Maple Leafs subdue hot Flyers, end road trip with a win

Get the latest from Lance Hornby straight to your inbox

Published Nov 01, 2025  •  Last updated 10 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews scores a goal against the Flyers in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Photo by Mitchell Leff /Getty Images

The Maple Leafs took the hard route to their first road victory on Saturday.

Article content

A feel-good 5-2 win in Philadelphia that included Easton Cowan’s first NHL goal and another from frequent scratch Nick Robertson ended with defenceman Chris Tanev leaving on a stretcher and a rough and tumble final half period.

Article content

Article content

Tanev was knocked over from behind by the Flyers’ Matvei Michkov in his first game back from a concussion. The Leafs got into late penalty trouble as things turned a bit nasty, including goalie Anthony Stolarz losing his temper, but Toronto survived to bring their record to 6-5-1.

The game began ominously, a minute in on the first shot against Stolarz. The Flyers got the jump on the defensive tandem of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tanev. Christian Dvorak finished off a relay started by last year’s brief Leaf, winger Nikita Grebenkin.

Article content

Article content

Auston Matthews got that back taking advantage of Flyers’ Tyson Foerster going down blocking a Morgan Rielly shot. Matthews, who started the forecheck, snapped his fifth of the season after one in his previous six games from Rielly and the latest first-line right winger Robertson. Matthews has also assembled a 12-game points streak versus the Flyers.

Both Leaf power play units moved the puck well, but came up empty in a first-period double minor assessed to Travis Konecny. After Toronto killed a second-period bench minor, Jake McCabe floated a screen shot from the blue line for his second goal of the season. Robertson scored his third later in the period.

Cowan’s long-awaited first in the league was set up by John Tavares to open the final frame. After a muted celebration for his 500th NHL goal during a 6-3 loss in Columbus, Tavares had the assist on both Robertson’s and Cowan’s as Toronto knocked Flyers goalie Dan Vladar out of the game. He came in the league leader with a .939 save percentage.

Article content

Calle Jarnkrok added an empty netter.

LAUGHTON NOT BACK YET

Scott Laughton got as close as leading the morning skate warm-up for the Maple Leafs, but there was to be no timely comeback to the lineup against his former Philadelphia team.

His return from a foot injury is now targeted Monday at home versus Pittsburgh. He was represented, in a roundabout way Saturday, by Nikita Grebenkin, who was starting for the Flyers. The young Russian was part of the package Toronto sent to Philly at the last trade deadline for a package that included a first round pick in 2027.

It was Laughton’s unexpected absence for the first month of the season that led to much line-juggling by Toronto in what has been a furtive effort to find chemistry. Laughton was to have centred Steven Lorentz and rookie Easton Cowan, but when Moritz Seider of the Red Wings dinged him with a shot as the exhibition schedule ended, the Leafs had to move pieces around on all four lines.

Article content

That has been further complicated this past week by injuries to Lorentz (upper body) and William Nylander (lower body). Nylander missed his third game in Toronto’s past four, the team’s early-season scoring leader with 15 points.

Lorentz has been able to practice with the team the past couple of games after going head-first into the boards during Wednesday’s 6-3 loss in Columbus, a second suspected head injury.

Laughton did play the Flyers once since the trade, playing 14:51 with no points in an easy 7-2 Leaf win.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT?

Coach Craig Berube hasn’t pushed the Leafs very hard regarding practice time in a busy opening month of the season, but that changed Friday and Saturday.

Back-to-back full sessions, counting a team meeting and Saturday morning’s game skate, followed the lopsided loss in Columbus with the team entering Philly a game below .500.

Article content

The Leafs trying to put square pegs into round holes on offence was mentioned as a problem area by scorers such as Matthew Knies.

“Yes, we want to score but we can’t force things,” Berube said in the morning. “If it’s not there, live for another day. A careless turnover and it’s 2-on-1, 3-on-2, 4-on-3. It’s not a good picture. It’s costing us right now.”

KAMPF KEPT HOME

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night that demoted centre David Kampf is at home reconsidering his future rather than be with the Marlies for an AHL game in Chicago.

The 30-year-old Czech veteran was not claimed on waivers and in four games on the farm had one assist. He has played 301 games in Toronto, 536 overall in the NHL. A trade is likely Kampf’s desired result, but he carries a $2.4 million US cap hit and is signed through next year.

[email protected]

X: @sunhornby

Read More

1. 

   Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev stretchered off ice after heavy hit
2. 

   Maple Leafs healthier, but William Nylander to miss game versus Flyers

Article content