After losing Stolarz, Rielly, Leafs put up no fight vs. Sens

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The hockey gods officially have turned their backs on the Maple Leafs.

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If there was any doubt in the 2025-26 season from hell — and given the Leafs’ deserved place in the depths of the Eastern Conference, there really shouldn’t have been — it was dispelled on Saturday.

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The Leafs lost 5-2 against the Ottawa Senators in the latest Battle of Ontario and failed to take a bite out of the Sens’ playoff hopes. Toronto’s 14 shots on goal marked a season-low for the team.

Before the puck drop at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Leafs lost goalie Anthony Stolarz and defenceman Morgan Rielly.

Stolarz, who was scheduled to start, was taken to hospital for precautionary imaging after taking a William Nylander shot off the throat in the warmup. Rielly suffered a lower-body injury against Carolina on Friday and did not play.

“It’s really tough to see that happen,” Nylander told media in Ottawa. “I always come in and shoot the puck in the glove and this one just came off a little bit to the left. I was worried for him, but he seems to be OK, so that’s good. Very upset that he got hurt and couldn’t play.”

Rielly suffered a lower-body injury against Carolina on Friday and did not play.

Coach Craig Berube told media that Stolarz would be meeting the team at the plane to travel back to Toronto. The Leafs confirmed as much with a post to X, though there was no further update on Stolarz’s status.

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NO UNWINDING FOR WOLL

What a bizarre 24 hours it was for Joseph Woll.

Criticized by Berube following the overtime loss to the Hurricanes for failing to make big saves when required, Woll was forced to start on back-to-back nights for the first time in his National Hockey League career.

Woll played admirably in the Leafs net in facing 43 shots. As usual, he had little defensive help from his teammates. It also marked the sixth time in seven games that Woll started.

“It’s tough on Joseph, for sure,” Berube said. “I think he did a great job.”

We don’t think that what Berube had to say about Woll on Friday night necessarily was off-base. Woll wasn’t good against Carolina. Having said that, considering the Leafs’ lack of structure on any given night, and there was none of it against Ottawa, Berube could take sharper aim at the majority of his players who don’t tend goal. A long look in the mirror wouldn’t hurt, either.
Four of the Sens’ goals were at five-on-five. The other, Ottawa’s first, came on a power play by Tim Stutzle with Matias Maccelli serving a tripping minor. Berube called it a dumb penalty.

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REAL TEAM EFFORT

As a group, the Leafs were terrible against their provincial rivals. It’s not really a Battle of Ontario, or a battle of any kind, if only one side shows up to fight.

The Leafs had nine shots on goal at five-on-five, their fewest of the season. The Sens had 34. Per naturalstattrick.com, high-danger chances were 15-5 in favour of Ottawa at five-on-five.

Berube would have had a long list of players to single out. Matthew Knies was on the ice for 10 Sens shots at five-on-five and none by the Leafs; for Max Domi, it was nine against and none for.

Neither Calle Jarnkrok nor Jacob Quillan were on the ice for a five-on-five shot attempt by the Leafs. That’s not easy to do. The defence pair of Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers, who took Rielly’s roster spot, was clueless.

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Clearing the zone for the Leafs, as it has been all year, was tough to grasp.

With their playoff hopes dead, so much for the Leafs playing for each other in the room, eh? Even when they have had effort in recent games, the Leafs have not been good enough to win.

“We just don’t have enough guys that go out and push,” Berube said.

Never mind that the Leafs’ 71 points would have them scrapping for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They’re in the East, and have proven themselves incapable of keeping their heads above water. The Leafs are better in the conference standings than only the New York Rangers, who will be the opponent on Wednesday in Toronto’s next home game.

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COWAN, TAVARES GET THEIR DUE

There are no moral victories for the Leafs.

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Still, failing to recognize a couple of milestones wouldn’t be prudent.

Both Leafs goals had something a little extra, courtesy of the youngest and oldest players on the roster.

When Easton Cowan set up John Tavares after Ottawa built a 3-0 lead, the goal was Tavares’ 25th, marking his 14th season in the NHL with at least 25 goals. And the point was Tavares’ 1,171st in his NHL career, moving him past Bobby Hull into 58th on the career list.

Cowan scored five minutes into the third period to get the Leafs to within one.

For the first time in his 55 NHL games, the 20-year-old Cowan recorded two points. Not only did Cowan demonstrate his playmaking skills on the pass to the 35-year-old Tavares, he scored in the manner that Berube has been harping on all season for his forwards — going to the net and getting his nose dirty. That Cowan had three Senators around him didn’t matter. He was able to swat a rebound past prone Sens goaltender Linus Ullmark.

The points were Cowan’s first in six games and perhaps can kick-start a productive run in the Leafs’ last 11 games. Bo Groulx was saying after the loss to Carolina that he’s playing with a free mind in what amounts to a late-season audition.

Though Cowan’s spot is a little more firm for next season, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be approaching what’s left in the same way.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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