The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed back goaltender Joseph Woll but saw their losing streak extend to five games after a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, November 15, 2025.
Despite a strong road effort and Woll's return to the net for the first time since April 17, the Leafs couldn't protect a one-goal lead in the third period, dropping their record to 8-9-2 this season.
Late Game Collapse Proves Costly
Woll faced 32 shots and looked sharp throughout most of the contest in his first start since leaving training camp for personal reasons. However, defensive breakdowns late in the game proved decisive.
Chicago tied the game 2-2 early in the third period when Frank Nazar made a nifty spinning pass around Philippe Myers to feed Teuvo Teravainen, who beat Woll upstairs after dragging the puck past Morgan Rielly in close. The collapse was completed when Colton Dach tipped a hard point shot past Woll with just 4:25 remaining after the Leafs collectively failed to clear the zone.
Missed Opportunities Haunt Toronto
The Maple Leafs took a lead into the third period for just the fifth time in 19 games, though they had to survive a coach's challenge to make Rielly's goal stand up. Chicago had challenged that William Nylander high-sticked the puck earlier in the sequence, but video review couldn't conclusively overturn the goal.
Rielly's third goal of the season came after a nearly 80-second offensive zone push, showing a reversal of recent difficulties for the team. However, Toronto couldn't capitalize on the subsequent power play and hit several posts on Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight throughout the evening.
Injury Woes Continue for Struggling Squad
Toronto entered the game missing four key players due to injury: captain Auston Matthews (career 410-goal scorer), shutdown defencemen Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo, and number one netminder Anthony Stolarz.
Despite these absences and increasing public pressure for changes, the Leafs started strong, registering 14 of their 33 shots in the first period - their most in any opening frame this season and just one less than their total in Thursday's overtime loss to the Kings.
The team now faces two home games next week before embarking on a challenging six-game road trip as they seek to reverse their fortunes.
