3 Takeaways From the Maple Leafs 2-1 Win Over the Islanders

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 04: Easton Cowan #53 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center on March 04, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Getty

The Maple Leafs needed a response after Tuesday’s disappointing opening-night loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

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They got one.

Toronto defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night, getting goals from Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan before hanging on through a tense third period. The Maple Leafs were outshot by the Islanders 27-26 but, more importantly, looked considerably more structured defensively than they had 24 hours earlier.

It wasn’t perfect.

A brutal defensive mistake in the third period allowed the Islanders to get on the board shorthanded, and suddenly what had looked like a comfortable two-goal lead became a one-goal game.

But the Maple Leafs found a way to close it out.

Here are three takeaways from Toronto’s first win of the 2026-27 season.

Easton Cowan Looks Ready for a Bigger Role

Easton Cowan had the kind of game the Maple Leafs desperately needed from one of their young players.

He finished with two points, assisting on Sissons’ opening goal before scoring Toronto’s second goal on the power play.

The power-play goal was particularly important.

Cowan found himself in a dangerous position and made no mistake when the opportunity arrived, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead late in the first period.

His assist on Sissons’ goal was just as encouraging. Cowan helped create the opening before Nick Paul and Sissons finished the play, giving him a hand in both of Toronto’s goals.

That’s exactly what the Maple Leafs need from him.

The trade of Matthew Knies to Columbus left Toronto with a much different-looking left side, and Cowan entered the season with an opportunity to take on a larger role. NHL.com had him projected on the third line against the Islanders, but his performance could force Jim Hiller to give him more responsibility sooner rather than later.

Cowan isn’t going to suddenly become a 30-goal scorer because of one game.

But he is showing signs that he can become an important offensive piece for the Maple Leafs.

And Wednesday was a heck of a start. He earned the game’s second star.

Anthony Stolarz Gives Toronto Exactly What It Needed

If Cowan provided the offense, Anthony Stolarz provided the insurance.

Stolarz stopped all 20 shots he faced before the Islanders finally broke through with a shorthanded goal in the third period.

That was the kind of performance the Maple Leafs needed after Tuesday.

Toronto’s defensive execution was hardly flawless. There were still moments when the Islanders generated pressure, particularly as the game tightened in the third period.

Then came the ugly sequence.

The Maple Leafs turned the puck over in their own end while trying to move it up ice, with Darren Raddysh making the key misplay that ultimately allowed Emil Heineman to score shorthanded.

It was a terrible goal to give up.

But it shouldn’t overshadow what came before it.

Stolarz was excellent, and several of his saves kept the Islanders from turning Toronto’s mistakes into goals. The Maple Leafs couldn’t afford another night in which their goaltender was left fighting an uphill battle.

This time, Stolarz gave them the type of performance that allowed the rest of the team to survive its mistakes.

That matters.

The Maple Leafs Penalty Kill Was Outstanding

The Maple Leafs also deserve plenty of credit for what they did when they went shorthanded.

Toronto killed off both Islanders power plays, keeping New York off the scoreboard on the man advantage.

That might not sound particularly dramatic, but it became increasingly important as the game progressed.

The Maple Leafs had a two-goal lead for most of the night. Every penalty created another opportunity for the Islanders to change the momentum.

Toronto never allowed it.

That is a significant improvement from the type of defensive performance the team wanted to clean up after Tuesday’s loss. The Maple Leafs were more willing to block shots, clear rebounds and make the simple play when they needed to.

They finished with 16 blocked shots compared to 11 for New York, another indication that the defensive effort was considerably more committed.

The shorthanded goal was certainly a blemish.

But outside of that one disastrous sequence, the Maple Leafs did what they needed to do.

They got timely scoring from Cowan, a brilliant performance from Stolarz and a perfect night from the penalty kill.

After opening the season with a loss, that’s exactly the kind of bounce-back performance Toronto needed.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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