» A goalie and a goalie-hater debate equipment, interference, bigger nets and more
04/04/25 12:22 from Down Goes Brown
Let us acknowledge the noble goaltender. The last line of defense, tirelessly doing the thankless work of keeping pucks out of the net, sacrificing their own bodies to block vulcanized rubber fired at upward of 100 miles per hour, all th...

» Breaking down the Leafs’ big win over Florida, and a critical look at their five-on-five play ahead of the playoffs — MLHS Podcast Ep. 88
04/04/25 10:15 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs’ important victory over Florida, their five-on-five play, their issues on the breakout, the third line situation, Craig Berube’s positiv...

» Ryan Reaves makes Marlies debut as Toronto drops an important point to Utica in overtime
04/04/25 01:33 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
“I thought, for the most part, we were okay. There was some decision-making where we didn’t move pucks quick enough and didn’t really establish much of a forecheck. … We sometimes have some really good shifts in a row a...

» Game in 10: Maple Leafs clinch playoff spot, open four-point lead on Florida with gutsy if imperfect win over Panthers
03/04/25 05:15 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The process wasn’t always pretty, but the Toronto Maple Leafs scratched out a pivotal regulation win over the rival Florida Panthers by a 3-2 score.  Against a heavily shorthanded Panthers team on the second night of a back-to-back...

» Paul Maurice on the Panthers’ performance in their loss to the Leafs: “I loved the first 40 and the last 10-12 minutes of the third period… I liked our game an awful lot”
03/04/25 03:45 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
After his team’s 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice discussed his team’s performance and the status of the injured Aleksander Barkov. On his team’s performance:  I didn’t like the first ...

» Craig Berube on the Maple Leafs’ big win over the Panthers: “It is the type of hockey we knew we had to play against Florida… Our team stuck with it”
03/04/25 03:00 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers, which clinched a playoff spot and improved the team’s record to 46-25-4. On the team’s performance:  It was a battle, right? I t...

» Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers – Game #75 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Broadcast Info
02/04/25 20:33 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
In the biggest game of the regular season (so far), the Maple Leafs enter this four-point matchup against the Panthers with a two-point lead in the Atlantic Division race (7:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet). There is one more matchup between thes...

» A brief history of the second-team all-star goalie being the NHL’s weirdest award
02/04/25 12:52 from Down Goes Brown
With a just few weeks left before awards ballots go out, we already know how one of the races will go. Connor Hellebuyck will win the Vezina. And if there’s any justice, the GMs who vote on the award will make it unanimous. Cool. Now let...

» What the Maple Leafs’ impressive win over LA tells us about the potential playoff matchup game — Leafs Notebook
02/04/25 09:44 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
During a week when the Maple Leafs took seven of eight points and reasserted themselves at the top of the Atlantic Division, one of their wins was particularly impressive. The LA Kings own the best home record in the league—they had lost...

» “Once again, it all falls on the Leafs’ top six, but it is the best top six they’ve ever had” — Anthony Petrielli discusses Toronto’s playoff lineup on Real Kyper & Bourne
02/04/25 00:37 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
MLHS’ Anthony Petrielli joined Real Kyper McKee & Bourne on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Maple Leafs’ playoff forward lineup, the Game 1 decision in net, the Morgan Rielly-Brandon Carlo pairing, and whether Philippe M...

» Craig Berube on the keys for the Maple Leafs vs. the Panthers’ Bennett & Marchand line: “You have to be careful with taking the extra shot or swing… That is what they want, and you can’t get drawn into it”
01/04/25 20:08 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
After Tuesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed a big matchup against the Panthers on Wednesday night and the team’s regular-season goals in the final nine games.  Practice Lines – Apr. 1 Lines at Leafs prac...

» Luke Haymes records first professional points, Toronto Marlies surrender a pair of three-goal leads in brutal home loss to Bridgeport
01/04/25 19:51 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
“We were playing so well for the first 30 minutes. We got away from our structure. We had individual breakdowns and got beat one-on-one. There are no excuses on our end. I thought we would be a little tired from our three-in-three and th...

