{"id":524401,"date":"2026-03-26T20:23:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/524401\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T20:23:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:23:34","slug":"blue-jays-buzz-helps-leafs-win-back-to-back-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/524401\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays buzz helps Leafs win back-to-back games"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers<\/a> 4-3 on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The team has a day off on Thursday. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Blue Jays players Ernie Clement and George Springer helped pump up the Leafs in the dressing room before Wednesday\u2019s game against the New York Rangers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unreal,\u201d said centre John Tavares<\/a>, who scored the game-winning goal in Toronto\u2019s 4-3 victory. \u201cIt was a little different type of preparation, but cool to have them in before and certainly [after] to celebrate a win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs are playing out the stretch in a disappointing season while the defending American League champion Jays are preparing for Friday\u2019s season opener. <\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the circumstances for us, I think it\u2019s great, the support for each other,\u201d said Tavares, who was in attendance for a few Jays playoff games last fall. \u201cWe love supporting them and it was unreal taking in their run. I know the excitement and probably the determination for them to go back out again and finish the job … really cool to share the admiration for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group of Jays in attendance on Wednesday welcomed the Leafs back into the dressing room following the win. <\/p>\n

\u201cPretty cool to have them in here after,\u201d said goalie Joseph Woll<\/a>. \u201cThey mean a lot for this city and everyone was pretty dialled in watching [their run]. They were so close, so hopefully they get an opportunity to do it again.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are cheering them on and wishing them good luck,\u201d said coach Craig Berube<\/a>. \u201cIt is great that they come to support and hang out a little bit. Really good guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘It was unreal’: Tavares, Leafs appreciate support from Springer, Jays The Leafs appreciated having a group of Blue Jays, including George Springer and Ernie Clement, in their dressing room before and after Wednesday’s game. “It was unreal,” said John Tavares. “It was a little different type of preparation, but cool to have them in before and certainly to celebrate a win.”\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The presence of the Jays injected a little extra juice into the dressing room and the building in general as the Leafs played for the second time in two nights. <\/p>\n

There was already a layer of added emotion, because Wednesday\u2019s game marked the second and final one of the team\u2019s Mentors Trip. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s been a grind for us coming back from the break and certainly where we\u2019re at,\u201d said Tavares, who invited his father-in-law as his special guest. \u201cA different type of energy the last couple days.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs delivered an impressive performance in front of their mentors on Tuesday night at TD Garden where they beat the playoff-chasing Boston Bruins<\/a> 4-2. It was the first time Toronto outshot a team in a win since Jan. 31 in Vancouver when they beat the NHL\u2019s worst team in a shootout. <\/p>\n

\u201cA fun couple games with having our mentors around,\u201d said defenceman Jake McCabe<\/a>, who had his dad in the crowd. \u201cIt\u2019s been tough sledding around here, so it\u2019s nice to collect some points over these last couple games.\u201d <\/p>\n

Craig Berube on Leafs Mentors Trip:<\/p>\n

“One guy wanted a couple hockey cards signed by me, so that made me feel pretty good \ud83d\ude00. I was shocked”<\/p>\n

It was Steven Lorentz’s guest, his wife’s grandfather, who asked for the autographs @BarDown<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the first time since early February, just before the Olympic break, that the Leafs have posted back-to-back wins. The four points lifted Toronto to 21st in the overall standings and lessened the chances of the team retaining its first-round pick this year, which will go to the Bruins if it\u2019s not in the top five. <\/p>\n

And while that may have some fans feeling down, the players are finally feeling up. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not in the best place right now, but you wouldn\u2019t know it,\u201d Berube said. \u201cIt\u2019s still great to win games.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, any chance the mentors will be kept around for Saturday\u2019s trip to St. Louis? <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to bring them on the road!\u201d Berube said to laughs.<\/p>\n

David McCabe on what it was like to see his son Jake score vs. Rangers Jake McCabe\u2019s father, David joins TSN’s Mark Masters to explain what it was like to see his son score against the Rangers, the highlight of the mentor’s trip with the Maple Leafs for him, where Jake gets his hardnosed style of play from, and more. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The Leafs have gone 4-2-2 since March 12, which was the day captain Auston Matthews<\/a> sustained a season-ending injury via a knee-on-knee hit by Radko Gudas<\/a>. None of the other Leafs on the ice confronted the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> defenceman after the initial hit, which led to a rebuke by Berube and some soul searching by the players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think we\u2019re playing a lot harder,\u201d said Woll. \u201cHopefully we carry that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to March 12, the Leafs ranked 26th in penalty minutes. Since March 12, Toronto leads the NHL in penalty minutes and has racked up five fighting majors.<\/p>\n

Dakota Joshua<\/a> dropped the gloves with Nikita Zadorov<\/a> on Tuesday night after the Bruins defenceman received a boarding major for a hit on Tavares. Rookie winger Easton Cowan<\/a> received a roughing minor for jumping in immediately to confront Zadorov. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have \u2018Cowboy\u2019 jumping in on Zadorov the other night and that\u2019s the intensity you have to play with,\u201d Woll said. \u201cDak with the big fight. I just think we\u2019re playing a lot harder and it\u2019s awesome to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua took a cross-checking penalty on Tye Kartye<\/a> after the Rangers forward hit Matias Maccelli<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Toronto was shorthanded five times in Boston and four more times against New York. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been taking too many penalties of late, for sure, but I think the guys are pretty tuned into getting involved, sticking up for each other, and getting in there, which is good,\u201d said Berube. \u201cI\u2019ve got no problem with it. We don\u2019t need to retaliate on some of the plays, but the guys getting in there and stepping up for each other is really important … It goes a long way. It goes a long way with culture and team chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua scored a goal, picked up an assist, and landed six hits in Wednesday\u2019s win. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe season hasn\u2019t gone the way we wanted it to personally or as a team,\u201d Joshua acknowledged. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to build some momentum here towards the end and feel good about your performances going into the end of the season.\u201d <\/p>\n

