{"id":484663,"date":"2026-03-04T10:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/484663\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T10:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:28:28","slug":"3-takeaways-from-maple-leafs-3-2-shootout-loss-to-flyers-the-hockey-writers-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/484663\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ 3-2 Shootout Loss to Flyers – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> continued their post-Olympic slump with a 3-2 shootout loss<\/a> to the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night, which pushed their losing streak to four games. Dakota Joshua<\/a> and William Nylander<\/a> scored for the Maple Leafs, while Anthony Stolarz<\/a> made 23 saves.<\/p>\n

Related: Are the Maple Leafs and Oilers Working on a Nicolas Roy Trade?<\/a><\/p>\n

Christian Dvorak and Noah Cates scored for the Flyers, Trevor Zegras netted the shootout winner, and Dan Vladar made 29 saves. The Maple Leafs have now lost 10 of their last 13 games and sit seven points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. <\/p>\n

Dakota Joshua and Linemates Taking Strides<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a tough few seasons for Joshua. The 29-year-old has missed 66 games in the last three seasons, including 22 this season. Monday night was just his third game since Dec. 28, due to a lacerated kidney, but it was by far his best. Joshua had one goal, one shot, and three hits in 11:21 against the Flyers and seems to be getting his legs back. He now has seven goals and 11 points in 39 games. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was nice,\u201d Joshua said<\/a>, referring to his first goal since Dec. 16. \u201cIt\u2019s been a while, but it makes the hard days of recovery and coming back worth it when you can get one. It takes a little bit of time, but I feel like I\u2019m getting better every game, so it\u2019s a positive.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"DakotaToronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

His three hits were maybe more impactful than the goal. Joshua hasn\u2019t played in two months, so to see him reintroduce some physicality to his game was a really good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince (Joshua has) come back, he\u2019s been pretty good,\u201d head coach Craig Berube said<\/a>. \u201cI thought he did a lot of good things again tonight. Other than the goal, even though it was a great shot, good play. For me, he\u2019s being that heavy physical player that we need a good job for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua was lined up with Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli, and they were one of the better lines on the ice, consistently bringing that physicality that Berube alluded to. We all know it might be too little too late; however, it\u2019s good to see Joshua and his line providing good, consistent play shift after shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get back in the swing of things takes a bit of time,\u201d Joshua said<\/a>. \u201cBut I feel I\u2019m getting better every time, getting the cardio back into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews and Nylander Reunited<\/p>\n

A big talking point ahead of Monday\u2019s game was reuniting Auston Matthews<\/a> and Nylander on the same line, but they ultimately didn\u2019t have enough of an impact. Nylander scored a power-play goal late to secure a point for the Maple Leafs, while Matthews went scoreless in his eighth straight game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought they were good,\u201d Berube said. \u201cAuston had eight shots. Willie had four. They created. They just didn\u2019t finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews is an underrated defender, but last night, his line didn\u2019t have it, and being \u201cgood\u201d isn\u2019t what this team needs right now. No disrespect to the Flyers, but Matthews and Nylander were the two best players on the ice last night, and the Maple Leafs need them to take over games. Sure, Nylander scored on the power play to tie the game, but throughout the night, they simply did not do that. <\/p>\n

What Should Maple Leafs Fans Cheer For<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, win or lose, most people want to see a good game. I\u2019m not really sure what we saw last night, especially after reading and listening to some of the comments post-game.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing stings, but if you look at our complete game, we did a lot more tonight,\u201d Brandon Carlo said. \u201cWe were moving pucks up a lot faster and creating a lot of zone time. Definitely a stepping stone.\u201d<\/p>\n

I guess? Sure, the second period was better, but there were a lot of sloppy passes and a rock fight between two teams who probably won\u2019t make the playoffs, or will get bounced in the first round if they do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a lot of good things tonight,\u201d Berube said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to go out to Jersey and do the same thing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Did they? I\u2019m not sure what the bar is here. To hear the words \u201cstepping stones\u201d in March, and Berube toe the line between honesty and encouraging, all seems very unfamiliar at this time of the season.<\/p>\n

What should fans be rooting for? Small improvements to get the team back to where they were expecting them to be heading into October? Or should they hope for better chances in the draft even though they may have to give their first-round pick to the Boston Bruins anyway? Until they earn two points in the standings, it will be painful to watch. <\/p>\n

Up Next: Maple Leafs Tough Schedule Ahead<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re holding onto hope that the team will figure it out and make a successful push towards the postseason, I have good news. The Maple Leafs play the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, and both teams are having brutal seasons of their own. If there is any hope left, they will have to win both games. Regulation or not, it doesn\u2019t matter; just get two points. Because, after that, the schedule gets difficult for Toronto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in the first of seven games against playoff-bound opponents, including the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, and Carolina Hurricanes. Of the 14 games remaining this month, only five are against non-playoff teams, and that\u2019s concerning. <\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just about the Maple Leafs. In the Eastern Conference, we know how good the Lightning and Canadiens are, as are the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres (both teams the Maple Leafs play in the next couple of weeks). But the Wild are one of the best teams in the NHL, and the Anaheim Ducks, who Toronto plays twice before the month ends, are no joke either.<\/p>\n

All of that is to say, if the Maple Leafs are going to make anything of this season, they need to start with two wins against the Devils and Rangers. Even then, the writing might be on the wall, in capital letters.<\/p>\n

\"SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their post-Olympic slump with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[532,8080,5,20,5172,4,66,31,5171,1114],"class_list":{"0":"post-484663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-auston-matthews","9":"tag-dakota-joshua","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-maple-leafs","12":"tag-mapleleafs","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-toronto","15":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","16":"tag-torontomapleleafs","17":"tag-william-nylander"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116170438540050347","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}