The Toronto Maple Leafs have a habit of starting slow – both in the season and to start a game. It has been the talk of the town that the Leafs find themselves out-skated, and often out-scored, by their opponent. The team has been scored on first in nine of their 14 games so far this season, and this was the case at an extreme level on Monday when they fell behind the Penguins 0-3.

And despite being scored on first by Utah, the Leafs looked a lot more sharp over 60 minutes, coming away with a 5-3 victory. Matias Maccelli scored against his former team for his third goal as a Leaf. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matt Knies all scored as well. And John "Captain Rex" Tavares scored his 501st career goal. His line with McMann and Robertson was +9 in shots and +1 in goals on the night. Tavares is on pace for 40 goals in his 17th NHL season.

On some other performances, I was impressed with the Nic Roy line as a whole. I think Roy stabilizes his line up the middle and is a pain in the ass to move wherever he is. Dakota Joshua has impressive hands in front of the net. He often found ways to chip the puck towards the net in the scrambles, and made a nice pass to Maccelli for his revenge goal. Scott Laughton made his season debut with Lorentz and Domi on his wings. They were outshot and -1 as a line in 10 minutes of icetime. Domi was the least-used player for the Leafs against Utah.

#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Toronto Maple Leafs on 2025-11-05 #LeafsForever

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards.com) 2025-11-06T02:44:54.644806+00:00

John Tavares' 500th goal ceremony

Leafs Goals

(Boo) Mammoth Goals

Other Highlights

Nylander caught this puck perfectly mid-stride with only one hand on his stick.

From the Branches

Members of the Toronto Maple Leafs visit veterans at Sunnybrook
Members of the Toronto Maple Leafs visit veterans at Sunnybrook ahead of Remembrance Day. CTV’s Rahim Ladhani reports.
CTVNews
Maple Leafs assign rookie Cowan to AHL Marlies
The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned forward Easton Cowan to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Wednesday.
TSNTSN.ca Staff

Nazem Kadri skated in his 1000th career NHL game last night as well. He's about 200 games and 200 goals behind his former London Knights and Maple Leafs teammate John Tavares, which sounds like a lot but isn't a massive difference from a career perspective.

Flames celebrate Kadri’s 1,000th NHL game | NHL.com
Veteran forward joined by family for special pregame ceremony
NHL logoAnna Kulesa
Ovechkin becomes 1st player in NHL history with 900 goals | NHL.com
Capitals forward scores against Blues to reach milestone
NHL logoNHLMedia

Checking in on your exes...

Maple Leafs struggling to replace Marner, Zeisberger says | NHL.com
NHL.com writer also discusses Mammoth, Makar, Stamkos on ‘NHL @TheRink’ podcast
NHL logoNHLMedia
Real Kyper’s NHL Buzz: Shanahan wants back in with a team
Nick Kypreos shares what he’s hearing around the league, from a potential Brendan Shanahan return, to Montreal and Vancouver’s search for a centre, Macklin Celebrini’s charge to an Olympic spot, and more.
Sportsnet.caNick Kypreos
How are NHL’s nine new coaches faring so far?
So, let’s do a quick check-in on each of the nine — count ’em, nine! — coaches who are about a month into their start with their new clubs.
Sportsnet.caJustin Bourne
‘Bodies have to go’: Top NHL insider predicts rapid roster moves for Edmonton Oilers
‘Bodies have to go’: Top NHL insider predicts roster moves for Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton JournalDavid Staples
Penguins to be without Jarry, Brazeau and Acciari for at least three weeks
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Justin Brazeau, Noel Acciari, and goaltender Tristan Jarry will all be out long-term due to injuries, the team announced on Wednesday.
TSNTSN.ca Staff
From The Branches