Four out of a possible six points.
It’s two wins in three road games for the Maple Leafs as they wind their way down to Florida, and who would have thought that just days ago?
We didn’t see it coming when the Leafs departed for Columbus after practice last Tuesday, not after Toronto had little presence in a loss in Montreal on the previous Saturday.
Some Leafs thoughts, not necessarily random, as the club’s trip continues on Tuesday against the Panthers:
TEST OF RESILIENCE
For the Leafs to continue the modest success they’ve had in the past few days, they’re going to have to ignore the cold reality that is the Eastern Conference standings.
If the Buffalo Sabres win at home on Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, it would move them one point past the Leafs and put Toronto back into last place in the conference.
If that happens — and if the Leafs lose to the Panthers — we can return to speculating about the future of coach Craig Berube.
That tightness highlights the mental demands on the Leafs as they continue to try to work their way up the standings ladder. They were four points behind the Canadiens for the third spot in the Atlantic Division before games on Sunday, and they were four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wildcard spot in the conference.
To a man, the Leafs told media in Pittsburgh following the 7-2 drubbing of the Penguins on Saturday that they know they have to use the renewed confidence as a stepping-off point for the rest of the week.
The trip finishes in Carolina against the Hurricanes on Thursday before the Leafs play host to the Canadiens on Saturday to begin a five-game home stand.
In short, the Leafs’ most lopsided win of the season in Pittsburgh will amount to nothing if the good vibes aren’t carried into Florida. Being honest, we’ll believe it when we see it.
The Leafs’ appetite for destruction in the defensive zone remains a problem that Berube and his staff struggle to solve. With this group, getting around it completely isn’t going to happen.
There was some progress in Pittsburgh, as the defence and forwards had a rare night where they were in sync. As good as Dennis Hildeby was in net, the Leafs didn’t have to rely on their goaltender to win a hockey game, unlike a few nights earlier when Joseph Woll stymied the Blue Jackets.
SOS FOR OEL
There was no official word from the club on Sunday regarding the status of defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as the Leafs were off and didn’t have media availability.
A most-welcome sight on Monday at practice in Florida would be an on-ice presence of Ekman-Larsson. He has been the Leafs’ best defenceman in 2025-26, so naturally there was concern when he departed wth 15 minutes to play in the third period with an upper-body issue.
Berube said afterward that he was hopeful that Ekman-Larsson would be fine, but we’ve all learned to take the Leafs’ initial comments on injuries with a grain of salt. Already without Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo, losing Ekman-Larsson for any length of time would be a blow to a mediocre Leafs defence corps that can’t afford another prolonged absence.
The Leafs in Pittsburgh didn’t have defenceman Simon Benoit, who returned home to attend a funeral. There wasn’t immediate word on when Benoit would be back with the club.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (24) and Maple Leafs counterpart Steven Lorentz (18) battle for the puck in Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
DON’T TOUCH THE FORWARDS
Matias Maccelli and Calle Jarnkrok each were healthy scratches in Pittsburgh.
There’s absolutely no reason for Berube to put either back into the lineup on Tuesday, barring an injury at practice on Monday.
Berube spoke of the importance of getting secondary scoring against the Penguins, and it would make zero sense to disrupt that flow.
Yes, Berube has seen good responses in Max Domi and Dakota Joshua after each sat for a game on the trip. Both players have to contribute a lot more than they have been, and their production in Pittsburgh was a good start.
Important, too, that Bobby McMann, Nicolas Roy and Nick Robertson each scored.
Maccelli and Jarnkrok can wait. And if the Leafs beat the Panthers, Berube might not want to play around with a winning lineup going into Carolina.
PANTHERS REELING
Lo and behold, look which team is tied with the Leafs in points for 14th in the conference.
It’s not a great time for the defending two-time Stanley Cup champion Panthers. They’ve lost three of their past four games after shutting out the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 20, allowing 18 goals in the process.
Also similar to the Leafs, the Panthers refuse to use injuries as an excuse for their lot in life. Captain Aleksander Barkov (knee) and heart-and-soul Matthew Tkachuk (groin) have not been part of the equation for the Florida.
The Panthers aren’t as bad as the Leafs, who sat 29th in goals against through games on Saturday, in the defensive zone. But some shine has come off Florida, as they have allowed an average of 3.17 goals against, putting them 19th.
When the Panthers won the Cup last year, they were seventh in goals against in the regular season at 2.72 a game; two years ago, the Panthers were in first, allowing an NHL-low 2.41 goals a game on the way to their first Cup title.
“This is our team, we’re not waiting for guys to come back from injuries,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after Calgary beat Florida 5-3 on Saturday. “We’re losing more games than you need to be a playoff team right now.”