‘Tough sledding’: Maple Leafs finish ugly homestand with sixth consecutive loss

TORONTO – Anthony Stolarz watched from the crease as his teammates battled for 60 hard minutes.

The goaltender also did his part with a string of big saves against Connor McDavid and Co.

One shot was the difference Saturday. The Maple Leafs once again came out on the losing end.

Toronto went toe-to-toe with Edmonton in a grinding, playoff-style matchup accented by an Evan Bouchard blast and 19 saves from Devon Levi in the Oilers’ 1-0 victory.

The Maple Leafs (8-12-2) completed a disastrous 0-6-0 homestand with their best performance of an ugly 12-day stretch, but wound up with the same result.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Stolarz said after finishing with 22 saves against an opponent that improved to 15-3-3. “That’s how we have to play. Get to the net and throw pucks to the net, get to their goalie, play solid defence and limit our mistakes.

“That’s a hell of a hockey team right there. They’re up there in the standings and we stuck with them every minute of this game. This is something that we have to build on. We have to play like this every night.”

Toronto’s six straight regulation home losses — a gauntlet that also included games against the Utah Mammoth, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche — are the most since the 1985-86 season.

“Guys played their tail off … I don’t think anybody’s going to question that,” said Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller, whose team was outscored 23-9 on its homestand. “I’d like to see them get rewarded. You write your stories, but I’m here to tell you we deserved better than that over that six-game homestand.

“We’ll move on to the next one.”

Toronto centre John Tavares, who had a goal called back for a high stick early in the third period, said the group’s failure to get results at Scotiabank Arena has been bitterly disappointing.

“We feel for our fans,” he said. “But the effort and the continued buy-in guys are having and trying to find our way through it, I thought has been there.

“Right there to win the hockey game and I guarantee we’re going to keep working to find our way through it. We’ll get through it and be better for it.”

The veteran forward added it’s important to keep doubt at bay as the Maple Leafs prepare to hit the road for a Tuesday matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“You try not to always get caught up in the results, but it’s ultimately what matters,” Tavares said. “I’d be lying if you didn’t say you feel it and it’s disappointing and frustrating, but you’re trying to channel all that in the right way. The way the group is continuing to stay positive and stick together is what we have to do.

“It’s tough sledding.”

Toronto defenceman Chris Tanev said everyone in the organization has to look in the mirror.

“At the end of the day, you need to get results,” he said. “That’s what this league is about. But got to try to build off of that and work hard to improve the areas that we need to.”

Hiller said the search for answers will continue as Toronto aims to climb out of this early hole — last in the Atlantic Division and already eight points out of a playoff spot — after missing the post-season last spring for the first time in a decade.

“We’re all professionals,” he said. “This is a hard thing to go through. But what’s your options? I think to me, your option is: come out and play your (butt) off.

“Hopefully things turn out better.”

CALLED BACK

Tavares tipped a William Nylander shot past Levi that would have tied the score 1-1 before the goal was called back for a high stick following a long review.

“That one hurt,” Hiller said. “I saw a goal called on the ice. I stared at my monitor for a minute. I couldn’t see anything that said it wasn’t (a goal). They stared at the monitor for five minutes.

“They found something that I didn’t see.”

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Tanev returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Colorado for load management after also watching last Sunday’s 4-0 setback to New Jersey.

The Maple Leafs are attempting to manage the 36-year-old’s workload after he was limited to 11 games last season and missed a chunk of the schedule earlier this fall.

“Whenever I’m playing, I’m gonna work my (butt) off to help this team win,” said Tanev, who’s clearly not in favour of the plan for his availability. “And when I’m not playing, I’m gonna work my butt off to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy.

“Hopefully I can stay healthy for a period of time and then we can re-evaluate what’s happening.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2026.