Canadian Teams Morning Review – Jan. 22: Leafs, Flames & Canucks
Wednesday night offered a familiar lesson for Canadian teams: structure matters, execution matters more, and small moments still decide outcomes. Three games, three different contexts, but a shared theme ran through them all—control can be fleeting, and momentum rarely announces when it’s about to shift.
Toronto learned how quickly a disciplined road game can unravel on one mistake. Calgary was reminded that trades don’t just move bodies, they change how teams function. Vancouver, finally, was rewarded for staying with a game long enough for belief to creep back in.
This wasn’t a night of dominance or collapse. It was a night where the margins told the story.
Detroit Red Wings 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (OT)
What this result meant for Toronto wasn’t just a lost point—it was another reminder that the Maple Leafs’ recent cushion has started to thin. After an 8-0-2 run, they’re now 1-2-2 in their last five, and games like this show how little room there is when key pieces are missing.
Joseph Woll was the reason Toronto earned a point at all. Facing 41 shots, he steadied a Leafs lineup missing William Nylander and effectively losing Oliver Ekman-Larsson early. Toronto didn’t generate much, but Woll gave them a chance to manage the night.
That chance disappeared in overtime. Moritz Seider stripping Easton Cowan clean near the blue line was the kind of detail mistake that ends games at this level. Dylan Larkin finished it quickly, and that was that.
Scott Laughton’s early goal and penalty-shot opportunity hinted at offence, but Toronto never truly tilted the ice. Auston Matthews was held quiet, and the Leafs relied too heavily on goaltending and structure rather than pushback. It wasn’t a bad loss—but it was a revealing one.
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Calgary Flames 1
For Calgary, this game wasn’t just about losing again—it was about what the lineup now looks like without Rasmus Andersson. Since the trade, the Flames have scored two goals in two games, and the absence of their third-leading scorer is already showing.
Evgeni Malkin’s first-period goal set the tone, but Bryan Rust’s wraparound just 50 seconds into the third effectively ended it. Calgary had finally found a pulse late in the second on a Zach Whitecloud point shot deflection, but any momentum evaporated immediately.
Dustin Wolf wasn’t the issue. He was fine. The problem was Calgary’s inability to create sustained pressure without Andersson driving play from the back end.
There were small positives—Martin Pospisil returning, Whitecloud settling in—but this team is still adjusting to a structural change, not just a roster one. The Flames are now 1-6 in their last seven, and the standings won’t wait while they recalibrate.
Vancouver Canucks 4, Washington Capitals 3
This win meant more than two points for Vancouver. It stopped the bleeding. An 11-game losing streak can harden into something psychological, and the Canucks finally broke through by staying composed after early trouble.
Down 2–0 early, the Canucks didn’t wilt. Brock Boeser’s response goal settled things, and Evander Kane’s follow-up ensured the game reset rather than spiralled.
Drew O’Connor and Filip Hronek delivered the second-period push that flipped the game entirely. Vancouver wasn’t dominant, but it was connected. The Canucks played tighter, cleaner defence through the neutral zone, and were more decisive around rebounds.
Kevin Lankinen held firm late, and even Dylan Strome’s late goal didn’t undo the sense that Vancouver finally reasserted itself. One win doesn’t fix everything. But it restores oxygen.
Closing Insights About Canada’s Teams from Last Night
Wednesday’s games didn’t redefine any seasons—but they clarified them. Toronto remains competitive but vulnerable when details slip. Calgary is learning, in real time, the cost of transition. Vancouver reminded itself that perseverance still counts for something. In January, those lessons tend to stick.