Canadian Teams Morning Review – Jan. 7: Canucks, Leafs, Jets & Oilers
Tuesday night offered a valuable snapshot of where Canada’s NHL teams really are — not where they hope to be, or where a good week might suggest they’re headed, but where gravity is currently pulling them. There were strong home performances, a road collapse that tried to disguise itself as a comeback, and one Western team still searching for the bottom of a bottomless hole.
The common thread wasn’t effort. It was control. The teams that dictated structure, pace, and purpose were rewarded. The ones chasing games — emotionally or tactically — were reminded how unforgiving the league can be when momentum slips.
Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres: A Late Push That Changed Nothing
The score will say 5–3 Buffalo, but the game was decided long before the Canucks woke up. Vancouver spotted the Sabres a 4–0 lead before discovering urgency, and by then the outcome was already set. The late third-period surge — goals from Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson, and Liam Ohgren — gave the night some cosmetic respectability. Still, it didn’t alter the reality that Buffalo controlled the game from the opening minutes.
The defining figure was Alex Tuch, who recorded a goal and an assist and consistently tilted the ice. His short-handed setup of Ryan McLeod and his even-strength work forced Vancouver into reactive hockey all night. The key moment came early, when Tage Thompson scored just over two minutes in — a reminder of how little margin the Canucks currently have.
Thatcher Demko faced only 19 shots but was left exposed by coverage breakdowns, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen calmly weathered the late flurry. Vancouver’s problem isn’t effort — it’s timing. They’re chasing games instead of managing them, and four straight losses have followed.
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs: A Measured Response to an Old Scar
This wasn’t a statement win so much as a controlled one — and that mattered more. Toronto’s 4–1 victory over Florida wasn’t about revenge for last spring, but it did show a team that understood the assignment. Matthew Knies was the most influential Maple Leafs player, scoring once and setting up Auston Matthews for his 21st of the season. The moment that tilted the game came early in the second period, when Knies’ power move made it 2–0 and forced Florida to open up.
Auston Matthews didn’t dominate the puck, but he dominated the night. His goal — with Mats Sundin in the building — carried symbolic weight, and Joseph Woll’s calm performance erased any sense of panic when Carter Verhaeghe spoiled the shutout late.
Florida outshot Toronto, but Toronto controlled the dangerous areas. That’s the difference. Brandon Carlo’s return quietly stabilized the back end, and the Leafs showed they could play a patient, grown-up game against a team that once rattled them badly.
Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights: The Streak That Wouldn’t End
Ten straight losses is no longer a slump — it’s a condition.
Winnipeg’s 4–3 overtime loss in Vegas followed a script that has become painfully familiar. They built a lead, briefly steadied themselves, and then watched it dissolve. Tomas Hertl’s overtime power-play goal — off a bounce in front — was the final blow, but the real damage came earlier.
The key moment wasn’t the overtime winner. It was Reilly Smith’s tying goal late in the third, coming just 59 seconds after Kyle Connor had given Winnipeg the lead. The Jets couldn’t protect success again.
Cole Perfetti breaking his goal drought was encouraging, and Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t the problem. But the structure evaporated when pressure arrived. Add the emotional weight of Haydn Fleury’s frightening injury, and the night felt heavy before it ended.
This team is searching for traction, and right now it can’t find any.
Edmonton Oilers vs Nashville Predators: Stars Doing Star Things
This one was simple: when Connor McDavid decides a game is over, it usually is. McDavid’s hat trick — including a penalty-shot goal — and Leon Draisaitl’s three-point night powered Edmonton to a 6–2 win that snapped a brief skid. The defining moment came late in the second period when McDavid converted the penalty shot, then watched Curtis Lazar and Kasperi Kapanen pile on moments later. The game tilted hard and fast.
McDavid’s 16-game point streak continues, and this was one of those nights where his pace warped the opposition. Nashville pushed back briefly in the third, but Draisaitl restored order.
The quiet note: Edmonton placed Tristan Jarry on long-term injured reserve earlier in the day, making goaltending depth a looming concern. For now, Connor Ingram held steady — and that was enough.
What the Night Said, Altogether, for Canadian Teams
This was a night about margins. Toronto and Edmonton protected them. Buffalo exploited Vancouver’s absence of them. Winnipeg lost another game inside them.
In January, that’s the line between teams climbing and teams explaining.