First, some news:
Double A is going to Rockford!
The goalies don't work very hard at the all-star games, so he'll be fine.
Easton Cowan has some new bling, or he will once he gets back home:
New rings who this pic.twitter.com/HyiV3iC3fo
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) January 15, 2026
The Insiders say the Rangers are calling it a season:
TSN.ca Staff
All that means that Artemi Panarin is now a big trade talk guy, and the Rangers are not looking to get Kiefer Sherwood, who it seems Vancouver is way, way overcharging for.
Ray talking sense about what it means to rebuild, and how the reward for being really bad is luck of the draw.
"Everybody is tradable there." 👀@rayferraro21 on the Canucks set to make major trades in Vancouver.#Canucks pic.twitter.com/IKIJBA6eXd
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) January 15, 2026
I do not get the raging desire to do this again now with the Leafs.
Full disclosure, I tried to read this, and it's a heap of quotes from legal filings and lawyers, and nope:
Rick Westhead
Usually when I have this problem, I do the trick of just reading the first sentence of every paragraph, and nope. Every sentence is its own paragraph.
I think this is good old fashioned fiddling of expenses (alleged) but I'm not sure.
Interesting story:
And now, about last night ...
This was part of a feature about Bobby Hastings, Head Equipment Manager and how he spends every minute of every game:
absolute legend
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
if a stick break, he'll have the new one ready to go pic.twitter.com/0IzLkaxcUu
After the very fatigued game in Utah, the Leafs came out ready to play, and the Toronto fans in the stands came out ready to risk getting a beer poured over their heads. Yes, they booed Mitch Marner in his own rink.
The sideshow was quickly overshadowed by the game:
that's how you start a game pic.twitter.com/0tmIgDdaow
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
backhand beauty for Nylander's 17th of the season pic.twitter.com/x8BTxRoTY8
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Jake McCabe took a penalty, which is the cue for the Vegas offence to come to life. There is this one man who is the best player on the ice when there are less than 10 skaters.
Pavel Dorofeyev scores on the power play pic.twitter.com/JHfLpRbLCB
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
No, it isn't Pavel.
And then there's this guy:
McCabe finds Matthews in front for the shot pass pic.twitter.com/MQrGtfrXYi
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
The save of the game:
easy save of the year candidate pic.twitter.com/bB9Dp8et8b
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Adin Hill, playing his first game back after a long injury, was likely going to get pulled if he let that one in.
After one it was 3-1 and both William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had left the game. OEL after a hit, Nylander shortly after his goal.
Ekman-Larsson went to the dressing room pic.twitter.com/uarnptYg16
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Nylander may have aggravated something here!? no way https://t.co/QLemUNoljd
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
But what about the shot clock? It doesn't count unless they deserve it.
All-situations is needed to make it seem like Vegas was even on the ice.
OEL came back for the second, but Nylander did not return to the game.
McCabe took a second penalty, an accident this time, and the Leafs kept Vegas to no Shots on Goal. But Vegas got one back soon enough.
Keegan Kolesar scores to make it 3-2 pic.twitter.com/9IklTlWMEV
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
McCabe dropped his stick as he was swapping out coverage with Matthews, in a defensive move that was actually pretty heartening from a team that's often disconnected in their own zone. Morgan Rielly had to defend by himself.
Vegas finally took a penalty, and first Morgan Rielly made a great defensive play:
great shorthanded defensive play by Rielly before the goal pic.twitter.com/hPEKYr17bQ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
And then Matias Maccelli was robbed! By John Tavares:
JOHN TAVARES 🚨
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
PPG! Deflects Maccelli's shot! pic.twitter.com/rG24vkihx9
lol laughs afterward pic.twitter.com/Wp6Om0ujYl
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Stecher stops the tap-in pic.twitter.com/OsL8MDDDVG
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
After two, the Leafs had hemmed in Vegas quite a bit, and were playing very well, but they were allowing these chances against that would be very unfortunate if Joe Woll wasn't making some saves. With some help.
After two, the game was very even in All-Situations, and the Leafs maintained their five-on-five advantage just barely.
Very early in the third, Easton Cowan took a bad penalty on a lazy defensive play. Six seconds in, and Pavel was scoring again. This one was all his.
Cowan to the box for high sticking pic.twitter.com/hAPygSEIc5
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
another power play goal for Dorofoeyev pic.twitter.com/isYVej03gT
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Woll saves a goal with his face.
ouch pic.twitter.com/enX6CrjZ5C
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Knies over to Laughton
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
what a play pic.twitter.com/zstSkQbS5t
The Laughton goal made it 5-3, and then Vegas scored on a play that might have been reviewable, but who wants another Vegas power play if you're wrong.
Mark Stone makes it 5-4 pic.twitter.com/qqDRlvqkej
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
Mitch Marner to Pavel Dorofeyev tied the game, but Toronto challenged for offside and it was very quickly confirmed.
return the hats pic.twitter.com/sPVHwMvnHr
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
The Leafs almost won this game. Matt Knies had no stick defending in the final ten seconds, and the right choice was to take a penalty, get a faceoff, ice the puck. Instead they sort of dithered.
Tomas Hertl ties it with 7 seconds left pic.twitter.com/gk4QseGUBA
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
And without Nylander, and with some players who should never play at three-on-three, the Leafs were left with Matias Maccelli and John Tavares, who were tolerable, while Easton Cowan gave a fair impression of a guy who will be good at this one day, but Jack Eichel is a different class.
Jack Eichel ends it pic.twitter.com/hKzbCVzyWE
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 16, 2026
The Leafs played a very good game for the most part with some exceptional play from Maccelli, Rielly, McMann and Matthews. Their defence is too weak for a team like Vegas, even when they are playing well and working as a unit out there.
Leafs are in Winnipeg on Saturday with a 7 pm start, so that precludes a normal morning skate. We might find out tomorrow how William Nylander is.
The Leafs now need to play at .629 the rest of the year to get to 98 points. They are at .574.
That's all, have a great Friday!