» NHL weekend rankings: The Wild, the Habs, and the 10 teams we haven't ranked yet
31/03/25 12:30 from Down Goes Brown
With the calendar about to flip over to April, we’re down to three weeks left in the regular season. And that means we don’t have many of these columns left. The finish line is in sight. It’s safe to assume that the last few weeks will b...

» Craig Berube on the Leafs’ 3-2 win in Anaheim: “We looked a little gassed, but we did a good job defending and competed hard”
31/03/25 03:14 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, which improved the team’s record to 45-25-4. On the team’s performance:  The goalie was good. I thought the team competed hard toni...

» Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Anaheim Ducks – Game #74 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Broadcast Info
30/03/25 23:16 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The Maple Leafs hope to make it five out of six points on their California road trip but must dig in as a tired team against the rested Anaheim Ducks, who are out of playoff contention but have won three of their last four (8:00 p.m. EST...

» Luke Haymes and John Prokop make their Toronto Marlies debuts, Matt Murray delivers 36-save performance in shootout win over Belleville
30/03/25 18:41 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
“We didn’t get the start we wanted. I love how we just got better as the game went on. I thought it was an incredible win for our group. For the most part, I thought we carried the play, and when Matt Murray had to be there, he was...

» Game in 10: Maple Leafs ride their special teams to beat best home team in the NHL
30/03/25 05:15 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Overcoming a lack of five-on-five offense, the Maple Leafs leaned on their special teams en route to a 3-1 victory over a Kings team that seldom loses at home. The Leafiest possible outcome was to lose to the last-placed Sharks for the s...

» Get to know Ryan Kirwan: Maple Leafs add another college FA to the Toronto Marlies
30/03/25 05:14 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The Maple Leafs continue to add to their prospect pool through the college undrafted free agent route, signing Arizona State forward Ryan Kirwan, their third NCAA player of the 2025 spring cycle, to a two-year AHL contract. Kirwan has si...

» Craig Berube on 11 different Leafs dropping the gloves this season: “It’s very important that you stand up for yourself… I don’t expect everybody to fight, but push back… You are not going to get pushed around”
30/03/25 03:24 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, which improved the team’s record to 44-25-4. On the team coming back from 1-0 down in the third: Our special teams — the PK and...

» Toronto Maple Leafs vs. LA Kings – Game #73 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Broadcast Info
29/03/25 22:50 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The Maple Leafs look to bounce back from a sloppy effort in San Jose and reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic when they visit the NHL’s best home team (26-3-4), the Los Angeles Kings (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC). Game Day Quotes ...

» Slow start and missed opportunities sink the Toronto Marlies in Laval
29/03/25 14:58 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
“All the momentum swings are going to [Laval]. They are scoring those timely goals and power-play goals, and they’re getting timely saves. We had a really good opportunity to either take the lead or get a tie, but we’re falling sho...

» Craig Berube on the Leafs’ goaltending since the 4 Nations break: “It’s been a little up and down… But hey, they’ve been really solid for us this year”
28/03/25 23:21 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
After Friday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed the decision to make the practice an optional skate (with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner absent), load management down the stretch, the play of the Simon Benoit-OEL pairi...

» Battle of Ontario? Avs vs. Stars? Ranking the best potential first-round matchups
28/03/25 15:33 from Down Goes Brown
With just a few weeks left in the season, the playoff picture is coming into focus. And while we’re not sure which teams will claim the final wildcard spots in either conference, we’re pretty much locked in on 14 of the 16 playoff teams ...

» Game in 10: Maple Leafs grab loser point thanks to late comeback despite disappointing effort in San Jose
28/03/25 09:46 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
For the second time in March, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost a shootout decision to the last-place San Jose Sharks, leaving an important point on the table in the Atlantic Division race.  This game’s script was pretty different from ...

» Craig Berube on the Leafs’ second shootout loss to last-placed San Jose this season: “We all have to be better, goalie included…. It’s just not good enough”
28/03/25 05:45 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 6-5 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks, which dropped the team’s record to 43-25-4. On whether he’s encouraged by the late comeback or disappointed in the situat...

