Squaring off with nearly identical records entering Wednesday’s contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a key opportunity to get out of a rut against a quality Minnesota Wild team, with a four-game road trip on the horizon before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Lorentz and Woll stood by Matthews after his words on Wednesday, also admitting how special Toronto's fanbase is.

The Maple Leafs went from being down 3-0 after the first to winning 7-3, and captain Auston Matthews revealed how the team stayed mentally strong. Being down 3-0 in the first is never the best way to start off a game,

While there’s no sound in outer space, sometimes that’s strangely true in the alleged Centre of the Hockey Universe. That had to be on Maple Leaf captain Auston Matthews’ mind on Wednesday after Ryan Reaves kicked off the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets by getting Mathieu Olivier to drop the gloves in a lively exchange of punches.

Ryan Reaves and Mathieu Olivier dropped their gloves and engaged in a heavyweight fight just 92 seconds into Wednesday's game between the Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets. "It was great," said centre Auston Matthews.

Leafs answered our poll. In part 1, we reveal the teammates most Leafs would like to be stuck with in an elevator, and more.

The Maple Leafs’ annual outdoor practice — which took place is Shanahan’s old stomping grounds — provided a chance to fans to get close to their heroes and a nice break from a relentless practice-game-fly schedule.

It’s often been said that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the passion that unites us all, and that’s starkly evident on an unseasonably warm Monday in January, ahead of the team’s annual outdoor practice.

Pacioretty took a puck to the head area in front of the net during a shot attempt from teammate Auston Matthews on Jan .18 against the Montreal Canadiens. Pacioretty remained in the game but missed the next two contests against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Why UFA Mathieu Olivier loves Columbus | Jon Cooper keeps superstars accountable | The Capitals’ big advantage + 7 more NHL

Some new lines for the Maple Leafs could indicate that the team is attempting to showcase veteran forward Max Domi ahead of the trade deadline. On Wednesday, we saw the Maple Leafs get thumped by the Columbus Blue Jackets,

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was a partial participant in Friday’s practice, departing before line rushes started. It was Stolarz’s first practice since suffering a knee injury on December 12 against the Anaheim Ducks.