3 takeaways from Leafs-Jets: Domi shines, Ekman-Larsson’s concerted offence, Matthews is back

Domi’s tenure with the Maple Leafs can also resemble a rollercoaster, but he was consistent throughout the evening, and may have found his optimized role. He’s clearly best suited as a top-six right wing, where his playmaking ability shines, his defensive responsibilities are minimal, he can stick up for his star centres in scrums, and stay involved in the game with plenty of puck touches. Domi has been making the most of his opportunity with a resurgent Auston Matthews, and was cooking on Saturday evening.

This game could’ve got out of hand quickly for the Leafs, after Kyle Connor provided the Jets with a 2-0 lead. During the next shift, Morgan Rielly smartly pinched in the offensive zone, and got the puck over to Domi, situated behind the net. Domi calmly assessed the situation and found Matthews cutting through the middle of the ice without much resistance. Matthews made no mistake on the release, scoring 23 seconds after Connor’s goal, changing the tenor of the game.

Domi exuded real confidence throughout the game as well, and went for a spectacular between-the-legs attempt, which he couldn’t lift over Connor Hellebuyck. He was completely dialled in, and Toronto’s first line with Domi, Matthews and Bobby McMann all got on the board during Saturday’s win, which bodes well leading into Monday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

After the game, Domi thanked the fans for their support during the road trip.

“We got the best fans in the world, and it’s not even close,” Domi said post-game. “Last night, we got in late, it was freezing cold and pitch black, and we had like, 100 fans waiting for us.”

A concerted offensive effort from Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s offensive efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, but he delivered another stellar performance from the blue line on Saturday. We highlighted Rielly’s smart pinch on Matthews’ goal, and Ekman-Larsson made several clever reads throughout the game.

Ekman-Larsson also engineered the initial stages of the comeback, scoring three minutes and 30 seconds after Nino Niederreiter provided the Jets with a 3-1 lead. Easton Cowan and Nick Robertson took off on the rush, with Robertson bursting down the wing and surveying the ice upon entering the offensive zone. Robertson spun away from Logan Stanley and saw Ekman-Larsson jumping into the play, firing an incisive horizontal pass. The veteran defenceman then wired the puck into the top corner, once again cutting the Jets’ deficit.

It briefly appeared that Ekman-Larsson scored his second goal of the game, but it was clearly deflected by Bobby McMann. Ekman-Larsson and Rielly were intent on creating offence throughout the night against an impotent Jets team that were unlikely to pose much danger on the counterattack.

Ekman-Larsson finished with a 61.6 share of the expected goals at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, while being directly involved in the actual goals and providing stellar defensive impact. It was another excellent game in what’s been a resurgent campaign for the Olympic-bound defenceman.

Auston Matthews is back, tell a friend, then tell 10 more

Auston Matthews is back, tell a friend, then tell 10 more. Matthews has been on fire since his return to the lineup on New Year’s Day where he registered a hat-trick. He’s fully resembled the face-of-the-league calibre superstar that scored 69 goals two seasons ago during the calendar year of 2026, with nine goals and 13 points in nine games, midway through the month. At the time of this filing, Matthews is tied for the league goal-scoring lead during January with New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad. Matthews was once again a catalyst in a major Leafs’ win, recording a team-best five shots on goal (tied with Domi) winning 8-of-13 faceoffs, while getting to the high-danger areas of the ice with frequency.

Matthews scored the Leafs’ opening goal on a clever read from Domi and seemingly improved as the game wore on, a welcome sign for a Leafs team that has often struggled down the stretch. It was an excellent game from Matthews, and he almost buried the winner, but was stopped by a kick-save from Jets forward Mark Scheifele.

“I think they’re not booing for no reason, so I kind of just take it as it is and just have fun with it because, a lot of times it’s fun, especially when you’re out on the right side of it like tonight,” Matthews said post-game, about the jeers from Winnipeg’s crowd.

Toronto survived a gruelling road trip with two victories in three overtime games, to go along with a 6-1 loss, where the tape has been already burned. The team will play host to an invigorating home stand against some of the NHL’s best teams this week. Matthews being all the way back is the greatest sign for a Leafs team, that will be almost certainly be without William Nylander on Monday.