Leafs sweep Mentors Trip as ‘culture and chemistry’ continue to improve in wake of Matthews-Gudas incident The Leafs swept both games of their Mentors Trip while continuing to pile up penalty minutes. Since the non-response to the Radko Gudas knee on Auston Matthews, the players are not hesitating to jump in when there are flashpoints in the game. “It goes a long way with culture and team chemistry,” coach Craig Berube said.\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

McCabe snapped a 50-game drought with a first-period goal on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny, my kids were giving me a hard time today,\u201d McCabe revealed post-game with a smile. \u201cThey said, \u2018Dad, you never score goals. When are you going to score a goal?\u2019 So, it\u2019s nice to get one, especially in the first period when I know they\u2019re still up watching. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing their reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCabe\u2019s dad enjoyed seeing his son\u2019s fourth goal of the season. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always nice to see the big hits, but I\u2019d rather see him score,\u201d David McCabe told TSN. <\/p>\n

His son is a gritty defender, who leads the NHL with 173 blocked shots this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cAlways great when heart-and-soul guys like that come through and get rewarded,\u201d said Tavares. <\/p>\n

McCabe, who leads the Leafs in ice time (22:28 TOI\/G) and plus-minus (+14), received the player-of-the-game belt from Cowan. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe has been a hell of a leader for us this year and last year,\u201d said Berube. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCabe worked for his dad\u2019s construction company back home in Wisconsin at times during his youth. Does he get his hard-nosed style from his old man? <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to think it\u2019s from me,\u201d David McCabe said. \u201cI always tried to teach him to play the body, so it must\u2019ve worked. Jake was the youngest of the family. He\u2019s four years younger than his brother and sister. He tried to keep up with them and now he definitely is keeping up with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Dad, you never score’: McCabe snaps 50-game drought after critique by kids Jake McCabe scored his first goal since Nov. 18 in Wednesday’s win. “My kids were giving me a hard time today,” the Leafs defenceman revealed post-game. “They said, ‘Dad, you never score goals. When are you going to score?’ So, nice to get one especially in the first period when I know they’re still up watching.”\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Woll picked up an assist on Joshua\u2019s goal. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know I got an assist,\u201d the 27-year-old goalie said with a big smile. \u201cI got to rewatch it. I don\u2019t even know how it unfolded. I forget. Was it a save?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woll knocked down an attempted pass by Rangers rookie Gabe Perreault<\/a>, which led to a Joshua rush up the ice. <\/p>\n

The assist represented Woll\u2019s first career NHL point in his 113th game. Your humble correspondent wondered if the drought had been weighing on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah,\u201d Woll chuckled. \u201cThe lady out there told me it was my first point. I\u2019m like, \u2018Geez, it\u2019s taking me long enough.\u2019 I would\u2019ve thought I would\u2019ve got something. Not a point guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s fine by the Leafs, who appreciated Woll\u2019s 40-save performance on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cGreat again,\u201d Tavares said. \u201cObviously a lot of shots. We were shorthanded too much again, so he just came up big and battled hard and continued to just be really strong. I thought he controlled a lot of pucks so there wasn\u2019t too many second and third opportunities. We tried to do the best job we can in and around him, but he\u2019s got a lot of control of that as well. He did a really good job of just swallowing things up and deflecting things away from the net. He\u2019s a true pro with the way he prepares and the way he goes about his business. It\u2019s been great to see him build his game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woll\u2019s strong outing came on the heels of a great effort from Anthony Stolarz<\/a> in Boston. <\/p>\n

Woll missed the start of the season due to personal leave while Stolarz missed significant time with a nerve injury. Now, finally, Toronto\u2019s tandem is looking like the force it was last season. A reporter asked if the goalies are looking to lay a foundation for the next season. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur mindset is to play as well as we can and give our team a chance every night,\u201d Woll said. \u201cObviously we both want to be here and we want to win here. Yeah, exactly like you said.\u201d <\/p>\n

‘Took me long enough’: Woll picks up first NHL point to help Leafs solve Shesterkin Joseph Woll picked up an assist during Wednesday’s win over the Rangers. “The lady out there told me it was my first point,” the Leafs goalie said with a grin. “I’m like, ‘Geez, it’s taking me long enough’ … Not a point guy.” Woll also made 40 saves to outduel Igor Shesterkin.\n <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Lines to start Wednesday\u2019s game: <\/p>\n

Cowan – Tavares – Nylander<\/p>\n

Knies – Domi – Robertson<\/p>\n

Maccelli – Groulx – Joshua<\/p>\n

Lorentz – Quillan – Jarnkrok<\/p>\n

Rielly – Carlo<\/p>\n

McCabe – Ekman-Larsson <\/p>\n

Benoit – Stecher<\/p>\n

Woll<\/p>\n

Stolarz<\/p>\n