

The next game is on Wednesday in Las Vegas against a rested Golden Knights team that's been off since beating the New Jersey Devils 2-0 at home on Sunday.

The Leafs, meanwhile, boarded their flight in a foul mood after blowing a third-period lead for the first time all season.

"We let it slip so that should sting and burn leaving the rink," said Tavares. "Motivated as we head back out West."

The upcoming trip will also include games in Colorado on Saturday and a first-ever swing through Utah on Monday.

"Going back on the road, we have to get our rest and dial it back in here," Stolarz said.

"Some real tough challenges and big points that we need," said Tavares.

The Leafs are level on points with the Florida Panthers atop the Atlantic Division but still hold top spot because they have played one fewer game. The Tampa Bay Lightning are five points back.

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Craig Berube refused to use the schedule as an excuse for Monday's setback.

"It was fine," the raspy-sounding Leafs head coach insisted when asked about the team's energy level. "I actually liked a lot of our game. The second period was good. We took the game over. The power play was good and scored us a couple of goals."

Although, the power play also failed to convert on a 4-on-3 chance to start overtime.

"Have to find a way to come through," said Tavares, who had a goal and an assist in the losing cause. "Had our chances and just didn’t get it done."

Toronto dominated San Jose in the second period on Monday and held a 11-3 edge on the shot clock in the middle frame. So, what the heck happened down the stretch?

"We just didn’t check well enough in the third," Tavares said. "We still had the puck quite a bit until they tied the game and then it was pretty even from there."

"The last 20 minutes we weren’t playing our game," said Knies. "We gave up too many chances and they capitalized on it. We were just slow to get back to our net and protect it."

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky gave his team, which had lost eight straight (0-5-3) since late January, a spirited pep talk at the second intermission.

"You just remind them that there’s eight guys in there that have a lot of family and friends that came here to watch you and they came to watch 60 minutes and not 40," Warsofsky told reporters, referencing the group of Sharks players who are from Ontario. "And my last message was, 'It’s going to be a hell of a story.' Credit to the group, they dug in, just kept competing, and found a way to win."

Human nature may have taken over for the Leafs, who had won five straight and eight of nine.

"Just kind of let up in the third a little bit," said Stolarz, who described the Sharks as being a hungry group. "The first two periods were probably one of our best 40 minutes in a long time."

The Leafs may have also been too picky as only 27 of their 76 shot attempts found the net.

"We missed the net too much," Berube said. "We had a lot of opportunities, and we missed the net."

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Warsofsky put his two young stars, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, together on the same line in the third period. The move seemed to spark the Sharks even though the pair of teenagers did not hit the scoresheet.

"Incredibly skilled," Knies complimented, "especially when they played together in the last period there. They obviously fed off each other. You could see the talent there. They will be great players in this league for sure."
Smith finished with a team-high six shots.

Celebrini led all Sharks forwards in ice time (20:39) while blocking two shots. The first-overall pick in last June's draft has impressed Berube during his rookie season.

"Pace, speed, skill," Berube said of the 18-year-old. "He really attacks. He looks like he is going to be a really good player."

"He's an exciting player," said Timmins. "Obviously has a ton of skill. The one thing that stands out to me is how he competes on pucks, a lot of second efforts from him."

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Stolarz took the blame for his role in the defeat.

"A couple lapses by us and myself included," he said. "Just gotta get across on that first one and second one just gotta try and find the post there."

On the first Sharks goal, Stolarz bumped into Leafs defenceman Philippe Myers, which gave Sharks defenceman Jack Thompson, a native of Courtice, Ont., a wide-open net.

"Went off the end boards and kind of ran into Phil there, clipped skates, so I wasn’t able to get across," Stolarz said.

Thompson estimated that he had 20 to 25 friends and family in attendance.

"When you're a kid, I dreamed about scoring goals out here," the 22-year-old told reporters. "So, it was pretty cool to do it. I think I blacked out a little bit. Yeah, it was special."

Alex Wennberg burst past Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit, rounded the Leafs net, and fed Tyler Toffoli for the tying goal.

"A guy came around with a lot of speed and just did the overlap [with his leg and the post] and he made a nice play," said Stolarz, who saw his personal five-game winning streak come to an end.

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Calle Jarnkrok played eight minutes and 39 seconds in his season debut. The veteran forward felt "pretty good" as he returned from hernia and groin surgery.

"Took a while to get going," the 33-year-old Swede acknowledged. "Timing was a little off. I thought it got a little better as the game went on. Not great to start with a loss, though."

Jarnkrok was on the ice for San Jose's second goal, but was also on the ice when linemate David Kampf drew a penalty in the final minute of regulation.

The coach liked what he saw from Jarnkrok.

"He is always in the right position," Berube said. "He has a great hockey IQ. He skated well, I thought. He was on pucks. He was tenacious. He made some good plays."

"We’re really excited for him," said Tavares. "It’s obviously been a difficult year ... but he’s worked really hard. A big part of our team. Plays a really valuable role, unsung hero type of role for us, so happy he’s back. Very noticeable, the things that he does, just the way he forechecks, the way he closes time and space and reads the play, and he has a knack for the net as well."

Jarnkrok admitted that he dealt with some nerves while playing his 700th career NHL game. It was his first regular season outing since March 14, 2024.

"A little bit for sure," he confirmed. "It’s been a while. It’s been a long time since I’ve played a regular season game. Pretty much a year, I think. I was a little nervous in the beginning but I got over it pretty quick. It was nice to be back."

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Monday marked Toronto's first shootout of the season. The Leafs are the last team in the NHL to reach the tie-breaking competition this season.

"We have our guys," said Berube. "There is film, too, that they look at on goalies and where they can maybe beat them."

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Tavares failed to score. Marner's stick snapped on his shot.  

"It is unfortunate that Mitch broke his stick, but shootouts are 50/50," Berube said.

William Nylander scored Toronto's only goal in the shootout.

Stolarz stopped Celebrini and Smith, but was beaten by Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund.

"You just kind of get a little pre-scout on what guys are going to do and any kind of moves that they have, so the video guys do a good job of getting that ready for us," said Stolarz. "They’re putting maybe two or three in [the video prep] and these guys have maybe five or six moves. You don’t want to commit to one move and then he comes out and does something completely different and undresses you. So, just trying to be patient and sit back and let him make the first move and not try to go down."

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Leafs lines in Monday's game:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Holmberg - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Domi - Robertson
Dewar - Kampf - Jarnkrok

Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
McCabe - Myers
Benoit - Timmins

Stolarz
Woll