The Toronto Maple Leafs’ hopes of heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off on a four-game road win streak were crushed in their longtime stumbling ground Vancouver.
The Canucks surged in the third period to extend their dominance over the Leafs at Rogers Arena, securing a 2-1 victory. This marks their eighth consecutive home win against Toronto, a streak dating back to 2019, and their 12th win in the last 13 matchups at this venue.
Brock Boeser netted the game-winner midway through the final frame while the Leafs were on the penalty kill, handing Vancouver its third straight victory despite missing injured captain Quinn Hughes. Auston Matthews had a golden opportunity to snap both the tie and his six-game goal drought—the longest of his career in six years—but was stonewalled by Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen. The netminder also denied John Tavares in a desperate Toronto push with their goalie pulled.
With Matthews and Hughes now set to be teammates for Team USA at the 4 Nations tournament, the Leafs’ star forward hopes Hughes can recover from his lower-body injury in time to compete. Toronto will also be represented by Mitch Marner for Canada and William Nylander for Sweden. Nylander missed a crucial breakaway attempt early in the third when the puck slipped off his stick before he could execute his move.
This game mirrored their earlier low-scoring clash this season, where Lankinen blanked the Leafs 3-0. It nearly took five full periods for Toronto to break through, but it was Vancouver native Morgan Rielly who finally put them on the board. Rielly, who has struggled at Rogers Arena over the years, fired home his first goal in British Columbia since 2019. The moment came just after Toronto’s first power play expired when Oliver Ekman-Larsson recovered a Matthews misfire and set Rielly up at the point. The defenseman had been candid about how a tough conversation with coach Craig Berube reignited his offensive hunger after a shift to a more conservative team strategy.
Before that goal, Vancouver had completely stifled Toronto’s offense, cooling off their recent scoring surge. Joseph Woll, however, kept the Leafs in the game with 23 saves, including key stops to prevent a deeper deficit. The lone first-period goal came after a relentless Canucks forecheck forced a Toronto turnover, allowing Elias Pettersson to set up Filip Hronek for a clean finish.
On the Vancouver side, starting goalie Thatcher Demko was forced to exit just minutes into the game due to apparent lower-body discomfort that flared up after warmups. Following a discussion with head coach Rick Tocchet, Demko was replaced by Lankinen, who shut down the Leafs.
The loss drops Toronto three points behind the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, though they still hold two games in hand. As the 4 Nations tournament gets underway, the majority of the Leafs roster will use the 10-11 day break for rest and relaxation before returning for the final playoff push, starting with a Feb. 22 home matchup against Carolina.
