VANCOUVER — Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026Â
The Toronto Maple Leafs (24-21-9) wrap up a four-game road swing tonight against the Vancouver Canucks (18-31-5) with 7 p.m. PT puck drop at Rogers Arena on ESPN+. The Leafs are sliding a bit, losers of six straight and carrying a –11 scoring differential, while Vancouver has struggled too but just snapped a long skid with a shutout win.
Toronto enters with William Nylander pacing the club with 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) and Auston Matthews netting 26 goals, but recent offensive lapses — including a 5-2 loss to Seattle on Friday — have left fans craving consistency. The Leafs’ goalie rotation continues to be a storyline, with Stolarz and Joseph Woll vying for traction in net amid the skid.
Vancouver, meanwhile, is still without Thatcher Demko for the season after hip surgery, thrusting Kevin Lankinen into the starter’s role. The Canucks ended a brutal stretch in their 2-0 win over Anaheim, with Lankinen stopping 32 shots — a big morale boost. Vancouver’s offense hasn’t lit the lamp consistently (only about 2.65 goals per game), and its penalty kill sits near the bottom of the league.
History suggests quirks: Toronto blanked Vancouver 5-0 earlier this month, but the Canucks have taken wins in prior past meetings in this series. From an analytics lens, the Leafs’ negative goal differential and Vancouver’s defensive woes create a battle of attrition more than a shootout spectacle.
Humor aside — tonight could be less leafs-blown leads and more canucks-finding-their-groove as two teams in midseason identity limbo try to claw toward the playoffs. Save the dramatics for the ice, not the scoreboard.
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