It’s a decent time to be a sports fan in Toronto, with the Blue Jays doing their best to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers juggernaut at bay in the World Series. Over on the hockey side of things, though, the Maple Leafs are dealing with some pressing problems.
An overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres meant Toronto teetered on the edge of souring things up on Saturday, with the Leafs struggling to make a statement in the post-Mitch Marner era. But it was not all bad news for hockey fans in the city after all.
When Will Leafs Star William Nylander Return To Action?
William Nylander was forced out of Friday’s game with a lower-body injury. The Leafs then chose to play their cards close to the chest, divulging precious few details on the extent of the injury.
Following Saturday’s win over Buffalo, head coach Craig Berube cleared the air, stating that the hope is that Nylander will be “fine” for their next game against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Lower-body issue for Nylander. Berube: “Hoping he will be fine next game, but we’ll see.” #Leafs
— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) October 26, 2025
The Leafs have some time to get Nylander healthy over the weekend, especially with a 4-4-1 start failing to inspire much confidence in the fanbase in the post-Marner era. Interestingly, Marner’s Vegas Golden Knights blanked on the same day, suffering a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers.
With Toronto a little shorthanded on the weekend, Berube turned to year-long trade candidate Nick Robertson to patch things up. “He did a good job. I thought he added energy to that line with his speed, and ended up scoring a big goal for us, which is great,” Berube said following the win.
JOHNNY TORONTO WALKS ITS OFF!!!!!!@OREO | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/QEAHc4XA3T
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 25, 2025
While time isn’t exactly running out for Toronto, they may be running out of options to jumpstart the offense.
When things were looking bleak against the Sabres, John Tavares decided to come to the party, racking up his 499th NHL goal at 1:28 of the extra period to condemn the Sabres to defeat.
Tavares is now on the cusp of entering the 500-goal club. When he does so, he will become the 49th player in NHL history to achieve the feat.