» Toronto Maple Leafs vs. San Jose Sharks – Game #72 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Broadcast Info
28/03/25 01:21 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The Maple Leafs hope to avenge a trap-game home loss/dropped point to the Sharks earlier this month when they pay their annual visit to San Jose (10:30 p.m. EST, Sportsnet Ontario). Worth noting: Touchdown Lightning! #GoBolts | #UTA...

» Craig Berube on the Leafs’ areas for improvement before the playoffs: “We have to keep banging away at the PK because that will be crucial”
27/03/25 21:11 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Ahead of Thursday’s game in San Jose, head coach Craig Berube discussed the areas for improvement in the final 11 games of the regular season, Max Pacioretty’s availability for the playoffs, and the challenge against the Shar...

» Luke Haymes and John Prokop discuss their decision to sign with the Maple Leafs: “It’s the best organization in hockey… It’s hard to say no to them”
26/03/25 20:35 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
After Toronto Marlies practice, college free agent signings Luke Haymes and John Prokop discussed their decision to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Head coach John Gruden also provided his early impressions of both prospe...

» Captain Logan Shaw leads the way with three points, Toronto Marlies defeat Belleville to solidify playoff hopes
26/03/25 19:44 from Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove
“I liked our start. We needed to get the lead. We came out, scored the first goal, and answered right back with a second [goal]. To get the win is huge. Hopefully, we can build off of that moving forward.” – John Gruden The ramific...

» 12 of NHL history's greatest record-breaking goals, ranked from worst to best
26/03/25 12:47 from Down Goes Brown
With the Alex Ovechkin goals chase now down to single digits, it no longer feels like a question of if he’ll break Wayne Gretzky’s mark this season, but rather when. We’ve already covered that question, a few weeks back . But there’s a s...

» NHL weekend rankings: A lot can change in 2 weeks, but I still believe in the Blue Jackets
24/03/25 13:23 from Down Goes Brown
Welcome back to the rankings, which took a week off last week. That gives us more recency bias to chew on than a typical week, and that means a minor shakeup in the Top 5 that features a new number one and the return of an old friend. Bu...

» The Contrarian: The Ovechkin goals record chase is bad, and other fake arguments
21/03/25 12:24 from Down Goes Brown
Welcome back to The Contrarian, the feature where you state the obvious and then I argue against it, because I’m a sportswriter and that’s just what we do, whether we mean it or not. This time around, you want to debate Alex Ovechkin, Co...

» When the players and the writers disagree on the best player: Breaking those ties
19/03/25 12:29 from Down Goes Brown
With a month left to go in the regular season, some of the award races are more of less settled. Connor Hellebuyck is going to win the Vezina, and will also be a first-team all-star. Barring an injury, Leon Draisaitl will win the Rocket ...

» Help me become a better contrarian
17/03/25 16:16 from Down Goes Brown
Hey folks… Thinking of doing another edition of The Contrarian. You send in a statement that you think is obvious or inarguable, and I’ll try to come up with the contrarian view. We've done a few of these, and the ones that work best fin...

» NHL weekend rankings: An unpredictable trade deadline shakes up the Top 5
10/03/25 12:08 from Down Goes Brown
Well, that was something. The annual trade deadline didn’t deliver huge numbers as far as the actual volume of trades, but the ones that did happen were significant, with more big names moving than just about any year in recent memory. A...

» Your favorite GM vs. himself: The roster he traded for against the one he traded away
05/03/25 13:27 from Down Goes Brown
Your favorite GM probably has his hands full this week, so let’s do him a favor and put him in a position where he can’t lose. Specifically, let’s put him in a contest against… himself. Yeah, this is going to get weird, but stick with it...

» Weekend rankings: The 5 most interesting names to watch on deadline week
03/03/25 13:33 from Down Goes Brown
Five days to go, and pretty much the entire hockey world is all deadline, all the time. While we overhype the deadline every year, this season really does feel different. I can’t remember many previous years where it felt like such a wid...

» Remembering the best seasons by a player who was traded midway through
28/02/25 13:44 from Down Goes Brown
With just one week left before the deadline, let’s kill some time on a Friday with a trade-themed question. What are the best statistical seasons a player has ever had while being dealt during that same season? It’s a tricker question th...

