Auston Matthews scored his 12th goal of the season, but the Maple Leafs lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild to extend their fifth straight home defeat.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs fell 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, losing their fifth straight home game after a 2-2 tie early in the third period unraveled following a series of defensive and neutral-zone miscues.
Minnesota winger Matt Boldy took advantage to complete his hat trick, turning the game in front of Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz and handing the injury-hit Maple Leafs another loss.
Matthews said he felt the Leafs played well against a strong opponent, but added that “compounding really big mistakes” have repeatedly led to goals against. He also said the club needs to “fight through it” despite a tough stretch of results.
The game-winning sequence came when the Wild entered Toronto’s end and coverage signals got crossed on Boldy and his linemate Ryan Hartman, according to Toronto’s explanation of the play.
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said the breakdown started earlier, noting, “We screwed that up in the neutral zone,” and that the situation became more difficult once it reached the point in front of the net.
With the loss, Toronto fell to a 1-7-0 record over its last eight games and has been outscored 22-9 during its home run at Scotiabank Arena. Stolarz finished with 21 saves and said the team needs to treat every game like a playoff, emphasizing blocking shots and playing with urgency.
Hiller’s message when asked about the team’s path forward was summed up by his comment: “I see lots of hope.”
Toronto also rested defenceman Chris Tanev for a second time in three games for load-management purposes. The 36-year-old missed nine contests earlier in the schedule because of an upper-body injury and had been limited to 11 appearances in 2025-26 due to various ailments.
Tanev said after sitting Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils that he does not agree with the decision, but understands it in light of his health issues over the last 12 months. Hiller said the organization weighs availability collaboratively and that “everyone’s involved” before a decision is made.
Minnesota defenceman Brock Faber, meanwhile, is nearing a return after suffering a skull fracture in the pre-season, and Maple Leafs opponents’ head coach John Hynes said he could be back as early as Saturday against the Boston Bruins.
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