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3 takeaways from Leafs-Canucks: Nylander steals the show in return, special teams outstanding

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You can only play the opponent in front of you, and the Toronto Maple Leafs put on a special teams clinic against the Vancouver Canucks, winning 5-0. Matias Maccelli opened the scoring during a first period power play, Nick Robertson book-ended the game on the power play with 13.4 seconds remaining, Max Domi, William Nylander and John Tavares scored in between, while the penalty kill was outstanding.

Toronto killed four penalties during the first period, along with Vancouver’s entire momentum. The shots were 15-6 in favour of the Canucks after the first period, but the Maple Leafs emerged with a 3-0 lead, never looking back. Joseph Woll was terrific, going relatively untested against an anemic Canucks side, stopping all 29 shots on goal.

Domi won a spirited tilt against Marcus Pettersson, despite giving up seven inches in height. Domi dropped Pettersson, to the approval of the crowd and his teammates alike.

“Threw a couple of rights, and then switched to left. I didn’t know he had that, but it was just unreal. He’s the heavyweight now,” Maccelli said of Domi post-game.

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Brandon Carlo was awarded the team belt, given to the Leafs’ best or most impactful player in a winning effort. Carlo was surrounded by the rest of Toronto’s defencemen, the embodiment of a true team effort.

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Here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 5-0 victory over the Canucks: 

William Nylander delivers an excellent performance in his return to lineup

William Nylander returned to the lineup after a six-game absence and didn’t miss a beat. Nylander showed his dynamic skating and playmaking from the jump, registering a goal and an assist during the first period.

Nylander set up Matias Maccelli’s game-opening goal with a sharp, incisive pass on the power play. It’s the type of creativity and dynamism that head coach Craig Berube is looking from the power play, and he explained why he moved to John Tavares to the second unit, following Saturday’s morning skate.

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“Willie’s coming back. I like what (Matias) Maccelli has done on it,” Berube said. “I like (Matthew) Knies in the bumper and I love the rotation with Willy and Knies, net-front, bumper, it just gives us more options there.”

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Nylander continued to drive the play throughout the night, and scored a scintillating goal to close the first period. Steven Lorentz sprung Nylander, who slipped behind Marcus Pettersson, then tucked the puck past Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, giving the Leafs a 3-0 lead.

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Nylander did a great job of turning strong defensive results into instant offence. Canucks rookie Zeev Buium sent an aimless pass through the neutral zone, Nylander read and one-touched it to Tavares, who was already in all alone behind the defence, and made no mistake shooting the puck into the net.

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It was a terrific overall performance from Nylander, who put any concerns about his health to rest with his three-point night on Saturday. Toronto outshot Vancouver 6-3 when Nylander was on the ice at 5-on-5, and he finished with a game-high 89.2 percent share of the expected goals via Natural Stat Trick.

“He’s a skilled guy, he’s got a lot of talent. Tonight, he had three points. It was the work. He was skating, backchecking, stripping people of pucks. When he does that stuff, he can be a really great player, obviously,” Berube said post-game.

“He does a lot for us. You can see his ability to make plays, to score goals, the way he can skate. He played great today,” Tavares said of Nylander post-game.

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Scott Laughton is leading an elite Maple Leafs’ penalty kill unit

Scott Laughton is getting his flowers for his leadership and determination throughout the year, and he’s been essential to the Leafs’ penalty kill. This may not be a takeaway just from this evening, but Laughton, Steven Lorentz are leading an elite penalty kill, which also features Jake McCabe, Brandon Carlo, Troy Stecher and Auston Matthews.

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“We’re a good faceoff team, but he’s been on a roll. Especially on the penalty kill. He starts on his offside a lot, but he wins them a lot. Gets the puck down the ice. Kills the momentum of the power play a little bit, so he’s been very effective,” Berube said of Laughton post-game.

Laughton was aggressively jumping gaps and wound up for a slapshot on a breakaway. He dominated in the faceoff dot for the second consecutive game, finishing 17-of-22. Matthews, who is arguably the best shot-blocking forward in the NHL, generated two key chances as well. Lorentz’s speed and discipline in gaps is notable, while Stecher’s competitiveness for every loose puck, along with his spatial intelligence completely shines. Throw in Carlo’s steadiness and ability to get exits, and the Maple Leafs’ elite penalty kill deserves further recognition.

“I think it’s huge. They’ve been building really, really well for the last number of weeks. You can just see the confidence that they have, just how well-connected they are, how they’re in sync, and how they’re feeding our team, our energy, and we’re getting a lot of looks the other way as well,” Tavares said.

There isn’t much predictive value against the last-ranked Canucks

Again, you can only play the opponent in front of you. Toronto was outstanding in most facets of the game, but there isn’t a lot of carryover value from a 5-0 win against a bottom-feeding team. Vancouver hasn’t held a lead during the calendar year of 2026, it traded its captain before Christmas, and it may be the worst offensive team in the NHL.

There were imperfections, to be sure: Toronto controlled just 36 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, but it’s a misnomer in a 5-0 win.

David Kampf, who was waived by the Maple Leafs after refusing to report to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, is operating as the Canucks’ second-line centre. Kampf’s individual underlying numbers were strong, but it obscures a performance from the Canucks that amounted to cardio.

Joseph Woll certainly deserved to record a shutout, but he didn’t face any quality looks from the Canucks. We’re not here to discount any positives from a comprehensive win, but the lottery-bound Canucks didn’t pose any real test for the Maple Leafs. Toronto should expect better competition Monday against the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche, to start a four-game road trip.

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