It was a fun return to Toronto last night for Leo Komarov and Matt Martin. Not so fun for the Maple Leafs though.

Maple Leafs let John Tavares down in 4-0 loss to New York Islanders

The Leafs now have four days off before their next game on Thursday January 3rd, which, yes, it is indeed at 2:00 p.m. ET. After that the Leafs will play Vancouver on Saturday, which is game #41, the half way mark of their season.

Kasmir Kaskisuo and Trevor Moore have both been loaned back to the Marlies. It is not clear if this is simply a temporary arrangement while the Leafs are on a break. There is not yet confirmation on when Frederik Andersen will be able to play again.

ICYMI
Here’s what we wrote about yesterday.

Mike Babcock, the Dallas Stars, and how to motivate hockey players - Fulemin
Guest appearance from Alec Baldwin.

Maple Leafs acquire goalie Michael Hutchinson from Florida - Katya
The wafer-thin goalie depth just got a lot better.

Other News

Tyler Lewington got a Gordie Howe hat trick in his second ever NHL game.

Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Blueprint – Centre Of Leafs Nation
"If I am Kyle Dubas, I would immediately turn to my counterparts in St. Louis and see what a package for Colton Parayko would look like."

Andersson situation highlights a problem the Rangers created themselves - Blueshirt Banter
By holding too many cards at the start of the year, New York placed one too many obstacles ahead of their most promising youth.

Settling Nurse Down - The Copper & Blue
When Nurse is deployed without Russell, the team allows four more unblocked shot attempts against per hour, five more scoring chances against per hour and four more high danger shot attempts against per hour.

Jim Paek played in Pittsburgh, coached in South Korea, but calls Nottingham ‘home’ - TheColorOfHockey
Paek and his family spent the Christmas holiday in Nottingham, the place where he closed out his professional career.

From The Branches