Blues Outpace Maple Leafs 5-1 in Berube’s Return

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs struggled to gain momentum on Thursday night, falling to the St. Louis Blues 5-1 in a tough game that saw Blues goalie Jordan Binnington shut down Toronto’s offense with an impressive 40 saves.

St. Louis forward Dylan Holloway led the Blues with two goals, while Philip Broberg, Alexandre Texier, and Jake Neighbours each found the back of the net, giving the Blues a comfortable edge and lifting them to a 5-3-0 record. Broberg and Holloway, both formerly with Edmonton, made a noticeable impact since signing offer sheets with St. Louis in August. Broberg’s goal opened the scoring in the first period, while Holloway struck on the power play to quickly double the lead.

Toronto’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson managed to answer with a second-period goal—his first with the Leafs. However, Alexandre Texier countered to restore St. Louis’ two-goal advantage before the period ended. Despite solid saves from Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll, Toronto struggled to capitalize on power plays, finishing 0-for-3 on the night and dropping to just 3-for-26 on the season in man-advantage situations.

Tonight’s final@LGCanada | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/3JattSXlW9

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 25, 2024

Toronto’s Power Play Woes

Toronto had several key opportunities to close the gap, including a second-period power play while trailing 3-1, but the Blues’ penalty-kill unit held firm. St. Louis took advantage of Toronto’s missed opportunities, extending their lead and leaving Toronto’s power play unit frustrated.

The loss came as Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube faced his former team for the first time since being let go by St. Louis last December. Berube, who coached the Blues to their first and only Stanley Cup victory in 2019, faced a Blues roster fortified with emerging talents like Holloway and Broberg.

Injury Updates

Thursday night marked St. Louis’ first game without center Robert Thomas, who suffered a broken ankle in a recent loss to Winnipeg. The Blues are expected to be without Thomas for at least six weeks, making it a significant test for St. Louis as they look to build on a solid start to the season.

Toronto, meanwhile, had Woll make his season debut after recently being activated from injured reserve following a groin injury. Woll managed to stop 22 shots, with Anthony Stolarz handling most of the load in his absence, amassing a 3-2-0 record with a .938 save percentage.

Next Matchup

The Leafs, now 4-4-0, head to Boston for a Saturday night matchup as they look to turn around a challenging season start.