» Should your team make a big bold move at the deadline? Yes, and here's why
26/02/25 14:08 from Down Goes Brown
The trade deadline is just over a week away . Is your team going to make a blockbuster move? No, because this is the NHL, where all the GMs are whiny babies and making trades is too hard . There will be trades over the next few days, may...

» NHL weekend rankings: Closing the book on a memorable 4 Nations Face-Off
24/02/25 13:24 from Down Goes Brown
We’re back, because the NHL regular season is back. Not very much of it, though, with only two days’ worth of games to go on for this week’s rankings. In other words, don’t expect many big changes from a few weeks ago. Don’t expect a ton...

» Five reasons Team Canada will definitely beat Team USA tonight (and vice versa)
20/02/25 17:56 from Down Goes Brown
It’s Canada vs. the USA tonight, and it’s fair to say everyone is just a little bit dialed up. On one hand, that’s great – hockey rules when it’s played with real stakes, and it’s been a long time since a game has felt this important. Bu...

» Is Kyle Connor McDavid the best same-name combo player in NHL history?
19/02/25 13:31 from Down Goes Brown
We’re one day away from the biggest international showdown in 15 years, with Team USA hosting Team Canada in a grudge match that will feature all sorts of bad blood both on and off the ice. And I’m going to be honest: My tummy hurts. I k...

» NHL weekend rankings, 4 Nations Face-Off edition: A Saturday night for the ages
17/02/25 22:06 from Down Goes Brown
Here are this week’s NHL power rankings: The same as last week’s . That’s it. That’s the list. As you may have noticed, there haven’t been any NHL games played over the last week, which means there’s no reason to shift any of the ranking...

» Every Canada vs. USA matchup from a men's best-on-best tournament, ranked
14/02/25 15:11 from Down Goes Brown
On Saturday night, after over eight years of waiting, it’s finally back: Canada vs the USA in a best-on-best men’s hockey tournament. OK, maybe the 4 Nations Face-Off doesn’t have quite the same claim to “best-on-best” status as some of ...

» Which NHL team has the best all-time roster from one country that isn't Canada?
12/02/25 13:24 from Down Goes Brown
Since we’re all in an international hockey mood this week, let’s try a roster challenge that reader Derrick sent in a while ago. His question was simple: Which NHL team could produce the best lineup of three forwards, two defensemen...

» NHL weekend rankings: No, your predictions are wrong
10/02/25 14:29 from Down Goes Brown
Yes, it’s yet another batch of predictions. But this time it’s not me or the other writers making the picks, but you. Yes, you, personally, because I’m going to assume that you took part in The Athletic’s recent survey. More than 2,500 r...

» The 4 Nations Face-Off can't have any trades, obviously... but what if it did?
09/02/25 16:00 from Down Goes Brown
There are no trades in the 4 Nations Face-Off. There couldn’t be. It wouldn’t make any sense. Players play for their home countries, just like every other international tournament. Each team has a GM, but that guy’s job is simply to asse...

» Emergency Cap Court session: Does the rising cap change the verdict on these stars?
05/02/25 14:08 from Down Goes Brown
But the cap is going up. For years, it’s been the go-to excuse for any questionable contract signed in the NHL. Aside from the years immediately following the pandemic, the NHL’s cap ceiling always goes up, at least a little bit. And tha...

» NHL weekend rankings: Huge cap news, more blockbuster trades, and oh yeah, games
03/02/25 13:29 from Down Goes Brown
It was another weekend where the biggest stories came off the ice, including our second consecutive Friday night blockbuster. We’ll get to the J.T. Miller trade, and the follow-up deal with the Penguins, in a bit. But first, let’s focus ...

» Grab Bag: Offseason grades, a 4 Nations request, and happier times in Vancouver
31/01/25 15:49 from Down Goes Brown
We’re halfway through the season and haven’t done a Grab Bag yet. Let’s fix that today, with your favorite Friday complete waste of time… >> Read the full post at The Athletic (Want to read this post on The Athletic for free? Sign up for...