David Kampf, Steven Lorentz, and John Tavares found the back of the net as the Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 3-1 victory against the New York Islanders on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena. Joseph Woll delivered a stellar performance with 30 saves, aiding Toronto (23-13-2) in tying with the idle Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders (14-7-7), with Ilya Sorokin making 22 saves.
Maple Leafs’ captain Auston Matthews missed his fifth consecutive game following his placement on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. Despite his absence, a team representative confirmed Matthews faced no setbacks during his recovery, having recently returned to practice.
In the match, Kampf completed a well-executed play initiated by William Nylander to score his second goal of the season. The Islanders appeared to equalize early in the second period; however, the Maple Leafs successfully challenged the goal with an offside call. Moments later, a Toronto goal was overturned due to goaltender interference.
Pageau managed to cut into the lead at 11:59 of the second period, courtesy of a clever pass from Noah Dobson. Yet, Lorentz swiftly responded for Toronto, reclaiming the lead just 16 seconds later. A critical save by Woll on Brock Nelson’s short-handed breakaway ensured Toronto’s advantage late into the third period, and Tavares cemented the win with an empty-netter.
Toronto faced additional challenges with Pontus Holmberg and Oliver Ekman-Larsson out due to illness, while Simon Holmstrom of the Islanders was also absent with an upper-body issue. The Islanders’ power play struggles continued, failing to capitalize on their single opportunity in the game.
The victory ensured Toronto remains competitive in the division despite the ongoing absence of Matthews, who has not played in the last five games with the team achieving a 2-3-0 record in his absence. The two teams are set to meet again as the Islanders host the Maple Leafs in the continuation of their home-and-home series on Thursday.
