Overview
- Toronto dropped to 24-18-9 with its third straight defeat and fifth in six, conceding six goals again in a 6-3 home loss to Vegas.
- Head coach Craig Berube said the team’s standard and urgency have declined at home and faulted the weak third-period push, adding that constant tweaks are not the solution.
- Anthony Stolarz started his first game in roughly 70 days without a conditioning stint, made 25 saves, and was not identified as the primary reason for the defeat.
- Berube provided no firm timeline on William Nylander, expressing hope he skates this weekend, and said Dakota Joshua is still not on the ice.
- Analysts criticized usage and pairings—highlighting limited minutes for Scott Laughton, ongoing struggles for rookie Easton Cowan, and mistakes by Jake McCabe—as six games in ten days now make an eight- or nine-point haul feel necessary to keep pace in the playoff race.