TORONTO — The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The last time Mitch Marner played a hockey game at Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Maple Leafs submitted an underwhelming performance, and the star forward was booed lustily when he touched the puck.
Flash forward eight months, and the only thing new is the laundry.
The rested home team could have selected from any number of motivational sources to bring the heat on a polar-vortex Friday:
Show Marner what he’s missing? Exact a measure of revenge on a Golden Knights squad that rallied to beat them just last week? Do it for Nicolas Roy? Rally around the return of starting goalie Anthony Stolarz, who has been battling a “nerve issue” for more than two months? Make Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s relentless play through pain worth it? Snuff out a 0-1-1 home skid?
Or how about showing up for a passionate fan base that wanted this one? Or even the teammate next to you, who wants to make the playoffs?
Instead, Marner and the Knights rampaged through Bay Street like golden gods, scoring on their first shot, doubling their lead before the event was five minutes old, and cruising to a 6-3 victory.
A slow start in front of a (relatively) noisy throng and a soft finish after most of the jeerers and cheerers had long departed to warm up their vehicles for the recommended three minutes.
Why the absence of urgency?
“Good question,” John Tavares said. “I mean, every game is really important. We’re fighting for a spot, and we’ve come home here and we haven’t gotten the results we needed.
“We have to look in the mirror here and realize that, coming off of a pretty good road trip, we haven’t been able to follow it up.”
The Leafs have time to bounce back against Colorado Sunday and Buffalo Tuesday, but their 0-2-1 homestand has thus far been as tepid as the boos directed at Marner by Friday’s conflicted crowd.
“I didn’t think it was that loud, if I’m honest with you,” Rasmus Andersson, the newest Knight, said.
That’s partly because Vegas did an excellent job sucking momentum out of the barn early, which shouldn’t be the case considering the Knights had skated in Boston less than 24 hours prior, and the Leafs were at home waiting.
Still, the visitors won more puck battles, moved the puck with more pace, and displayed more poise and consistency, outshooting Toronto 31-21.
“Not good enough. We didn’t start on time. They played a back-to-back. We didn’t pressure them enough. Had good spurts throughout the game, second period in particular, but it’s just not good enough,” Scott Laughton said.
“Yeah, it’s concerning. They come in off probably a late night. We know how that feels. Sollie’s first game in two months, and that’s what we put up.”
Inconsistency abounds, in the stands and on the sheet.
Marner was given mostly a standing ovation during his video tribute and was greeted with child-written signs of encouragement pressed near the glass as the visitors warmed up:
WE MISS YOU MARNER!
YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVOURITE LEAF
ROSES ARE RED, LEAFS ARE BLUE, BUT NOW I WEAR GOLD, JUST FOR YOU, MITCHY!
He was also booed to varying levels whenever he made a simple play.
Yet his current teammates rallied around his return (catch Keegan Kolesar ripping one hater’s SELLOUT 16 sweater to the ground?) and his former teammates (Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, and Jake McCabe among them) caught up with their friend in the hallway postgame.
All things considered, the hometown star’s return was pretty comfortable.
Even when the Leafs woke up and delivered an ice-tilting second period, drawing within one goal of a team they’d be chasing all night, a flat third period (five shots) and zero-shot power-play followed.
“That probably bothers me more than anything,” coach Craig Berube lamented. “We’ve got the momentum, and we don’t come out, and it doesn’t look like we carried the momentum into the third period.”
It should be noted that the Knights simply dress more game-breakers. (Marner didn’t have or need a point in this one.) Whereas the Leafs sure could use a William Nylander type about now. Their leading scorer is hopeful to resume skating this weekend, but there is still no timeline for game action.
From the coach’s seat, though, Berube is demanding more from the guys who are available.
“The standard’s got to be better and higher. We’re at home here. We’re not playing consistently enough with the urgency that is needed,” Berube said.
Why not, Coach?
“I don’t have that answer for you. I wish I did.”
Just as the fan base wishes the date they had circled on the calendar had matched the hype.
“You can feel Leafs Nation cares, for sure. It’s a hockey city, and we want to deliver as good of a hockey experience as possible,” Bobby McMann said.
“And that’s focusing our energy on winning games and trying to deliver that to them.”
They’ll try again Sunday afternoon.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Stolarz’s start was a surprise to us Friday morning, and eyebrows raised when the first shot he faced in 73 days, via a wide-open Jack Eichel, bent the twine.
“I know it’s challenging for him,” Tavares said. “We wish we just played a better game in front of him, especially to start.”
In a corresponding move, the Leafs sent third-stringer Dennis Hildeby down to the minors.
Hildeby (5-6-4, 2.84, .912) has held down the fort nicely. Because he’s waivers-exempt, the goalie can jockey between the AHL and NHL all season. That won’t be the case in 2026-27.
• Andersson made his Golden Knights debut, purposely partnered alongside fellow Flames graduate Noah Hanifin. Andersson’s stat line: one assist, plus-1, two shots, three blocks, 21:33.
“It was time for me to try something different,” the former Flame says. “You look at the lineup. That’s a real contender, and that’s what I wanted to go to.”
• With two primary helpers Friday, Matthew Knies has already crushed a new career high in assists…
2024-25: 29 assists in 78 games
2025-26: 31 assists in 48 games
• Vegas captain and Team Canada forward Mark Stone’s 14-game heater continues to blaze with a three-point showing. The 33-year-old (20 goals, 52 points) has at least a point in 31 of 34 games played and his active point streak is a franchise record.
• Ekman-Larsson, remarkably, maintains his perfect attendance record. He’s the only Leafs defenceman to start all 51 games this season — despite leaving multiple games early due to injury.
“Everybody’s banged up,” Berube said. “It’s a mindset and a choice that you play through it. And he’s definitely one of those guys.”
The 34-year-old already has a Cup ring and a secured roster spot on Sweden’s Olympic roster. Kudos to him for playing hurt when no one would criticize him for resting a night.
Certified gamer.
